Ideas for preserving jalapeno bounty

I have been blessed with lots and lots of jalapenos, and need some advice/ideas on preserving.
I pickle them with seeds and love them, but they lose much of their heat: any advice to preserve heat?

Does anyone out there want to share other ways to preserve jalapenos and habaneros?  Has anyone tried "cowboy candy?"  Cowboy Candy (candied jalapenos)

Has anyone had success in pressure/water bath canning (have to check which one is appropriate)?  Do they get mushy and do they lose their heat?

Dehydrate the jalapenos and turn them into a powder.

While I have not done this yet, this is something I have thought about doing to save shelf space.

I am not sure how much heat will be retained.

The powder can be added to any recipe where a little heat/spicy would be nice.

Cornbread, dips, chicken, etc.

How about a Jalapeno Margaritas?

I dehydrate more than I can &/or pickle, because it's easiest for me (pretty much any produce). But, I don't usually powder anything, until I need it, for a couple reasons: first, almost everything retains its flavor and nutritive properties better, in larger pieces - powdering allows more oxidation &  leaching of all the good stuff, so it lasts longer on the shelf. But, leaving my produce in bigger pieces also means more versatility. I like textures and colors, being able to see what I'm eating - most of the time. Solid pieces bring color and make a food (like chili, casseroles, or soup) more appealing, to me - is also easily recognizable, if I'm trying to find something quickly, in the pantry. But, if a food is solid and I want a powder - say to make a seasoning blend, or sneak veggies to picky offspring - it's still easy to powder a small amount, for that use.

All that said, I love the sweet heat of pepper jelly, candied, pickled, and even simply canned peppers, too.

Hi Susan.
I’m very happy for you, I wish our jalapeño plants were a bit more giving. But maybe they will be.
I love chipotle, which is basically smoked jalapeños. Especially chipotle in adobo. That seems to add something sour to it, probably further increasing the shelf life.

We make jalapeño relish.  Jalapenos, garlic, salt, and vinegar.  Blitzed in the food processor until finely chopped, but not puréed.  Packed into jars and refrigerated, it’ll last until next year.  The relish often goes on a cracker with cream cheese, but can be used in pretty much anything you would use jalapeños and garlic in.  You can fit a lot more jalapeños in a jar this way and the heat is not leached into the pickling water.  Separate red and green peppers in separate batches or you will get an unappealing color.

I freeze mine. Jalapenos are great for that because of their thick skins and hold up well when cooked afterwards in my chilis and soups.

I grow quite a bit of cayenne peppers every year.  Some get sliced and dehydrated and some get fermented and turned into hot sauce.

Anne Miller wrote:Dehydrate the jalapenos and turn them into a powder.

I've dried hot peppers, but I don't powder them until just before use, as I find they keep better flavour. I slice them in half to go into the food dryer.

I like to grow Thai chilies and pickle them in rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. They tone down a bit after a good soak and the heat is more in line with the level of jalapeno. I use as a condiment on stir fry mostly. I had a quart the season before last and it lasted almost a year.
Fermented red peppers, like Fresno chilies, makes a great hot sauce. And I have found that frozen chilies will make it until the next season, though I ran out this year since last years crop was a little less abundant.

My peppers are just starting to get a lot of flowers. We have had more cloudy days than not here in southwest Ohio this summer. Hoping the peppers will have time to mature this year. Last year they didn't get a chance to produce as much, nor turn the lovely red of a mature chili. Fingers crossed.

I have had success with a quick chop into rings and freeing in flat single layers. That however requires freezer space and not everyone is so lucky to have that.

Paprika is dried powdered peppers.  Smoked paprika is smoked peppers before being dried and powdered.  Hot smoked paprika is the same with hot peppers.  Whether or not you powder them immediately or not as a prior poster commented, is up to you.

I do like to have dried hot peppers around and put some into a spice grinder to make it easy to instantly add a bit of heat / flavour.

I haven't grown jalapeno type peppers for a couple years though...we have switched to a variety of heirloom peppers.  I think cayenne is about the hottest we grow...four of us at home right now and two of us like the heat, the other two not so much (some is OK, but if we want it hotter, it's best to be able to add to our individual plates).

