Preserve It! Properly Prepared for Pepper Season
by UCCE Master Food Preserver Laurie Lewis
The heat of summer in California is in full swing. We are in the height of the season for growing peppers. If you enjoy peppers, or if you grow them in the garden, you may be looking for ways to enjoy the abundance of peppers that surrounds us.
Peppers were ancient currency
Hot as well as sweet peppers have been grown for thousands of years in Central and South America. Did you know that the Aztecs had at least seven different words for hot pepper or that the Incas used peppers as currency?
Sweet and spicy is the perfect combination
Now, let’s change gears and think about the part of our country that produces maple syrup. It takes sunny, warm days and below-freezing nights to have the maple sap running. Native Americans used maple sugar as a source of food as well as a trading item.
If we combine the wonders of our Northeast (maple syrup) and Southwest (peppers) we come up with a spectacular recipe from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, 38thedition, 2024. Try this recipe over a block of cream cheese or spread on a hamburger (sop up the pickled juices into that bread).
Maple Pickled Jalapeños Recipe
Makes about 4 pint jars
2 ½ to 3 pounds jalapeño peppers, sliced*
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
3 cups cider vinegar, at least 5% acidity
1 ½ cups water
1 cup maple syrup
Prepare boiling-water canner or atmospheric steam canner. Heat cleaned jars in canner until ready to use, do not boil (simmering water at 180 degrees F). Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
Wash peppers under cold running water; drain. Cut stem and blossom ends off peppers. Cut peppers crosswise into one-quarter-inch slices. Peel onion and remove root and stem ends. Cut onion crosswise into thin slices; separate slices into rings.
Combine sugar, salt, mustard seeds, peppercorns, vinegar, water, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer five minutes. Stir in peppers and onions; simmer five minutes.
Pack hot vegetables into a hot jar, leaving one-half-inch headspace. Ladel hot liquid over vegetables, keeping one-half-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary. Clean jar rim. Center lid on jar and adjust band to finger tight. Place jar in canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
Water must cover jars by at least one inch in boiling water canner or come to the base of the rack in a steam canner. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner, and bring water to a rolling boil in a boiling-water canner or until there’s a steady stream of steam coming from the steam canner. Start timing and process half-pint (or pint) jars: 15 minutes at 0 – 1,000 feet elevation, 20 minutes at 1,001 – 3,000 feet, 25 minutes at 3,001 – 6,000 feet, 30 minutes at 6,001 – 8,000 feet.
Turn off heat. For boiling water canner, remove lid and let jars stand 5 minutes. For atmospheric steam canner, let canner sit undisturbed for three to five minutes, then remove lid. Remove jars and cool on a toweled surface 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal (they should not flex when center is pressed). Label, date, and store in a cool dark place.
*When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.
Enjoy peppers this pepper season!
The UC Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County are a great resource for answers to your food safety and preserving questions. Email us at edmfp@ucanr.edu. For more information about our program, events, and recipes, visit our website at https://ucanr.edu/sites/mfp_of_cs/. Find us on Facebook, too (UCCE Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County)
This article first appeared in the Mountain Democrat on July 2, 2025