A Peck of Pickled Peppers
Remember when I asked you to let your baby eat bugs? Well, we need them, too! But oh, it’s not so bad when you’re heaping three-alarm fireballs over Chipotle-style burrito bowls or 8 layer dip, I promise!
There are other benefits, too! Aside from being probiotic rich, cultured peppers contain a rich antioxidant and anti-inflammatory called capsaicin, which is also known to prevent ulcers (who would have thought!), ease migraine and sinus headaches, lower blood pressure and cause cancer cells to commit suicide.¹
Just three simple steps and you’re done. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup chopped jalapenos (Note: for a delicious version with less heat remove some of the seeds after chopping)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 1/2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt
- filtered water
Method:
- Place jalapenos, garlic and salt in a 16 oz mason jar.
- Fill with filtered water, leaving one inch of space at the top
- Cover tightly with lid, shake until ingredients are mixed, then leave on the counter for 5-7 days
It can do what many other...
Margo
Awesome. Chet loves to put these on bus meals! Thanks.
Heather
You’re welcome, Margo! They’re really easy and I know he’ll love them!
Jesse M
I love that this is so easy! And I have some jalapenos that I can go try it with right now!! Thank you!
Heather
Yes, this recipe is SO EASY, but they are really good, too! I almost didn’t post it because I sat down to have a few and almost ate half a jar in one sitting. There were almost not enough left to photograph!
Kate S.
Wow, these look so easy! I’m about to make the pickled garlic- I bet these would look pretty on the counter next to each other : )
Renee N.
I can’t believe how easy that is! I can’t wait to try this! Thanks so much, Heather!
Christina Nauss Roe via FB
Do you just leave the jar on the counter or put in a dark cool place for the fermenting process?
Heather
I just left mine on the counter out of direct sunlight
Mommypotamus via FB
On the counter, just out of direct sunlight
Mommypotamus via FB
On the counter, just out of direct sunlight
Life After Ketchup {GAPS Update} « The Mommypotamus
[...] couple recipes and they were just meh, so we stick with rockstar condiments like homemade mayo and pickled jalapenos (a lot of storebought mustard’s are GAPS legal, too). I’m sure you’ll find one [...]
Mommypotamus via FB
P.S. I had a stomach bug 3 weeks ago, so maybe my body is craving these as a recovery food? I could care less about plain jalapenos, they MUST be cultured. Thoughts?
Kristine Winniford via FB
Peppers are also high in Vit. C.
Kristine Winniford via FB
These look great btw, I’ll have to remember them for next summer when we have peppers.
NorahandPete Hopkins via FB
I have been eating a lot of pickles lately too…..and definitely not pregnant here either!
Mommypotamus via FB
Interesting, Kristine Winniford! I’ll bet that’s part of the reason for sure. Normally I like to eat in season, but I just can’t get enough right now. Back to the store I go!
Anna-Marie Hizer via FB
My dad and I both crave kraut when getting over a stomach bug. I’ll even add extra salt sometimes! Perhaps something to do with rebalancing electrolytes?
Erica Kimberlin via FB
Hubby and I just looked through your website and I will be making all of it:-) looks so good.
Portia
Heather, what’s the difference between pickled food and fermented? I was always eating pickled food is bad for you. I know you know how to clarify it for me. Will you please?
Portia
Was always “told”
Heather
Pickled items are prepared in a vinegar brine while fermented are prepared in salt and usually whey. These are really fermented . . . I just couldn’t resist the reference to one of my fave tongue twisters
Kirsti Vossler via FB
Hahaha! Love it!
Breakfast Love From Crockpot Betty!!! « The Mommypotamus
[...] one looks UH-mazing! Betty is making this for us next week except she’s going to sub these pickled peppers for the canned green chilis (we can’t find any that don’t have BPA) and bacon for [...]
Angelina
Hi Heather, I am so inspired by your post that I am making these today. But I am wondering, why no whey in the recipe? I’ve made one other Sally Fallon recipe (pickles) without whey (didn’t have any at that time) so I used the extra salt instead, and they were awful. So salty and rotten tasting…dumped it all. I want to ferment again but would like to use whey since I hate to dump another batch of anything, though yours obviously turned out good without it. Just wondering if they’d be better/healthier with or without whey, or maybe this recipe should be whey-less for some reason? Thanks for all the wonderful recipes…your site is great!
Heather
Hi Angelina! Jalapenos do not spoil easily so whey is not needed to “speed up” the fermentation process before something goes bad. Does that make sense?
Angelina
So the whey isn’t need to ferment, it simply keeps it from going bad while the fermentation is in process. Maybe that was the problem with my pickles? The extra salt didn’t keep them from going rotten like whey would have, I’m guessing. I’m off to make a peck of pickled peppers now! Thanks for the fast reply!
