Here is the recipe from Rita Heikenfeld and you can google the recipe and video on the web. I don't have a canning machine and it was very user friendly:) You don't have to chill them unless you want to but they came out fabulous. Here it is: Pickled peppers I donÂt have to tell you that these are the best and easiest pickled peppers you'll ever eat. And if you grow peppers, you know how abundant they are this time of year. Now I usually don't add 2 cups sugar; I'll start out with half a cup, taste the brine, and go from there. If you have extremely hot peppers, though, the 2 cups of sugar is not too much. My sister, Christine, makes a version of these pickles and uses no sugar at all. Sterilizing Jars: Wash jars and lids, then place in big pan, covered with water. Bring to a boil and boil 15 minutes. Keep in hot water until you're ready to fill them. Meanwhile, make brine and prepare peppers: Brine: 6 cups clear vinegar, 5% acidity 2 cups water 1/2 to 2 cups sugar (see note above)* Place brine ingredients in non-reactive pan (that means either stainless, enameled or anodized aluminum, not the old fashioned aluminum pans). Bring to a boil. To Prepare Peppers: Wash. Leave whole with a slit down the center, or cut into slices as desired. I like to remove seeds if I slice them, but this is optional. Remember the membrane that the seeds are attached to is the hottest part of the pepper, and the seeds are the second hottest part. Place peppers in sterilized, hot jars, packing tightly. Pour boiling brine over, covering peppers. Add seasonings, such as garlic, bay leaf, slices of sweet bell, herbs, etc. as desired, or leave plain. Seal and let cool away from drafts. Store away from heat and light. No need to process these as the vinegar, if you use 5%, keeps bacteria out. That's all there is to this wonderful pickled pepper recipe. Making your own is so easy and much more crisp and tasty than the store-bought variety. Chill in refrigerator before serving Dusty

you can purchase dried hot pepper powder on the internet. I recommend something mild from New Mexico. then add that to your plate of food. sprinkle it on top. This way you can control the heat. the best flavor and low heat is Chimayo. the oldest true heirloom in america. over 400 years. Phone 505-351-4112 a local in Chimayo who sells chiles. Chimayo from the Casados Farm in Chimayo. 1/3 pound for only $4.50 ( thats over 5 ounces If you want seeds to grow then tell the sales person and get the flakes with seeds. if you are not growing them then get the powder. You will not be sorry. This is very mild and very high flavor. you will love it. They also sell mild not chimayo chile powder for a little less but it will have less flavor. Treat yourself to the best. the cost is very low. If you get the flakes with seeds then just filter out the seeds from the powder in the container. no problem. you only need a few hundred seeds. the germination will be a little low from drying the chiles in the hot sun. but enough will germinate. Then you must save seeds from the plants you grow. these will have close to 100% germination. If you want a similar heirloom pepper from new mexico with more heat then you can try espanola. I picked my first one this week and it might be a little less hot than a Jalapeno. But hard to tell for sure. but definitely hot. the chimayo is very mild and you will love it. good luck Here is a link that might be useful: chimayo

Serrano is usually rounded tipped,not as pointed or as evenly skinney. Too many peppers look like that one. Maybe post what seeds you sprouted to give us an idea. I've got a Frutescens grow going now,LOTS of them look like that. Calyx looks like a possible Frut. Though some Baccatums Calyx look similar but the buds would have gold specs in them. I think I see the hook on a possible bud-not sure.Could be a Frtescens. Frut. have a downward hooked bud most times,pods start out upturned though pods can eventually be pendant as your plant looks to be. Too many varieties look like that plant -Thai,Bird peppers etc.

Have you tried mulching them (with such as a wood mulch or bark mulch)? Peppers generally seem to like mulch (especially if they're in the ground). How much soil do they have? (I ask because some people put a layer of plastic under their raised beds to keep weed roots out.) Your bell peppers might need more room for their roots. What variety of bell pepper are your growing? Some are easier than others. How big were the plants at transplant time? Bigger plants (so long as they're healthy and vigorous) seem to have an advantage. If you grew from seed, you might not have started them soon enough. We've had more success with store-bought bell pepper plants (transplanted in the ground) than seed-grown ones, so far (whether in-ground or in containers, and the store-bought plants got sizeable fruits fast; they were probably California Wonder), and I think that's mainly because of their maturity. If I heated my 6'x5'x3' greenhouse, I might be able to start them sooner, but, yeah, I only have so much time without heating it (early in the season) before I need to transplant them. Anyway, the bell peppers I've liked the most from seed have probably been Big Bertha F1, White Cloud, and Keystone Resistant Giant (the latter didn't get a fair trial, but I liked how it was doing in a tiny container, transplanted late). White Cloud does not have large fruits, but it is a bell type. To date, I've grown most of my peppers (all from seed) in containers, without mulch (most kinds with good results, but some don't seem to thrive in containers). I've tried a few seed-grown ones in the ground without mulch in recent years, but they didn't do well (same for all kinds of unmulched seed-grown peppers in the ground, though). We did a few sweet peppers in the ground with mulch last year, and they thrived. We've done some in raised beds in the past (without mulch), with okay results, and before that, we usually just had them in the ground without mulch (with store-bought plants) with excellent results. We're doing a whole row of peppers (many kinds, hot and sweet) in the ground with mulch, this year, and they seem happy so far (happier than the container peppers). We're also growing peppers in containers (with mulch) this year. The only bell I'm growing this year is Keystone Giant (in the ground, with mulch, from seed); feel free to ask for an update later. I agree that Lipstick is a good alternative to bell peppers; I've grown it two or three times (in containers). You might also like Neapolitan (it can be prolific and early). Chervena Chushka is another good alternative (but it likes a good amount of soil, although it does well in big containers). Georgescu Chocolate isn't bad (small fruits, though). I know it's not even close to a bell pepper in shape, but for a good sweet pepper, you might also try Jimmy Nardello Italian (it's sugary sweet). I haven't tried Cubanelle, yet, but it sounds pretty great. Marconi peppers and Corno Di Toro Giallo seemed at least as difficult to grow as bell peppers for me, though (in large containers, without mulch).