We pickled ours. I make the brine ahead of time and then when we get enough peppers I fill the jars and process. Banana peppers, just like other peppers, will be able to stay on the plant until they change color. After they change color, they are sweeter and very pretty. Makes a colorful jar with the yellow and red peppers.

The best solution of course it to plant multiple plants. Just as with cucumbers and most any other foods grown for canning, that's the only way to have sufficient amounts of the produce at one time for pickling. The guideline is preserved within 24-48 hours of harvest, not days much less weeks later. For banana peppers that means 6-8 plants minimum.

Barring that, do not pick them. Leave them on the vine as long as possible as they won't keep in prime condition for pickling once harvested.

The drawback to that solution is once several peppers ripen and remain on the plant it begins to slow and then shut down so you have to monitor the plant growth carefully and pick only the minimum peppers needed to keep it growing. Since you only have one plant I'd plan on buying the rest of your peppers needed to make a batch. 5 peppers a week just isn't going to be enough.

Dave

I get an enormous ongoing harvest from two plants--more than enough to make multiple canning of 4 or 5 pts, to use in cooking and to give away.

What if I were to make the brine solution and add the peppers as they are ripe and then process once the jar is full? I am new to canning so sorry if these questions seem novice :)

I would process after I fill the jar.

What if I were to make the brine solution and add the peppers as they are ripe and then process once the jar is full?

The safety of that approach is going to depend on the brine recipe you use and the length of time involved. And it would have to be kept in the fridge not out on the counter.

As each pepper is added water is drawn out of it and into the brine diluting it further. So if you began with a 50:50 vinegar to water brine by the time the jar was full the brine would have been diluted well down into the unsafe range. Especially true if you are going for quarts rather than pints or half pints and if it takes you 2-3 weeks to fill the jar. That is why this approach isn't recommended.

As an alternative use a much stronger brine to begin with (at least 2:1 or 3:1) and fill and can them in pints not quarts.

The other alternative is to treat them as refrigerator pickles - keep the jar in the fridge (never canned) and as additional batches of peppers are added you pour off the brine in the jar and make a new batch for the jar. That way you always have a safe pH range.

Dave

Dave, this might be a silly question but, what do you use to test for pH? surely not the same equipment that we would use for pH for soil???? Clean of course.

I don't "test" for pH. Not only is it not recommended but when using tested and approved recipes it isn't necessary as it has already been done in the lab for you. They have the expensive equipment accurate to a 100th of degree. Home test equipment is far too inaccurate to be trusted, especially when pH changes are exponential.

But if you want to learn about pH stability, or lack thereof, then NCHFP has published several studies on its lack of stability, rate of decline during shelf storage, dilution effects, etc. See their list of Publications in the index on their website.

USDA/FDA also has has a list of research publications on pH. NCHFP seems to be down right now for server maintenance or I'd link them for you.

Dave

I noticed that I was having trouble with their site. The board of health guy supposed to have come down to market to 'test' our products, but he never showed. I know pH is exponential, but if I errored on the safe side, I'd be ok. I thought you would have the answer.

Do you have a recipe for the refrigerator pickled peppers?

Do you have a recipe for the refrigerator pickled peppers?

It doesn't require any special recipe. Any approved pickled peppers recipe can be used. NCHFP has several but their website is down right now. The Ball Blue Book also has several different recipes as do most canning books.

Meanwhile the link below to to many previous disussions and recipes for them.

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The board of health guy supposed to have come down to market to 'test' our products, but he never showed. I know pH is exponential, but if I errored on the safe side, I'd be ok.

You are doing just jams and jellies for sale to the public right. Usually they don't worry about the pH on them unless it is one of the low acid fruits.

But yeah if you are also doing pickled recipes then anything with straight, undiluted vinegar brine is considered safe. It is only when you get into diluting the vinegar with water for the brine that the issue of pH comes up unless the recipe has already been tested and approved like the NCHFP and BBB ones.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Pickled peppers discussions

Thank you Dave. :)

Thanks Dave for re-assuring me. I always error on the safer side of anything. Why take a chance?