I like the easiest option, which is freezing. Last year I did make lactofermented hot sauce which was amazing and lasted a scary long time in the fridge. Ferment sliced peppers in brine for a few days, then blend. Strain if you wish season however. Tons of recipies online. But, yeah, we're busy, easy button.....freeze em.

I actually have let them get red, and then cut into small cubes and dehydrate. The result is like a chewy candy with a little heat!
I know that's not exactly what you are looking for, but it might interest others.

My go-to's for abundant jalapenos (and others)
1) Jalapeno puree- I put this in ice cube trays and then into ziplocs. Couple of cubes in marinades, soups, stews really "kicks it up a notch".  The puree recipe is SO simple, comes from Susanna Foo, a 5-star chef from Philly with wonderfully approachable recipes.  
1 lb. jalapenos, stems removed, keep seeds.
1 large garlic head, cloves separated and peeled (10-15 cloves).
1/2 C. Olive oil
2 tsp. coarse or kosher salt.
Bake all in shallow baking pan in single layer at 350.  spoon oil over all, turn to coat all.  Roast 30 minutes, turn all agian, roast another 30 minutes till very soft.  Cool. Transfer to food processor, puree, adding the salt.  Spoon into jar with tight lid and refrigerate or freeze.  Or as I mentioned, I double this and make 1-2 dozen cubes of puree.  

Also love to make hot pepper jelly to put over cream cheese as a 2 minute emergency appetizer!  Prefer serranos (bright red!) for this.  
And lastly, always keep a couple of jars of dehydrated peppers of various types for adding to anything!  

Susan Mené wrote:I have been blessed with lots and lots of jalapenos, and need some advice/ideas on preserving.
I pickle them with seeds and love them, but they lose much of their heat: any advice to preserve heat?

Does anyone out there want to share other ways to preserve jalapenos and habaneros?  Has anyone tried "cowboy candy?"  Cowboy Candy (candied jalapenos)

Has anyone had success in pressure/water bath canning (have to check which one is appropriate)?  Do they get mushy and do they lose their heat?

One of my favorite ways with all chiles is cold smoking. Cut off the stem end, dehydrate, then into the smoke. With roasted Hatch chiles, I remove the skins and do a quick pickle with vinegar and salt. Sometimes add some other seasonings before dehydrating.
A few hours or more in cold pecan or fruitwood smoke. Then a vacuum bag seal. They keep for a long time. I store in the freezer. They’re dry so I can remove a few at a time easily.

Perfect timing! Thanks for all the ideas as my jalapeño plants are so full of peppers that the branches are breaking off!
Giving lots away.
And I plan to slice & freeze portions to use in taco, sauce & corn bread!

A branch of jalapeños

Susan Mené wrote:Does anyone out there want to share other ways to preserve jalapenos and habaneros?

We live in south Texas. We also pickle, but mostly make salsas and hot sauces that we jar/can. With the leftovers we dry them whole like they do in the open air in NM. Depending on where you live, a dehydrator might be necessary, but we usually use our oven at 100-120° until dry and brittle. We also freeze dry some for other uses.

Roasting only changes the flavor. It doesn’t help with preserving them.

It really depends on what you like to use the peppers for. We dry them to crush them as a seasoning, freeze dry to have “fresh” peppers, pickle for … you know, pickles, etc.

Dehydrated jalapeños retain most of their heat and flavor. Cutting the peppers into pieces prior to dehydrating makes a big difference in drying time and grinding results.

Susan Mené wrote:Has anyone had success in pressure/water bath canning (have to check which one is appropriate)?  Do they get mushy and do they lose their heat?

They do get a little mushy but most of the spiciness is retained. I water-bath can raw jalapeño slices in a vinegar brine with garlic, coriander, and nigella and really like how they turn out. I've lacto-fermented hot peppers before, and you're right, it diminishes the heat.  I was amazed how meek my cayenne hot sauce became.

I also mince and freeze raw jalapeños for all those recipes that call for 1-2 minced peppers. It's easy to break a corner off the block for a recipe.

