this recipe is from NCHFP.... anyone want to express an opinion on substituting (cup for cup) sliced jalapeno for some of the cukes? Quick Sweet Pickles May be canned as either strips or slices. 8 lbs of 3- to 4-inch pickling cucumbers 1/3 cup canning or pickling salt 4-1/2 cups sugar 3-1/2 cups vinegar (5 percent) 2 tsp celery seed 1 tbsp whole allspice 2 tbsp mustard seed 1 cup pickling lime (optional- for use in variation below for making firmer pickles) Yield: About 7 to 9 pints Please read Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning. Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch off blossom end and discard, but leave 1/4 inch of stem attached. Slice or cut in strips, if desired. Place in bowl and sprinkle with 1/3 cup salt. Cover with 2 inches of crushed or cubed ice. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours. Add more ice as needed. Drain well. Combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed, allspice, and mustard seed in 6-quart kettle. Heat to boiling. Hot pack--Add cucumbers and heat slowly until vinegar solution returns to boil. Stir occasionally to make sure mixture heats evenly. Fill sterile jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. For more information see "Sterilization of Empty Jars". Raw pack--Fill jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add hot pickling syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in Table 1 or use the low temperature pasteurization treatment. For more information see "Low-Temperature Pasteurization Treatment,". Variation for firmer pickles: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch off blossom end and discard, but leave 1/4-inch of stem attached. Slice or strip cucumbers. Mix 1 cup pickling lime and 1/2 cup salt to 1 gallon water in a 2- to 3-gallon crock or enamel-ware container. Caution: Avoid inhaling lime dust while mixing the lime-water solution. Soak cucumber slices or strips in lime water solution for 12 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from lime solution and rinse and resoak 1 hour in fresh cold water. Repeat the rinsing and resoaking two more times. Handle carefully because slices or strips will be brittle. Drain well. Storage: After processing and cooling, jars should be stored 4 to 5 weeks to develop ideal flavor. Variation: Add 2 slices of raw whole onion to each jar before filling with cucumbers. Table 1. Recommended process time for Quick Sweet Pickles in a boiling-water canner. Process Time at Altitudes of Style of Pack// Jar Size // 0 - 1,000 ft/ 1,001 - 6,000 ft/ Above 6,000 ft Hot//Pints or Quarts/5 min 10 / 15 Raw//Pints// 10 / 15 / 20 Quarts// 15 / 20 / 25 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This document was adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 1994. Reviewed June 2006. top ^ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How do I? Can Freeze · Dry · Cure & Smoke · Ferment · Pickle · Make Jam & Jelly · Store Home · Publications · Search · Seasonal Tips · Info Request · Multimedia · FAQs · Contact · Links

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

This is a good recipe for Jalepeno Popper Spread (from allrecipes.com - see link for reviews) INGREDIENTS (Nutrition) * 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened * 1 cup mayonnaise * 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained * 2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained * 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese DIRECTIONS Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Microwave on High until hot, about 3 minutes. I've made this a couple times and it is very good! Here is a link that might be useful: Jalepeno popper spread recipe

magothyrivergirl, you are so welcome!! I'm making a double batch for a party this week--I'm excited to eat them again!