I'd like to make the Short Brined Pickled Peppers recipe from The Joy of Pickling, but I can't get my hands on fresh horseradish for 1T of coarsely grated horseradish. Would it be safe to omit it from the recipe? (I realize it will impact the flavor, but my concern is safety.)

This recipe also has 2T of sugar in it, and I was wondering whether it would be safe to omit that too. I believe it is the case that the sugar (in these kinds of pickled peppers and relish recipes) is only there for flavor and not serving a preserving function. Is that right?

I made the hot pepper relish recipe from National Center for Home Food Preservation last summer (http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_06/hot_pepper_relish.html), and I felt like the sugar ruined the flavor. Could I omit the sugar from that recipe?

Thanks!
Cathy

Yes, you can leave out the sugar. I see she recommends either white wine or distilled white vinegar. If I was using white wine vinegar, I, for sure, would leave out the sugar. Distilled is sharper, so a little bit of sugar does help cut the harshness. Try tasting the brine - if it needs some sweetness to cut the vinegar taste, add a small amount at a time until the flavor is where you want it (in addition, it should mellow after some time on the shelf, so you might not need as much sugar in the beginning as you think).

I'm sorry to hear of your horseradish trauma as a kid, but I'm glad to know that I could use prepared horseradish if I wanted to.

Thanks also for letting me know that I can leave out the sugar!