Of all our kids, Duke is by far the most interested in the garden. He understands that there’s a lot of work involved and he considers the rewards to be worth it. I never have to ask him to go into the garden to get things for me, because usually he’s already been out there picking what’s ready before I get home from work. Some days, as I’m walking in the door, he’s running to me with his shirt pulled out in front of him holding whatever bounty he’s just picked. And whenever the jalapeños are ripe, he gets so excited to help me pickle a big batch.
One of my absolute favorite parts of parenting is figuring out how to connect with each of my kids individually. Thanks to their distinct personalities, different things interest each of them. For Duke and me, it’s the garden and, more specifically, it’s pickling jalapeños together. The funny thing is, he doesn’t even like spicy food, and he’s never actually eaten the pickled jalapeños. Chip, on the other hand, puts them on anything and everything he can. What matters to Duke is simply the time we spend together in the kitchen tending to the chiles he’s picked, which makes me love this activity as much as he does.
We typically pickle about twenty jalapeños at a time, usually once a month during the season. That gives us around eight little jars. I keep two jars for the family (mostly for Chip) and I give the rest away over the course of the month, because I think everyone could use a little pickled jalapeño in their life.
PICKLED JALAPEÑOS
| PREP: 15 minutes | COOK: 20 minutes | COOL: 5 hours, plus at least 3 days pickling |
3 cups distilled white vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 garlic clove, smashed
20 large jalapeños (about 1¼ pounds), sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rings (see Tip)
1. Have ready six to eight ½-pint (8-ounce) jars with tight-fitting lids. Clean them in the dishwasher or in hot soapy water.
2. In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups water, the vinegar, sugar, salt, and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Stir in the jalapeño slices and cook until they turn from bright green to a slightly duller green, about 7 minutes.
3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the jalapeños to the jars, dividing them equally among the jars (leave the garlic behind). Spoon the pickling liquid into each jar, filling each to ½ inch below the rim.
4. Cover the jars tightly. Let cool completely, then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can use pickled jalapeños right away, but they get tastier and less spicy the longer they sit. We usually wait for about 3 days before using them.
Makes six to eight 8-ounce jars
TIP: The compound in chiles that makes them hot is called capsaicin, and it can be painful if you get it on your hands. To protect them, wear disposable rubber gloves when cutting chiles. I recommend chopping chiles on a dishwasher-safe cutting board that goes directly into the dishwasher when you’re done and washing your knife thoroughly before using it to chop other ingredients.