Canned Peppers - warmed but not boiled - Ask Extension
Is the process we are following to make my wife's grandmother's pickles safe and would there be a way for us to
define this process in a food-safe bu...
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Canned Peppers - warmed but not boiled #254831
Asked June 17, 2015, 10:29 AM EDT
Is the process we are following to make my wife's grandmother's pickles safe and would there be a way for us to
define this process in a food-safe business so we could sell them?
Her process, handed down from to her from her grandmother, was this:
Step one is to sterilize the jars (we use the "sterilize" function on the dishwasher) and letting them dry completely upside down on paper towels.
The next step is a three-step water bath (room temp) to clean the peppers. No detergents - just water and hand scrubbing of the peppers in first bath, move to second bath and do the same, and final bath for rinse. As you moved through the bushels - we empty the water in all three baths and refill once the final rinse bath started to become visibly dirty.
Once the peppers were cleaned, they were quartered (tops and tips removed, and bulk of seeds shaken out but some remained), and packed into the dry jars.
Next we prepared the brine by dissolving the salt solution (2.5 cups) in about .5 to 1 gallon of heated water until the salt was completely dissolved.
This is then added to another 1 to 1.5 gallons of water (2 gallons in total) and one gallon of vinegar to make the full solution of brine. The solution is warm to the touch (between 110 and 120 degrees).
The jars are then filled with the brine (while at the temp noted above), a fresh clove of garlic added and then capped with lids and sealed tight (the lids were in a boiling water bath and pulled out, dried, and immediately placed on jars, then the dome ring was added to seal). There is usually about 1/2 to 1 inch of air between the top of brine and lid.
The jars are then left alone in a cool dark space for a minimum of 6 weeks... Lots of pinging!
The peppers for the last 15 years have always been a hit - crispy, crunchy and just plain yummy! We did have the pH checked one time and it came in around 2.5.
We have never had a spoiled jar and no one has ever got sick. We do recommend that once a jar is opened, people should put them in the fridge to keep them cold and crispy.
Her process, handed down from to her from her grandmother, was this:
Step one is to sterilize the jars (we use the "sterilize" function on the dishwasher) and letting them dry completely upside down on paper towels.
The next step is a three-step water bath (room temp) to clean the peppers. No detergents - just water and hand scrubbing of the peppers in first bath, move to second bath and do the same, and final bath for rinse. As you moved through the bushels - we empty the water in all three baths and refill once the final rinse bath started to become visibly dirty.
Once the peppers were cleaned, they were quartered (tops and tips removed, and bulk of seeds shaken out but some remained), and packed into the dry jars.
Next we prepared the brine by dissolving the salt solution (2.5 cups) in about .5 to 1 gallon of heated water until the salt was completely dissolved.
This is then added to another 1 to 1.5 gallons of water (2 gallons in total) and one gallon of vinegar to make the full solution of brine. The solution is warm to the touch (between 110 and 120 degrees).
The jars are then filled with the brine (while at the temp noted above), a fresh clove of garlic added and then capped with lids and sealed tight (the lids were in a boiling water bath and pulled out, dried, and immediately placed on jars, then the dome ring was added to seal). There is usually about 1/2 to 1 inch of air between the top of brine and lid.
The jars are then left alone in a cool dark space for a minimum of 6 weeks... Lots of pinging!
The peppers for the last 15 years have always been a hit - crispy, crunchy and just plain yummy! We did have the pH checked one time and it came in around 2.5.
We have never had a spoiled jar and no one has ever got sick. We do recommend that once a jar is opened, people should put them in the fridge to keep them cold and crispy.
Summit County Ohio
Expert Response
I would not be able to tell you if your process is safe since you do not really "process" the peppers. You put them in the jars but do not use a canning process on them.
The only way to have your product tested is to go through testing at an authorized "processing authority". We do not have one in Ohio but here is the contact information for one at Cornell University and one at the University of Kentucky.
The only way to have your product tested is to go through testing at an authorized "processing authority". We do not have one in Ohio but here is the contact information for one at Cornell University and one at the University of Kentucky.
Dr. Olga Padilla-Zakour, Director / Process Authority,<personal data hidden>, <personal data hidden>
O’Leary, Dr. Joe, Food Analyst, Food Science
Department, University of Kentucky,<personal data hidden>, Email: <personal data hidden>
Thank you kindly for the information - appreciate you taking time to respond.
I will reach out to Dr. Padilla-Zakour and Dr. O'Leary.
Mike
I will reach out to Dr. Padilla-Zakour and Dr. O'Leary.
Mike
