When people think of preserving peppers, most often they think of freezing them or drying them. Those are fine ways to preserve peppers, but here at the ranch we tend to go a little further with our pepper preservation by making hot pepper vinegar, salsa, piccalilli, chow-chow, hot chili sauce, hot pepper sauce, spicy homemade ketchup, pasta sauce, barbecue sauce, and our own wonderful blend of grilling sauce for pork, fish, and chicken.

My husband and I love hot peppers. We grow many pepper varieties in our garden, and we use them in many different ways. We make homemade salsa from our homegrown tomatoes, tomatillos, and hot peppers. We then process several jars at once in our pressure canner so we have plenty to last us through the winter months.

My preferred pressure canner is the All American brand manufactured by the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry. I do not profit in any way by recommending their products. I’ve owned many pressure cookers and canners over the years, and I’ve had some good ones and bad ones. I love my All American because it seals without utilizing any type of rubber gasket seal. The rubber seals wear out over time and present a maintenance issue.

In addition to the hot salsa, we also make a milder variety for our daughter and for visitors who don’t have the flair for hot food that we do. Our milder salsa includes milder and sweeter pepper varieties.

We use our hot tabasco peppers to make our own hot vinegar sauce. We use hot vinegar pepper sauce on our turnip greens. We also use it on salads, slaw, burgers, refried beans, and tostados. Cooked pintos can always use some spicing up with hot vinegar sauce.

I leave some peppers on the vine until they turn red, then I mix the red and green peppers together in the sauce. All you have to do is wash the peppers, place in a pour style salad or vinegar bottle, add some salt, and pour hot vinegar into the jar. You need to use a bottle that can withstand the hot vinegar without cracking.

I make different flavors by using different vinegars. There are so many fantastic vinegar varieties available today so you can experiment freely. Most often I use white or apple cider vinegar, but you can also use sherry or wine vinegars or any other flavor you think might taste good. You can also add some spices if you like, such as garlic or onion.

Something else we love is hot chow-chow. We eat chow-chow on beans. We eat pintos, red beans and rice, black beans with yellow rice, blackeyed peas, etc. Blackeyed peas are wonderful mixed up with rice and bacon with some homemade chow-chow on top. We make several jars at once and seal in the canner. We also make piccalilli using green tomatoes from our garden along with sweet and hot peppers.

Our large bell peppers are preserved by slicing off the top of the pepper, steaming gently for a few minutes, and stuffing with a fantastic blend of meat, rice, and sauce. I place the peppers upright in a casserole and quick freeze. Remove once frozen enough to handle easily and place in zippered freezer bags and return to freezer. These will keep for about 3 months and can be thawed and baked or placed in a crock pot. I will be sure to post this recipe on the site.

Next time you need to preserve peppers, get creative and make some tasty salsa and sauces. Growing and preserving peppers is easy, and the rewards of a bountiful pepper crop can last you throughout the winter. Happy Gardening!

~the Rancher’s Daughter
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