How to pickle Jalapeño chillies

Late last week Licia Snyders asked us on facebook for tips on how to preserve chillies. And, of course, your wish is our command. Renée Nesbitt, of How to make chilli poppers fame, has put together this beautiful recipe. Enjoy it folks (download printable version of this recipe).

Ingredients:
1.125 litres water
1 litre white vinegar
4 cups sugar
¾ cup salt
Lots of chillies

Note: This recipe makes just over 2 litres of pickling liquid so you may need to reduce it according to the number of chillies you have, how big they are and the jars you need to fill. You may well have some liquid left over as that’s the problem with pickling, you’re never going to have the perfect amount of liquid as the size of what you’re pickling affects how much you end up using.

The recipe should really be used as a ratio of ingredients. I suggest you take the number of jars you’re filling (i.e. how many jars are required for the number/size of chillies that you have), add their volumes in ‘ml’ together and divide by two (the chillies take up space in the jar – I would say about half).

Method:
1. Rinse the Jalapeños thoroughly and dry.
2. Deseed the chillies – the more seeds you leave in during pickling, the spicier the end product will be. Using a thin sharp knife, carefully separate the membrane from the flesh of the Jalapeño and scrape the seeds out. Unless you wear gloves when doing this, be careful not to touch your eyes!

3. Sterilise the required number of glass jars.

Tip: My mom taught me a trick for sterilising jars (one of my pet hates) – simply put a little bit of water in each jar and a few drops in the lid, place on a microwavable plate and microwave on high for 30 seconds to a minute.

4. Pack the Jalapeños as tightly as possible in the jars and set aside.

5. Combine the sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a large pot. Heat, stirring continuously until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Turn the heat up and bring to the boil.
6. Once boiled, pour the very hot liquid into your jars, ensuring that the chillies are completely immersed.
7. Immediately close the jars tightly, so as to ensure an airtight seal.

Store in a cool, dark place. The Jalapeños should be ready to use in a week or two and are perfect for chilli poppers or chopped up and served with Mexican dishes such as nachos or wraps.

Enjoy!