Canning peppers

We spent Sunday canning peppers, and this is just the beginning! This harvest reminds me of 2005 when we canned 48 pints of jalapeños. Yes, that lasted us several years, even though we are big lovers of spicy food. On Sunday, we canned five pints of jalapeños, two pints of banana peppers, and one pint of 50/50 jalapeños and banana peppers. The pepper plants are covered with buds and baby peppers, so we will be canning lots of hot peppers in the next month. In the next few days, I plan to make jalapeño jelly, which I love to eat with chevre on crackers. We'll also be making salsa when the tomato harvest gets into full swing!

WARNING: If you ever want to try your hand at canning hot peppers, DO follow the advice to wear rubber gloves when slicing the peppers. It's been at least ten years since the first time I canned jalapeños, but I'll never forget the pain! I had just started slicing the peppers when a friend called. I told her I was in the middle of canning jalapeños, and she said, "I hope you're wearing rubber gloves! They'll really burn your skin!" Well, I wasn't wearing gloves, and my hands felt fine, so I thought she must be a wimp. A few hours later, I was in agony. I did not sleep at all that night, because it felt like my hands were on fire!