The other thing I do might be the most fun: cheese-stuffed jalapeños. I slice the jalapeños in half and seed them, and then pipe in a mixture of sautéed onion, cream cheese, grated cheddar, and an egg. If you like spicier you could add the seeds to the piping mixture. I dip the cheesy top in buttered breadcrumbs and bake at 425 until browned and bubbly. Or, freeze on a sheet pan, store, and bake from frozen some other day.  

Oh, just give them to me. Mine are not doing that well--most of my hot peppers are in a bed that must have depleted soil as other nearby beds are fine. But it's also been very hot and dry this year. I did put five Early Jalapenos in a separate bed, to save seed from--I've decided these are my favorite peppers as they are usually reliable and abundant. I'm not getting enough for the three things I like to do with jalapenos: chop and freeze, pickle and salsa. Both the pickles and salsa can be water bath canned, and can be done together, 15 minutes. The secret of pickles that don't get mushy, I've found, is to use freshly picked produce. Even what you picked yesterday is too old. I pickle the jalapenos whole, sometimes, or sliced. Two cups vinegar, two cups water and a quarter cup kosher/pickling salt; I usually throw a garlic clove, peppercorns, mustard seeds in too.
For the salsa, I can accumulate the peppers over time. My recipe is:
10 C chopped tomatoes
5 C chopped green peppers
5 C chopped onions
2 1/2 C chopped hot peppers
1 C some kind of fruit for a touch of sweetness
3 C tomato sauce
6 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 C apple cider vinegar
1 T salt              cook until thick, add a pinch of chili powder if you want, and can.

One year (probably about thirty years ago) I was entranced (and still kind of am) by hanging, braided garlic and strands of peppers.  Mind you, I live in Vermont, so we don't really have a dry climate, especially now, but I was able to air dry my hot peppers by just stringing them up.  I don't know where you live and if this would be possible, but it is pretty and pretty easy!

Barbara Simoes wrote:I was able to air dry my hot peppers by just stringing them up.

In colder climates hanging them near a wood burner works as well as living in NM even if you start now while it’s still warm and don’t use the wood burner. Air conditioned space or as dehumidifier helps significantly if hanging them.

I live in WV, which is just as moist (usually) as VT...I've made Christmasey decorations by stringing hot peppers on thread, poking the needle in just below the ap, and hanging them from rafters, in waves --usually cayenne, but I think jalapeno would worlk

I have always hated product heat in my mouth from the day my dad peppered my mouth, about age 5, with Tobasco saucee because I refused to stop using the bad words of the big boys used when angry playing street baseball in the 1950s. I like black pepper and pepper heavily, but it is not hot to me.
My oldest son loved hot peppers, he would try every one, and every new hottest pepper to read in an article.  He grew hot peppers for a few years; and some grew back after he died. So I thought maybe I should dry the peppers and save the seeds; but when I brought them in the house my wife would throw them in the trash. So I got smart and threw them into my thermos that I take with me, when I don't forget it, on long 10-hour drives.  So when it was time to visit my youngest son, I pulled down my thermos, filled it with coffee, and got on the road.  About two hours later I decided to pour a cup of coffee to maintain driving alertness. We were parked at a gas station. My wife was inside.  I took a sip of very warm coffee; and met "shock"--it burned like heck my tongue. I tried to figure it out; how could my regular brewed Folger's coffee get so bad, when it had been fine.  My tongue burned for a few minutes, but I also realized it was only an unexpected heat, not really a bad heat.  I decided to take another sip; and I thought--this is really interesting, because I drink lots of coffee daily but the coffee flavor in my mouth dissipates quickly. Finally I decided to pour out my thermos coffee and out popped two dried jalopenos (when I put them inside the thermos on top of my refrigerator, I left the top off; and then forgot all about them.  So here is my take away. Dried Jalopenos, allowed to sit and "mello out" (don't ask me what that means, but I'm sure they were only half as hot as when I put them in).  They allowed me to have a slight burn, that I liked, in my mouth as I would sip the same coffee, even cooled down for the next 100 miles.  I thought that was wonderful because I've taken the same 550 mile, drive straight through trip up to 4 times annually for many years.  On the flat lands, the trip is boring; but with an acceptable-to-me burn in my mouth, it is much less boring.  I told my boss at a bakery that served coffee for purchase to customers, he needed to offer a coffee with dried jalopeno in it.  He would sell a lot of coffee from coffee lovers who love coffee but also heat.  Try it; and let coffee lovers try it, maybe with a tiny amount of jalopeno that won't burn too much.  I'm an old guy; I am sure my taste buds are worn down, so maybe young people would "spit it out all over the floor (I don't know))"--give them a cup and send them outside before they drink it.  If you like it, dry a lot more jalopenos to use with your coffee.  Anyone who eats halopenos and drinks coffee needs to try this and experiment with how much  pepper to use. Try it also for long drives, or maybe boring hot days; maybe rainy days--to keep your mind on how good  your mouth feels than the rain in your face.

