Pickled Peppers

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers...ok I'll stop.  I don't know if you've ever had something pickled that wasn't a pickle, but I'm here to tell you, everything is better pickled.  Even green beans.  Oh how I love my Aunt Connie's pickled green beans.  But I digress.

I have eaten many jars of pickled bounty so I figured it was time I finally learned how to pickle things myself.  But of course, I didn't want to invest in all those fancy canning contraptions.  I also didn't want to buy a dozen mason jars.  So, I searched.  And searched. I finally came across a recipe that didn't require you to "can" your pickles the old fashioned way.  I also found enough people online who said you didn't HAVE to use glass jars that I decided my plastic jar would suffice (but if you have mason jars on hand, by all means use those).

Pickled Peppers
Makes 2 large jars
Start to finish: 1 week (15 minutes prep)

1 lb peppers (I used Italian peppers but any pepper will do)
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp black peppercorns
2 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 bay leaves
4 cloves of garlic

Cut the peppers into rings that are about an inch thick.

Bring all the other ingredients to a boil in a saucepan.  When the liquid starts to boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes.

While that is going on, place your peppers into your container of choice.

After 5 minutes, pour the pickling liquid over the peppers.

Cover tightly with a lid and let the container cool on your counter.  

Once it's cooled, put it in the refrigerator for A WEEK!  Yes, a week.  You have to let those pickling juices do their work!  I must also put a disclaimer here that because these are not pickled the official way, you have to keep them in the refrigerator.  These are not the kind of pickles that you can keep on the shelf.  Unless you like botchulism.  But if you keep them in the fridge you'll be fine.