The beauty of canning banana peppers is that it’s extremely quick. In fact, banana pepper rings only process 5 minutes in the boiling water canner, making it a snap to fit a small one-pound batch into your busy schedule.
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The pickling liquid I make is a little tart, a little savory, and a little salty. But it’s a well-balanced flavor that combines beautifully with the sweet, mild heat of the banana peppers.
Of course, they are wonderful on homemade pizza, salads. Or enjoy them chopped up and added to pimiento cheese or salsa recipes.
I love canning. It’s a great way to spend time in the kitchen. I learned from my mother, an avid home canner. There’s something comforting in following the tradition of home canning. My mother is from a long line of farmers who grew and preserved their own foods to sustain their families during the long Erie, Pennsylvania winters.
HOME-CANNED BANANA PEPPERS IN UNDER 60 MINUTES
SUPPLIES:
- A tall boiling water canner pot
- Air bubble removing tool
- (5) 1/2 pint jars
- (5) lids and rings
- knife
- cutting board
- ladle
- canning funnel
- lid lifting magnet
- bowl
- jar lifter tool
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound of banana peppers
- 2 c. white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp canning salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tsp Fruit Fresh
DIRECTIONS FOR CANNING BANANA PEPPERS:
- Firstly, prepare your boiling water canner. Then fill it about halfway with water, and get the water rolling.
- Sterilize your jars and rings. If you’re reusing rings, look them over and discard if they are dented, rusty, or damaged. Some people sterilize their jars on a sterile cycle in their dishwasher. However, I don’t have a dishwasher. I boil mine for 10 minutes once the canner gets rocking and rolling.
- Have a small pot of water on simmer for the canning lids. Then drop your lids and keep them on a low simmer as you complete the canning process.
- Cut the banana peppers into rings. You can remove the seeds if you want them milder.
- Pack them as tightly as possible into the 5 half-pint jars. They should almost come to the top. If you leave too much space, they will float to the top of the jar and not be nestled down in all that savory juice.
Pack the banana peppers tight in the canning jar. - In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, canning salt, celery seed, garlic powder, sugar, and lastly the Fruit Fresh and bring to a boil. Stir to keep the sugar from burning when you start the cooking. Then allow this to gently boil for about 5 minutes.
- Place the canning funnel over a jar, then use a large ladle to cover the banana peppers with the pickling liquid. Leave about 1/2″ of space above the liquid. Wipe the rim clean of any debris or pickling liquid with a paper towel moistened with warm water. The rim must be clean in order to seal properly.
- Use the lid lifting magnet to take each lid out of the simmering water and place it firmly on each jar. Add a ring and hand tighten each ring as tight as you can.
- Use your jar lifter tool to place the jars into the canner.
- Process the banana peppers for 5 minutes. Use a timer. Too little time can allow bacteria growth but too much time will result in soggy peppers.
- Lastly, use the jar lifter tool to remove the jars and place them on a folded over kitchen towel. Do not disturb or move them as they cool. Leave them there for 24 hours.
ENJOY YOUR HOME CANNED BANANA PEPPERS
That’s it, you’re done! After a little while, you while start to hear that satisfying plink as the lids seal. But, do NOT give in to the temptation to poke down the lids. Because if you do, you won’t know which ones actually sealed or if you have one that did not.
Any jars that don’t seal can either be reprocessed in the canner or put in the fridge to eat up. But I usually don’t reprocess, I find it easy just to go on and eat them!
See how easy? So if you’re new to canning, this is a fantastic first canning effort. It’s quick and not too messy. In fact, you get done in under 60 minutes with this small batch method. As a result, you’ll have banana peppers to open in the months to come.
Have a happy DIY day!
