Have you picked a peck of peppers? Uncle Smokey here to report that I did recently, and decided to turn them into a peck of pickled peppers! (And just how many pecks in a bushel?)

POWWOW

I got this peck of peppers courtesy of the Produce On Wheels Without Waste (POWWOW). They are a non-profit operating in Arizona and working hard to keep produce that is at it’s “best by” date out of the landfills and into the hands of people that can use the bounty. And I mean bounty – generally around 70 pounds per client. Tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, chilies, watermelon, all manner of squash, and more – what ever is in season and they have too much of.

A Plethora of Peppers

This time, a peck of peppers was a tad over the top. A plethora of peppers (which is perhaps better than a plethora of piñatas *) was not entirely perfect since I already had a freezer full of stuffed peppers, not to mention canning jars full of other pepper recipes. Time for some creativity and resorting to older cookbooks. I mean what did Grandma do faced with the summer bounty?! The answer was not in any cookbook – nor anywhere online. It was on an old tattered scrap of paper in the battered recipe box behind the “vegetables” divider.

This recipe called for a crock and a root cellar, but I made do with a glass jar and a refrigerator. Also, in case you only have a bare half dozen peppers and not a peck, I have downsized the recipe.

Pickled Peppers

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
2 cups water
1 cup white vinegar
3 medium bell peppers, sliced into rings
1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 sprig fresh tarragon or sweet marigold or 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves

Prepare
In a saucepan over low heat mix sugar, salt, water, and vinegar.

Warm and stir to dissolve sugar.

Pack the vegetables and spices in your crock or jars.

Pour warm vinegar mixture over the vegetables.

Cover and refrigerate at least 1 week before serving to blend flavors. If you can stand to wait, the flavors are even better after a month.

* Can you identify the movie that line comes from? Let us know below!

Thanks for reading!
Uncle Smokey

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