candied jalapenos

I have mentioned a couple of times how the jalapeno plants that my husband planted in the spring keep producing peppers and more peppers.

I was getting ready to just slice them and freeze them when I tried searching online one more time for other ideas of what to do with them.

I found a recipe for candied jalapenos on a blog named Foodie with a Family.   It seemed like a good recipe to try and would use up a lot of jalapenos.
In fact, I had to adjust the recipe down because I only had about two pounds of jalapenos - and the recipe on that site calls for three pounds.

Candied Jalapenos
2 pounds jalapenos (about 40-45)
1 1/3 cups cider vinegar
4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp. minced garlic

Start with fresh, rinsed jalapenos.  Wear gloves while slicing them in roughly 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch slices.

Combine cider vinegar, sugar, spices and garlic in a large pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. 

Add the sliced jalapenos to the mixture. Turn heat back up, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes.

(The original recipe that I've linked to above gives instructions for using a canner to prepare these for long term storage. Since I will only have four half pint jars, I will just keep mine in the refrigerator until they are used up...so my jars are clean but not sterilized)

Remove peppers with a slotted spoon and pack them in heat proof jars. 

Bring the liquid back up to a boil and boil hard for 6 minutes.

Ladle liquid over jarred pepper slices to cover.

I went ahead and put the 2 part lids on the jars while they were hot.  A few hours later, after they had cooled, I put them in the fridge. They have to stay there at least two weeks for flavors to mingle and mellow.

I had a full jar of the syrupy liquid leftover too.  The suggestion, was to drizzle this on grilled meats or add to potato salad and dips to add a little zip. Someone online commented that they spooned a little over vanilla ice cream. 

I'm pretty sure I won't be putting it on ice cream but I am know I will find a use for it.

I will report back about how we like the candied jalapenos when we try them in a couple of weeks.