Canning: Cowboy Candy

Jalapeño peppers on my plant.

I follow a Safe Canning Recipes Facebook page and have been inspired to try new things. On their blog there are many safe tested recipes, including one for something called Cowboy Candy.

It’s a recipe for sweet pickled jalapeño peppers. Everyone raves about them and I’m a hot pepper fan. So, I decided to give them a try with peppers from my own plant. Click here and scroll down to read the recipe online.

Cowboy Candy

Ingredients:

Organize your ingredients.

3 pounds jalapeño peppers
2 cups 5% cider vinegar
6 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
3 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Use gloves, it really helps.

Using gloves to protect your hands, slice off and discard the stem ends. Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8 – 1/4 rounds.

Bring syrup to a boil.

Bring vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add sliced peppers and simmer for exactly 4 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer peppers to clean, hot, sterile jars. Fill to 1/4 inch from the rim or the jars.

Add sliced peppers and simmer.

Bring the syrup back to a full boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.

Ladle the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeño slices. Insert a cooking chopstick to remove any air pockets. Add more syrup if needed to maintain a 1/4 inch headspace.

Spoon peppers into jars and boil syrup.

Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel and cover with two-piece lids to finger tightness. Process half-pints and pints for 10 minutes in a water bath canner. Begin timing after the water reaches a full boil. After the time has expired, turn off the heat and let the jars rest in the canner for 10 minutes.

Remove jars with canning tongs and let them rest undisturbed for 24 hours on a cooling rack. When cooling has completed, check seals, clean the jars with a damp cloth, remove the rings, and label.

If you like hot condiments, this is the one for you. If you have extra syrup, you can process that as well. It’s good brushed on BBQ meats.

Jar on the left for preserving and the one on the right for immediate use.

My little plant only gave me enough peppers for one half-pint (with mostly syrup) and a few extras for a jar for the fridge (with the white screw top). I could have packed more peppers into the canned jar I canned, but the extra syrup will also come in handy.

Have you ever made Cowboy Candy? What do you think? -- Margy