It is a little bit better than and 1:1 vinegar to water ratio (the minimum approved) so it is probably ok even with the peppers and ginger. Sounds like an awfully lot of salt tho. The approved recipe calls for 1/2 cup too buy uses alot more green beans. Dave

Hi Angie - For future reference you can always find the details on the USDA/NCHFP website but you got the basic answer. Used to be all sorts of allowances that ceased to exist once listeria was discovered. Acid-loving, rapid growing, both heat and cold-tolerant, listeria proved to be just one of many exceptions to claims like "in a 75% vinegar solution no bacteria can possibly grow and multiply, in a matter of one week." Add too that all the research that proves that pH does not remain stable but rises over time on the shelf and a lot of the old beliefs flew out the window. And just to add to the confusion, when you read things like but I also thought I read somewhere that pickled peppers were actually safe for a period even if not canned the question to be asked is pickled how? Fermented, brined, or quick-pack are all "pickled peppers" but all have very different safety concerns. Dave

It's a busy time of year. Here's a recipe for shrimp that might provide some inspiration. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work equally well for chicken or pork: Marmalade Shrimp Makes 2 main-dish servings Sauce: Ingredients �2 cloves garlic, pressed �1/3 cup orange marmalade �3 tablespoons soy sauce �1 tablespoon dark sesame oil �1 teaspoon rice vinegar �2 tablespoons sherry or cooking wine �1/2 teaspoon cornstarch Shrimp: �3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil (divided) �1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined �4 green onions, sliced on the diagonal into 1/2-inch lengths �1 1/2-inch knob ginger, peeled and julienned �6 dried red chiles or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste) �Hot cooked rice Instructions To make sauce: Mix together all the sauce ingredients (an empty jam jar works great for shaking this up). Taste, adjust seasoning and set aside. To make shrimp: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and stir-fry the shrimp just until they are almost, but not entirely, opaque. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and add the green onions, ginger and chiles. Stir-fry for a few minutes, until the aromatics are just beginning to color. Take the sauce, give it another shake to combine and add to the pan. Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Add the shrimp back to the pan, cooking an additional minute while stirring to coat. Serve with hot rice. From Deena Prichep Here's an all-purpose glaze useful for many jams: All-purpose Savory Jam Glaze Makes enough for 4 pounds of meat Erin Meeker suggests the following meat/jam combinations: Pork -- fig, peach, plum, cherry, blueberry or blackberry; salmon -- peach, cherry, blackberry or blueberry; chicken -- peach, cherry, blackberry, blueberry or raspberry. Note that because of the sugar in the jam, the glaze may burn if applied on meats too early or cooked at higher temperatures. Ingredients �2 teaspoons butter �1 shallot, diced �1 teaspoon salt �1/2 cup jam �1/4 cup red wine �1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar �1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard Instructions Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saut� the shallot until translucent, then whisk in the salt, jam, wine, vinegar and mustard. Simmer until thickened to a glaze and brush on meat before roasting; for a deeper glaze, repeat application a second time during cooking. Erin Meeker Also add it to salad dressing or stir it into mustard for a very simple baste. Carol

The only pickling I've done is with Sport Chiles (Chicago hot dog toppers). I've made a few batches this summer. I did notice that when I blanched the peppers in boiling vinegar and water before I put them in the jar, they will lose a little bit of the green hue and look more yellow-ish. The longer you leave them in the boiling vinegar, the yellow-er they will look, but don't leave them in too long or you'll lose snappy-ness. (I made up a lot of words here). Here is a link that might be useful: Visit PEPPERMEISTER for Hot pepper growing tips, recipes and chile info.