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Pickled jalapenos floating

12 years ago

Today I ventured into pickling some jalapeno slices. I followed a recipe to the T, and also followed the instructions for sterilizing correctly, as well as the proper procedures for the boiling water bath. Anyways, I left 1/2" headspace in my 1/2 pint jars, as directed. Well, after processing, the pepper slices decided to unpack and float to the top, with some not submerged in the liquid. Is this a problem?

Joe

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Comments (7)

User
12 years ago
Hi Joe,

I suspect you raw packed the peppers... packed the Jalapenos in the jar and filled with hot brine and processed. Floating peppers (or fruit) are a common when using raw pack recipes.

As long as you followed a safe recipe, left the right head space and processed for the correct time, you should not have any safety concerns.

Over time the peppers will absorb the brine and start to drop.

Bill
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2ajsmama
12 years ago
Did you cut a couple slits in each one for the brine to penetrate? That will help with floating.
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Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions. I've been away for a couple of days so I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I usually don't wear gloves unless I'm working with habenaros (spelling?). Then I put the hand that will hold the pepper in a small sandwich baggie. I haven't had too much trouble with my hands burning or touching my eyes. It may be a hold over from when I was a chemist that I don't touch my face often when I'm working in the kitchen/lab. I'm sure one bad incident will probably change my mind in the future but so far I'm risking it. I'm not sure about tough skinned peppers either. I've tried to use the recipes so far that do not require taking the skins off the peppers because that seems like a lot of work and I'm lazy. I don't mind eating the skins if the pepper pieces aren't too big. Thanks again everyone for replying to my questions. ~Cindy
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This is a safe recipe to use, no oil. Even storing in the fridge with the oil could be a problem with a risk for botulism if stored for more than a few days to a week. Not safe at all in the cupboard. If you want, you can use dried oregano in it. : Colorado Mix (Pickled Pepper Vegetable Blend) 2 1/2 pounds peppers, mild or hot as desired 1 pound cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch chunks 2 to 4 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch chunks 1/2 pound cauliflower, cut into 1-inch flowerettes 1 cup peeled pickling onions 7 to 14 garlic cloves, as desired 6 cups vinegar 3 cups water 2 tablespoons pickling salt 2 tablespoons sugar, if desired Yield: Makes 7 to 8 pints Procedure: Wash and prepare vegetables. Slit small peppers. Core large peppers and cut into strips. Remove blossom end of cucumbers and cut into chunks. Peel and chunk carrots. Break cauliflower into flowerettes. Pack vegetable medley into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. In 3-quart saucepan, bring vinegar, water, salt and sugar to a boil. Pour hot solution over mix in jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Add liquid to bring headspace to 1/4 inch. Wipe jar rims. Add pretreated lids and process in boiling water bath. For best flavor, store jars five to six weeks before opening. Table 1: Recommended process time for Colorado mix in a boiling water canner. Style of pack/Jar size Process time at altitudes of: 6,000 ft or less Above 6,000 ft Raw: Half-pints or pints 10 min. Quarts 15 min.
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I encourage you to use the search button, there are some really good recipes on here. Also the harvest forum has tons of great resources. You don't really need pickling spice for your peppers, they've got enough flavor. I do recommend some nice peppercorns and pickling salt. I mix 3 parts vinegar to one part water, garlic (whole cloves or minced), salt and peppercorns. That's really all you need for great pickled jalapenos. If you boil the peppers in the solution for a couple of minutes, they will taste more like store bought (rubbery) but if you want to demonstrate the crispness of fresh pickled peppers than don't bother boiling and just cold can them. You can throw in any herbs or other veggies you'd like, (I like carrots). Just make sure the jars are sterilized. Here is a link that might be useful: Article I wrote recently about pickling banana peppers
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Joe1980
Original Author
12 years ago
Ajsmama, they are cut into slices.

Bill, yes they are raw packed. From what I gather, they'll keep more crisp when raw packed, as opposed to boiling them first and having them turn out softer. I've read that floating is normal, but I am more concerned that they won't pack down enough to ever be submerged again.

Joe
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2ajsmama
12 years ago
If they're sliced and floating, not much you can do. The very top ones may turn dark and shrivel like cukes do when they're not submerged - just throw those away when you open the jar.

I've only ever canned whole jals. Might try sliced sweet banana peppers this year since it looks like most will be coming in after end of Sept (end of market)!
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Joe1980
Original Author
12 years ago
Boy, I need to stop reading up on this, because it's making me paranoid. I've read that your best to err on the side of a tad MORE headspace, then less. Is that a true statement? I have a couple of 1/2 pint jars that have a bit more then a 1/2" of headspace, no more then a 1/4" extra, so 3/4" tops. Is that a bad thing, or no cause for concern? I'm just getting paranoid after reading all this stuff about botulism.

Joe
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2ajsmama
12 years ago
More headspace may lead to a weaker vacuum seal, and also allows for spoilage from yeasts, molds, etc. (even if seal is intact) b/c all the air may not be evacuated. Insufficient headspace will lead to boil-over and again may get a weak seal b/c food can get b/t the lid and rim. But neither of those will lead to botulism. In fact, more oxygen = better for that, since spores only produce toxin in anaerobic environment. So it's a quality issue. Not that you can't get sick from spoiled food, but just discard it if it gets moldy or if the brine gets murky. If it stays sealed, your jars are OK, but will bear watching - if seal comes undone next day, stick it in the fridge or reprocess from the beginning (heat brine, new clean hot jar, new lid). More than 24 hours, throw it away. Or just open them now and stick'em in the fridge.

Best to try to stick to the headspace recommended in the recipe. Though my jams always seem to have more than I start out with, they really seem to "settle" in the canner. Whenever I try to squeeze it to minimum, though, I even up with no/weak seals.

Gardenweb Harvest forum is a great place to get these sorts of questions answered - people with lots more experience than I over there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Problems with canned food - NCHFP
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HU-763306150
2 years ago
Use pickle crisp in your recipe 1/8 teaspon per pint no mote mushy peppers
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