are you sure about the 75%water/25%vinegar? I just read a thread where the poster thought she had used 75 percent water/25%vinegar... Linda Lou and Carol said it wasn't safe. Then the poster discovered she had reversed the percentages when posting: she had actually used 75 vinegar/25water which is safe. If you actually used 75% water, I don't think refrigeration is going to make them safe. But, hopefully someone with more knowledge than I will chime in. in the meantime, is this the recipe you plan to use in the future. (note: the last paragraph is the one that leads me to question the safety of your pickles.) Marinated Refrigerated Peppers Remember, all pickled pepper products stored at room temperature must be processed, to avoid the risk of botulism toxin development during storage. The boiling water bath processing step can be omitted if pickles are stored in the refrigerator. Use the following procedure. Wash peppers. Small peppers may be left whole with two small slits in each pepper. Core and cut large peppers into strips. Sterilize jars, lids and screwbands. Pack peppers tightly into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. For each 6 cups of brine, combine 5 cups vinegar, 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon pickling salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer five minutes. Pour vinegar solution over peppers, leaving 1/8-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust headspace so that brine covers all peppers. Wipe rims. Place sterilized flats on jars. Do not put on screwbands. Allow jars to cool. Put on screwbands and wipe jars. Refrigerate six to eight weeks for the pickled flavor to fully develop. Keep refrigerated and use within six months. This pepper product allows the peppers to marinate in a high acid solution, at a cold temperature, and in the presence of air. These conditions are not favorable for botulism toxin formation. It does not ensure against other types of spoilage. (from Colorado State)

Assuming you already know that the original recipe would be considered unsafe anyway with such a small amount of vinegar (1:1 is lowest approved ratio of vinegar to water) but have chosen to accept that level of risk then all you can do with what you call the mistake batch is replace the brine after opening the jars. Perhaps add a bit of sugar as well. How much taste benefit that might provide would be minimal as the cukes will have already absorbed much of the vinegar. The mistake batch is by far the safest batch for shelf storage and personally those are the ones I'd keep and toss the original recipe batch. The pH in those jars made with the 4:1 ratio of water to vinegar can quickly rise into the unsafe range as the water from the cukes dilutes the brine even further. But of course the choice is yours. Dave

The peeling is optional with any recipe. The need for it depends on the type of pepper and how thick the skin is. Cutting slits in the whole peppers is recommended. The soaking in vinegar is optional. The slits will allow the brine access to the interior. Just takes time. So pre-soaking them could speed up the process. Personally I've never done it. As for the pickle crisp, the amount used depends on the brand used, there are several and some are more or less coarse ground so different amounts would be called for. So use the directions on whichever brand you have, To determine if it is enough or not try some of the ones you have already done and see if you may need a bit more. That will be the best indicator and with time and testing you can decide how much works best for you. But you need to know that using too much can affect the flavor badly and that "very crisp" may not be a realistic expectation with home-canned pickled products. Heat processing just doesn't allow for "crunchiness" so homemade will never be as crisp as store bought which are processed quite differently. JMO Dave

Ken, Many people can/preserve food items like they use to (like their parents or grandparents). Just because it hasn't killed anyone in the family so far, it doesnÂt mean it is safe. Based on current research and meticulous testing, new standards have been established for safe home food preservation (including pickled peppers). If you are keen to do your own home preserving, you can check out the free online course offered by the NCHFP (link below) and only use safe tested recipes and procedures. I also suggest you tap into the knowledgeable folks of in the Harvest Forum on this site. Bill Here is a link that might be useful: Free online NCHFP course