Jalapeno jelly!!!

My favorite use for red jalapeños is what I call “sweet hots.” Cut them in rings, fill a jar, pour over a hot mixture of equal parts sugar and vinegar, and can them as you would any vinegar pickle.  Let them mellow at least a few days for best flavor before eating.

There are many times when I just can’t help myself!!
Hello, salut,
Jalapenos - this ought to be on the recently publicised recipe forum but what the, no, what the heck.

Reading about chili coffee spoke to me. It’s a rotating staple here.
Sometimes it’s chili and sometimes it’s other spices as well.

A winter variation after hard graft outside, when we had cold winters, would be a hot hot cocoa:
Proper dark cocoa powder,
cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, maybe star anise,
ground flaxseed whatever else you might fancy for super nourishment
liquorice root for a hint of sweetness,
all ground together with a very generous addition of chili,  from my whole dried stash,
then add boiling water and stir, maybe with a cordless paint mixer to avoid lumps.

It’s seriously filling, warming and can give you the pep to go back outside.

Jalapenos in cider vinegar; all the posts suggest delicious options, thank you.
All I need now is the peppers.
M-H

Chipotles. Smoked and dried.

You are gave fantastic suggestions! I am going to respond to many of them, I just have to catch up on a little more work, lol.

Derek Thille wrote:Paprika is dried powdered peppers.  Smoked paprika is smoked peppers before being dried and powdered.  Hot smoked paprika is the same with hot peppers.  Whether or not you powder them immediately or not as a prior poster commented, is up to you.

I do like to have dried hot peppers around and put some into a spice grinder to make it easy to instantly add a bit of heat / flavour.

I haven't grown jalapeno type peppers for a couple years though...we have switched to a variety of heirloom peppers.  I think cayenne is about the hottest we grow...four of us at home right now and two of us like the heat, the other two not so much (some is OK, but if we want it hotter, it's best to be able to add to our individual plates).

I never knew that's what paprika was!  I never even thought about what it was and where it came from, which is highly unusual for me!

Wynne Kelch wrote:

Susan Mené wrote:Has anyone had success in pressure/water bath canning (have to check which one is appropriate)?  Do they get mushy and do they lose their heat?

The other thing I do might be the most fun: cheese-stuffed jalapeños. I slice the jalapeños in half and seed them, and then pipe in a mixture of sautéed onion, cream cheese, grated cheddar, and an egg. If you like spicier you could add the seeds to the piping mixture. I dip the cheesy top in buttered breadcrumbs and bake at 425 until browned and bubbly. Or, freeze on a sheet pan, store, and bake from frozen some other day.  

Wow! that sounds great!  I have a lazier methods for busy days:  I halve the peppers, remove the seeds (not too carefully for extra heat), add garlic powder or minced garlic to softened cream cheese, and bake.
The ones you freeze--how does the filling hold up? I was afraid to freeze because cream cheese can get a little grainy after being frozen, although that is not a deal-breaker. I bet the egg, cheddar, etc.  stabilizes the filling.  

Thanks!

Barbara Simoes wrote:One year (probably about thirty years ago) I was entranced (and still kind of am) by hanging, braided garlic and strands of peppers.  Mind you, I live in Vermont, so we don't really have a dry climate, especially now, but I was able to air dry my hot peppers by just stringing them up.  I don't know where you live and if this would be possible, but it is pretty and pretty easy!

It's encouraging to hear that you were able to dry them.  I live on Long Island in NY for now, blooming while I'm planted.  The humidity has been crazy here.    

Calais, Vermont had an important formative influence on me as a child, so Vermont and its people hold a special place in my heart.