Red bell peppers taste good, add color to dishes, and best of all, they’re good for many of us. They’re so easy to toss into dishes when they’re on hand, but many of us don’t regularly stock our vegetable pantries with them, so we find ourselves going back and forth to the store for them. Using this recipe to preserve fresh peppers will help you with this problem. If you’re lucky enough to grow a lot of them during the summer months this is a also a great way to put some aside for a few months while you continue to eat fresh ones.

But let’s not forget that they’re also in the nightshade family, and this means that they can also cause internal irritation and reactions for some people. This is important to know before overdoing their addition to a dish.

Tips for making

• It’s not necessary to roast and skin the peppers but it will add depth to their overall flavor. Additionally, processing them this way will make their texture more like that of a jar of diced pimento peppers. They will be soft and flavorful and not crunchy like a pickle.
• I prefer the whey version of this recipe but salt will work as well. If you’re curious about the difference, make two batches at the same time and then taste them both when they’re ready.

Pickled Red Peppers

Difficulty:

Easy

Yield:

Makes 1 quart

Page in NT: 99

Ingredients:

• about 12 thick red sweet bell peppers, seeded and cut into quarters
• 1 Tablespoon sea salt
• 4 Tablespoons whey (if not available use an additional 2 teaspoons salt)
• 1/2-1 cup filtered water

Preparation:

1. Place peppers skin side up in oiled pyrex dishes and bake at 450 degrees about 10 minutes.
2. Turn pepper pieces over and bake another 10 minutes or so until skins are browned and begin to buckle.
3. Remove pepper pieces to a platter and cover with a plastic bag.
4. Let cool about 10 minutes and carefully remove skin.
5. Pack the peppers into a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar.
6. Mix whey and salt with water and pour into jar, adding more water if necessary to cover the peppers.
7. The top of the peppers should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar.
8. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.