Friday's Featured Food: Jalapenos

I know, I know... this is sort of a duplicate, since "H" stood for "Hot Peppers". What can I say? We like our jalapenos!

We grow four varieties of jalapenos:

• Grande: As you'd expect by the name, this variety is known for its big peppers. These jalapenos average about 3-4 inches, making them great for stuffing.
• Jalaro: This variety was developed by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service and is the first yellow jalapeno variety. If you are patient, they will turn from yellow to orange to red. It is a very prolific variety and what we use in our yellow and red jalapeno jelly.
• Fooled You: These 3-inch peppers look just like jalapenos and carry the good taste without any of the heat. It's what we use for stuffing, so that the girls can eat them too. and, 
• Purple jalapenos: Just like the name says, it goes from green to purple to red. We use it for our purple jalapeno, which is a big seller here in K-State land. (We save the red for our northern friends.)

Since my hot pepper post already explained how to make grilled stuffed jalapenos, I had to call in the reinforcements (Jay) for a recipe. We have shared our Bread-and-Butter jalapenos with friends and family but, unfortunately, can't sell it at market, due to state food safety rules. They are delicious, more sweet than hot but with a little kick. We mix it with cream cheese for a dip, use it as a topping for homemade pizza, put it fajitas, and add it to scrambled eggs. And now, you can make your own!

Bread and Butter Jalapenos

2 pounds jalapeno peppers
1 pound onions
3 cups vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons tumeric
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon ginger

1. Wash and cut jalapenos and onions into thin slices. Cold pack them into jars. 
2. Place remaining ingredients into large saucepot and bring to a boil.
3. Pour hot mixture into jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
4. Remove air bubbles. Tighten lids/caps.
5. Process 10 minutes in boiling water.

(FYI these instructions are not written for a novice canner. If you need some canning 101, please check out the KSRE publication on canning and preserving.)

Friday's Featured Food: Jalapenos