It’s nearing the end of the gardening season and one of my favorite things to do this time of year, is grab the last of the peppers from their plants and make a few quick jars of pickled hot peppers. They are great on salads, in eggs, Mexican dishes, etc. This recipe is for simple refrigerator pickled peppers as opposed to a preserved, canned version that can be stored on the shelf for many months. Honestly, I prefer making them this way, since I never make a large amount of them and I hate all the work involved in canning. Besides, these don’t last long in our house anyway. Pickled peppers like this are good for quite a few weeks, under refrigeration. If you would like them to last longer, follow these canning instructions and guidelines.  Use can use this same brine mixture to pickle other vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, beets, fennel, green beans and so much more.

Pickled Hot Peppers
Adapted from David Lebovitz which was adapted from Michael Symon’s Live to Cook

1 pound fresh hot peppers, washed (I used a combination of banana, hungarian wax and jalapeño peppers)
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups white distilled vinegar
3 tablespoons raw cane sugar
3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1. You can leave the peppers whole if you’d like, just stab each pepper a few times, or you can slice them in rings, which I prefer. I just remove the tops and slice them into thin rings. I leave the seeds in, as both Mark and I love spicy. Place them in a large glass preserving jar or two smaller jars.

2. In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the other ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.

3. Remove from heat and pour the brine over the peppers. Place the lid on the jar and let cool. Once cool, refrigerate for at least a week before using, if possible. (You can use them sooner, but it is well worth the wait to let them sit)