I am an idiot too. I think I better pass on this one.

Well I doubt you're as dumb as I was. I hate to admit this, but for some reason I thought it was lime spice, like the green fruit. So in a sleep deprived state, I mixed up this large amount of " brine" to poor on my peppers, with pickling lime as my main ingredient, thinking I was going to make awesome lime flavored pickled peppers lol. I tasted this concoction several times wonder why it tasted so awful. Then I read the directions and found I just poisoned myself. Lucky for me there was enough vinegar In my brine so I didn't hurt my self too badly. Lol man I'm an idiot I don't know what I was thinking.

What is "pickling lime" and what is it "Supposed" to be used for?
Bruce

Do most people water bath peppers? I never have i didn't think it was nessary because of the ph. If you want really crispy peppers, dump the brine in cold and use a vacuum sealer to seal the jars

Pickling lime is food grade calcium hydroxide and it has a very high ph. It is a caustic agent and thus will eat through certain medal ( use plastic or stainless steel bucket ) . It is mixed with ice water and used to soak the peppers pieces in usually for 24 hours. Then there is several steps to wash and soak the peppers so that it is safe for canning. It reinforces the pectin in the peppers and actually makes the peppers hard before the pickling process. After the pickling process the peppers are crispier than if they were fresh! Once again make sure you do not skip any steps when rinsing and soaking the peppers after the 24 hours in the pickling lime. You need to make sure every little bit of it is drawn out and washed off or it will increase the ph of the vinegar and you will basically have peppers in water not pickled peppers ( botulism)

John- I have heard of people doing it your way but I didn't feel safe and didn't want to risk it. Plus If you follow the directions ( many sources online and on the product I posted a link above ) you will end up with a crispier pickled pepper. In my experience as crisp or crispier than fresh. I found the red peppers were more crispy then fresh for sure . I used mrs wages brand. It's an extra step but after trying it I won't go without it again. I bet if you try it, You won't be disappointed.

I will have to give it a try sometime when i'm bored. I did a few with the vacuum sealer this year to try it out. Cause i know people that swear by it. I usually just dump the hot liquid over them and cap. Never had a problem that way. I fact a guy at work brought a jar in to share at lunch and i was a little concerned cause it was dated 2002. But we ate them and they were good. I was suprised something that old tasted fresh. The hot liquid is fine for me. Doesn't make them soft like a water bath would. I don't really care about the crispness too much, for the most part i just throw them on burgers and sandwiches for the flavor and burn. But i like trying stuff and will give it a try when i get time.

There are very few food products that require the water bath. Most can be done by having sterile (clean) jars. I use the lids and rings so I boil the lids and as I complete a jar I place the lid directly from the hot water (it soften the rubber to make a tight seal) and then screw the rings on. That is the way my family has pickled and made jams jellies and preserves for years and years and years and even more than a century and they lived healthy lives.

There is an old fashioned way to pickle called "Lacto Fermentation". In this method you won't need BWB.
To make the pickle crisp, you can add "Pickle crisp" salt. I think it is calcium chloride. This is how people pickled for ages.

Then of course, you can use vinegar instead of brine to pickle.

All these techniques sound great and I will probably try them next year. It is hard to argue with a century's worth of experience and why would you But I will also use the pickling lime to prep the peppers first. I am a big big big texture person and mushy food literally gags me. I do not like and will not eat 90 percent of vegetables if they are cooked (i love them raw and crunchy) and i can't even eat most store bought pickled jalapeños because they are way too mushy. If you have a mushy food complex like I do, pickling lime is the answer. If I can eat them right out if the jar you know they are crisp. If you don't mind a softer pepper or a mushy pepper then it's probably not worth your time. Also, I can not stress enough how important the post rinses and or soaks are to prevent botulism. I give some peppers to loved ones and I could not live with myself if I gave them botulism. ( that's why I boiled too)

We have used the lime many times to make the crispy icicle pickles as we called them and the process of using lime works on many peppers, vegetables, etc. Try it with carrots and add a little agave to the pickline solution with a touch of ginger and cinnamon and you will be addicted to pickled carrots. I also can cook vegetables you would eat because my room-mate has the same issue and he is now eating vegetables he told me he would never eat because his aunts cooked everything to a mush. He adore the semi-crunchy way I cook the veggies and the spices and herbs I use on them along with agave for some and honey for others. I do anything I can to get vegetables in him and when we go to Cracker Barrel he even orders the veggie plate sometimes.

Those carrots sound amazing! Don't get me wrong I love vegetables I was a vegetarian for some time, just not cooked ones. For example,I love raw onions,put a little salt on them and I could eat them like an apple yum! But if you cook them I won't go near them, the thought of cooked onions makes me throw up a little. Lol