Heather
Actually, it’s the reverse. Salt keeps food from spoiling while the whey ferments. But in some cases all you need is a little salt to prevent spoilage and the fermenting will happen on its own. Pickles are tricky- I’ve found that they really turn out best if you use an airlock to keep mold out
Angelina
Right, I should have known that! I had an abundance of jalapenos, so I made one jar with just salt, one with whey, just to see if anything different happens (who doesn’t love a science experiment?). Also made a jar of ginger carrots since they sound so yummy, but I had a little pre-taste of them and they are so salty. I’ve heard that about Sally Fallon’s recipes…too much salt. I suppose I’ll see in a few days. Thanks for all the great info! Wishing you a blessed weekend.
Angelina
Hi Heather, just a little update…the peppers made your way are SO delicious! The ones made with whey (and no other change) are soggy and have a slightly different, not as great flavor. Isn’t that funny? Thanks again for sharing…I love them, right out of the jar!
Heather
Interesting! Whey speeds up the fermentation process so maybe they are a bit overripe. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
5 Natural Remedies For Depression « The Mommypotamus
[...] other foods. This is one of the few supplements I take in addition to eating fermented foods like pickled peppers and carrot dilly sticks. (where to buy probiotic [...]
Angelina
Hi again! Just wondering, do you think this would work with banana peppers? I wonder if I can get away with using the same process (only salt, no whey). Thanks!
Heather
Possibly, but since I’ve never tried it I can’t say for sure, though.
itsoversugar
I just made my second batch of these. I love them! They’re so nice to keep on hand and last forever. I think next time I will try maybe adding in some onions to see how they turn out. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Maria Castro via FB
mmm delicioso
Emily Cowles Brown via FB
hey! I just had these on a left-over beef tongue taco! (with homemade soaked grains tortilla)
Katrina
Hi, was wondering how long these keep for? Do you refrigerate them after the 5-7 days? (sorry, I haven’t tried fermenting anything yet so I don’t want to make any mistakes!) These look delish!
Katrina´s last [type] ..Family Day at the Fire Hall
Heather
Hi Katrina! Yes, I put them in the fridge after they reach the level of fermenty goodness I like. They last at least six months in my experience
Rebecca
Do you have to keep the peppers under the brine to prevent mold?
Bethany
Hi Heather. I just wanted to let you know that I have begun my journey of fermentation. Today I started a kombucha scoby, and started jars of fermented jalapenos, dilly carrots sticks and fermented asparagus. I can’t wait to taste them and see what my hubby and daughter think about our new daily food.
Bethany´s last [type] ..Father’s Day – A Tribute to My Father and My Daughter’s Father (aka my husband)
Tamara @ Oh Lardy
I love this! I ferment jalapenos whole and they are delicious. Slicing them and mixing up the peppers is terrific idea! Thanks!
Tamara @ Oh Lardy´s last [type] ..5 Reasons to Ditch the Sports Drink plus a Healthy Alternative!
Heather
I just had some of these with my eggs this morning! Hope you like them as much as I do!
Carly
Hi! These sound delicious so I made them. My question is, are they still safe to eat if the top ones have a little mold on them? I threw the top of them in the garbage & the rest are in the fridge awaiting your answer.
Heather
Hi Carly! Different people say different things about this. Personally if it was a little white mold I probably would, then I would weight them down so they were fully beneath the brine next time. The other thing to make sure of is that your jars are really clean. I once had two jars sitting side-by-side – one went bad and one didn’t. Looking back I think I grabbed one of the jars from an extra shelf in the garage and it just wasn’t clean enough. Hope that helps!
Carly
Thank you! You confirmed what I had already thought:)
Heather
Glad to help!
Carly
So I tried some & they were soooo good! I’m not sure why but I can’t get enough of hot stuff like that these days! (You have any idea?) I had it with my Chicken soup…every bite I added a few to my spoon.
Sounds like a weird combo but it was good! Added some bite to it. 
Just to double check, these have probiotics & cultures in them? I had always thought it was the whey that added that…
10 Ways to Use Fermented Foods (plus an easy recipe) - Oh Lardy!
[...] My daughter loves them! You can follow this same guideline for almost any vegetable (jalapeno peppers, green beans, cauliflower, [...]
Sveta
Can’t wait to try this recipe! What do you eat them with? As a condiment to….? I never really eat jalapenos, only add them so stews/chili sometimes, but am intrigued to try these!
Heather
We eat them on scrambled eggs, nachos, etc.
Courtney Edwards
Do you weigh your ferments down? What kind of jar do you use and what kind of weights do you use that fit into the jar but keep everything down?
Heather
Usually, yes, but the jalapenos don’t float much
When I do use weights I use the glass ones that came with my Pickl It jars.