Disclosure: This is my first time canning. I want to ensure that I am in line with safe canning practices before wasting my bell pepper crops (I will freeze, if deemed unsafe canning practices, as an alternative).
Background: I picked a reasonable quantity of bell peppers (NOTE: they were picked ~3weeks ago). Most were green so they were left during this time to ripen to red. Now, most are fully red, some red/green mixed throughout the pepper, and a few still mostly green. They were filled in a wooden salad bowl in a dry, cool, and shaded location on the kitchen table. MOST are not “crispy” in structure. The majority are FIRM, yet they “give” when squeezed and have SOME wrinkles. I am trying to convey they are softer than fresh like you buy in the store or right off the plant. Furthermore, I know I have leaf cutters type bugs that have bitten to degree I cannot know exactly, but I know them as well as other bugs HAVE gotten to these peppers, but not cause any rotting. I would ensure to not use any section or entire peppers that show extensive damage. A few blemishes I will definitely remove before canning, if I can do so. All this to give an accurate description of the state of the current peppers I hope to can!
Pressure Canner: The Pressure Canner I will use is the T-fal Model P31052.
Question: Given the information regarding state of the peppers, below linked recipe, and image provided, would following this recipe (oven roasting 6-8min, removing skins, dicing, adding to jars according to procedure, and pressure canning at 11lb [because I reside around 250m] for 35min) allow for a safe canning procedure to ensure safety of the final product?
Additional Question: Would adding powdered citric acid to each jar allow for an increased chance of preventing botulism?
Recipe Link: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/canning-vegetables-and-vegetable-products/peppers/
by hamiltonmaze
4 Comments
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Given how long you’ve had them, i might consider pepper jelly or dehydration at this point. I’m no a fan of freezing peppers, because they are mush when thawed.
It is advisable to use produce at its freshest in canning recipes. In my opinion, these are a little too far to can as they will likely become mush. I would absolutely freeze or dehydrate them. One advantage of dehydrating them is they become shelf stable. You can then rehydrate them at a later date for use in the recipes that were mentioned.
I would ferment them in salt water brine (3%) for six weeks, then make a pepper sauce, it will stay good up to 2 years without cooking it at all and tastes amazing. Full of probiotics and gut healthy too. Add garlic and other spices. See r/fermentation