Ginger Pickled Sweet Peppers

Now that it’s almost the end of November, we’re trying hard to save the last few tastes of summer here in Austin. These pickled peppers were inspired by those sold by Moontower Co-op (a wholly worthwhile organization run by great people), so go pick some up from them at one of our local farmers markets if you don’t have time to make these yourself!

Ingredients

• 8-12 mixed sweet peppers (carmen, ringo, banana, bell, etc.), seeded and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
• 2-inches ginger root, cleaned and roughly chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 3/4-cups white vinegar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 or 2 hot peppers, split (optional)

Preparation

1. In a non-reactive pot, bring vinegar to boil with sugar, salt, garlic, ginger, and hot peppers, stirring to aid in the dissolution of the sugar and salt.
2. Meanwhile, place pepper strips in a quart Mason jar, packing them pretty tightly.
3. Once the pickling solution has boiled, carefully pour it into the jar with the peppers and put the lid on top securely.
4. Let the jar cool on the counter until it is room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 or 3 days before cracking it open (if you can resist that long!).