Candied Jalapenos @LucyBurdette #recipe

LUCY BURDETTE: I am completely addicted to these candied jalapeños from the Backyard Food Company. I stockpile them in case they stop making them. I especially love them on top of melted cheese on bagels, with maybe a handful of sprouts tossed on top. The left over pickling juice is also delicious on beets and other steamed vegetables. So this year I decided it would be fun to try growing those hot peppers specifically to make this dish. This was my first foray...

Ingredients

8 ounces fresh jalapeño peppers
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon mustard seed




Wash the peppers, cut off the ends and slice into rounds. Be very careful doing this, you might want to use gloves. And definitely don’t touch your eyes after you've handled the little buggers!Heat the remaining ingredients in a stainless steel pan and let them simmer for five minutes. Scrape the sliced jalapeños into the sugar-vinegar mixture and simmer for another five minutes. Carefully ladle the peppers into a clean glass jar, and pour the pickling mixture over top.

This only makes one pint of pickles, so I did not bother to do the hot water bath canning routine. That means I do have to keep these in the refrigerator. The first pepper I sampled out of the jar was hot hot hot. But supposedly they cool off the longer they sit in your fridge. I'll keep you posted!

Store-bought or homemade? My decision: Why do I have to choose? I will make this recipe when it's garden season and buy the jars from the Backyard Food Company when it isn't.

Lucy Burdette's 8th Key West mystery, DEATH ON THE MENU, is now in bookstores everywhere! Read more on Lucy's website, or Facebook, or Instagram, or Twitter...