A peck of pickled peppers

Well, maybe a half to three quarters of a peck.

Looks pretty doesn't it?  Yep it does, but for me it's also a terrifying sight.  Just one little piece of those could set off a really bad allergic reaction where my throat starts to swell and my lungs feel like they are underwater.  It's like a massive asthma attack.
Now you are asking why I would even get near the things, right?  Well I can handle them as long as the fruit has not been cut or any juices have been exposed.  Hubby LOVES them, well so do I but that doesn't count.  So I don my pepper 'hazmat' suit consisting of elbow length rubber gloves and either a respirator (if I'm cutting them) or a handkerchief over my nose and mouth, and set to work.
What's the recipe?  Well I was playing on BYC and visited the canning thread, it's post number 3573 here
Posted by chickencrazymamahen
I grow robustini and pepperoncini's and this is what I do.  Soak the peppers 24 hrs. in a solution of 1 C lime and 1 C salt per gallon of water, in the fridge.  Rinse well, cut 2 slits in each pepper and crush lightly with hand to open slits slightly; pack in jars. 

Brine*:
3 C white vinegar
1 C water
3 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP pickling salt
1 garlic clove per jar

Mix brine together (except garlic) and bring to boil, boil 5 minutes; place one garlic clove in each jar.  Fill with boiling brine, when adding hot brine, mash peppers some with wooden spoon so brine will enter peppers. remove air bubbles.  Cap and process 10 minutes in boiling water bath, start counting as soon as jars are placed in boiling water.

*for each 4 qts. of peppers, triple brine.

 I figured this would have to work for habaneros and jalapenos as well so I tried it, though I did make a few changes to suit hubby's tastes.  The garlic was roasted cloves that I keep in the freezer, and I added a half teaspoon each of mustard and coriander seed to each jar.  Also, instead of slitting the peppers, I opted for poking holes in them with a corn cob holder fork thing so it looks like I have miniature pepper sucking vampires in my kitchen attacking my peppers.  I put at least 8 holes in each, at least!  Yet another tip found somewhere on the web.  Sure did make it easier on me, I didn't have to don the respirator while working.

What I ended up with:
7 pints of habaneros

 And 4 pints of jalapenos

And the bonus is I only needed 1 dose of benadryl for the entire day and I won't have to do this again for a couple of years!!

Pickled peppers

Instead of trying to find some way to use all hubby's peppers before they go bad I decided to pickle them when we get enough to fill a jar.  The recipe is simple and is a per pint basis.

1/2 tsp each black peppercorns, coriander seed, minced garlic, pickling salt, granulated sugar
1bay leaf
Vinegar
peppers to fill the pint jar, we have all hot peppers but use what you have.

Dump spices etc in jar, slit the peppers in several places or slit all the way through the bottoms so that the vinegar can enter them.  Heat vinegar on stove and pour over peppers, kinda mash around with a spoon or something to help empty the air pockets in the peppers and top off with vinegar, allowing 1/2" head space.  Water bath for 15 minutes (for longer term storage) or toss in fridge.  Let sit for 2 weeks before using.