How to Perserve Habanero Peppers

Preserve habanero peppers by freezing or pickling them.

Preserving habanero peppers is a perfect way to use the spicy peppers throughout the year. You can preserve the peppers by freezing or pickling them; if you choose to freeze the peppers, make sure you freeze them at a temperature of 0 degrees F. Frozen habanero peppers will keep for eight to 12 months without losing taste or texture quality. Pickled peppers can last up to two years while still maintaining a high quality. However, with pickled peppers there are other flavors used in the pickling process that can be tasted in the final product.

Things You'll Need

• Habanero peppers
• Freezer bags
• Pickled
• 1 pound sliced habanero peppers
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tsp. pickling salt
• 3 tbsp. honey
• 6 tbsp. pickling spice
• 6 tbsp. olive oil
• Six pint-size canning jars

Instructions

Pickling

1. Sterilize the canning jars in a hot water bath or by running them through a dishwasher.

2. Add 1 tbsp. of pickling spice to the bottom of each canning jar, then add the peppers. Pack the peppers well but not too tight and leave about 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar.

3. Boil the vinegar, water, honey and pickling salt in a pot. Once the mixture boils, turn the heat to low and simmer for five minutes.

4. Pour the mixture over the jarred pickles, still leaving 1/2 inch of space.

5. Pour 1 tbsp. olive oil into each jar.

6. Seal the jars, making sure to remove any air bubbles first. If properly sealed, the jar lids will dip in the middle.

7. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. The peppers will be ready to eat in about three weeks.

Freezing

1. Wash the peppers thoroughly.

2. Cut the stems off the peppers. While many vegetables require blanching, peppers actually freeze better if you do not blanch them first.

3. Place the peppers in freezer bags and pack them as tightly as possible. You want to leave as little air as possible in the freezer bags.

4. Freeze the sealed bags of habanero peppers.

References

• "The Complete Book of Pickling"; Jennifer MacKenzie; 2009
• "The Joy of Pickling"; Linda Ziedrich; 1998
• "Pickled: Vegetables, Fruits, Roots, More--Preserving a World of Tastes and Traditions"; Lucy Norris and Elizabeth Watt; 2003
• National Center for Home Food Preservation: Storing Home Canned Foods
• National Center for Home Food Preservation: Freezing Hot Peppers
• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: Freezing and Food Safety