Because of the terrific results from our 12-foot hoop house, for the very first time I’ve been able to can up lots and lots of sweet red peppers. We’re so tickled! I’ll use them in stir-fries, sweet and sour dishes, on pizzas, and in tons of other recipes. The color stays so very red and they have NO chemicals or preservatives. They look like bright jewels up on the pantry shelves…and I have another big batch to can up tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Will is finishing up sawing and framing up the lumber for our calf stable. Today it poured rain, a cold fall rain, so we went to town and bought 22 sheets of OSB to enclose the little building. We’d hoped to use sheet metal on the roof but the cash wasn’t available, so we’re using OSB with a tarp on it, instead, for over winter. Then we’ll add the sheet metal roofing. (I remember using tarps on the roof of our HOUSE the first winter for the very same reason!)

Tomorrow, in addition to the peppers, I’ll be sieving tomatoes with my Victorio strainer to make the first big batch of Smoked Honey Barbecue sauce. I think I’ll do Chipotle next. Yumm.

And so many people ask me what the heck I could possibly do with all those tomatoes! — Jackie

3 COMMENTS

  2. Terry,
    While I used to peel my peppers before canning, I’ve gotten lazy this year. I was buying store-bought sweet red peppers from our Dollar Store and they weren’t peeled, so I did mine this year, skipping this step. They turned out great. You can find explicit directions in my book, GROWING AND CANNING YOUR OWN FOOD, on pages 150-151, but I’ll condense it here.
    I washed my peppers, removed the stem, ribs and seeds. Then I cut them into convenient pieces to fit nicely into half pint jars. To each jar I added 1/2 tsp of vinegar and 1/2 tsp of salt, then filled the jars to within 1″ of the top with boiling water. The jars were processed at 11 pounds pressure (I live at 1,400 feet and must adjust my pressure to suit my altitude.) for 35 minutes.

    They turned out very nice!

    Jackie

  3. Can you tell me (or point me in the right direction) on how you canned the red peppers? I have been freezing them but canning would probably be better. Thanks!

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