Anyone who wants to develop any skill in fermenting needs to realize the most important single aspect to this skill, cleanliness. When I ferment, I wash all the jars, tops, glass weights and nipple tops in the dishwasher on the “sterilize” setting. When the dishwasher is finished, I prepare the vegetables, in this case the Jalapenos. Take the jars from the dishwasher and begin packing. Don’t forget to wash your hands as well. I ferment sauerkraut, Kimchee and jalapenos and have for years. I have had only one quart go bad in all that time.
The benefit of these fermented jalapenos are multiple. The chilis are uniform in heat and taste. You will always have jalapenos available in your refrigerator when you need them and they last for weeks, again gaining taste with age.
Fermented Jalapenos
Ingredients
- 30-36 Jalapenos (10-12 for one quart)
- 3 quarts Water* (1 quart)
- 9 tbsp pickling salt (3 tbsp for one quart)
- 1 ½ Vidalia onion sliced thin (½ onion for one quart)
- 10-15 Garlic cloves sliced thin (5 cloves for one quart)
Instructions
- Wash the jalapenos in water. Cut off the stem, then slice them using a benriner slicer. I slice them about ¼ inch thick. To reduce the heat you can discard the seeds and pith. Howeve, I keep both, but then I like spice. Wear kitchen gloves for the slicing and anytime you are handling the jalapenos. Also, a good idea to have the kitchen fan going, or windows open. Place the sliced jalapenos in a bowl.
- Place the water into a sauce pan and add the salt. Heat to boiling and the salt. Stir until dissolved. Then take the pan off the heat.
- Let the water cool to below 100 degrees F.
- Take the quart jars out of the dishwasher. Let them cool so you can handle them.
- Place a layer of onions and garlic, then jalapenos, alternating until all three quarts are filled with the vegetables. Leave enough room for the glass weight and brine.
- Fill with the brine, then place a glass weight on top. Screw on the nipple top**. aleave about ½ to ¾ inch of room since with the production of gass the liquid can expand and spill over.
- Set at room temperature for about 5-7 days covered, then place the jars in the refrigerator. Check them daily. After a week in the frig, they are ready to use, and they get better with age. If the brine evaporates, make more and fill to the proper level.
