cherry peppers

I have made a lot of piri piri sauce.  Its been flying out of here like crazy.  I had to. But with nearly a gallon made so far and 1/4 of that eaten, I could not make anymore.  It seemed a bit, well, unreasonable.  I decided to can these cherry peppers instead of making the sauce.  This way if I need to replenish my supply of piri piri sauce I can do it with these babies, no problem.  Doesn't even matter if it is mid winter or not. Just drain and begin.  Yes, that piri piri sauce is that good.

I know this pic is blurry but I like it in a 'water- color- kind' of way.

Pickled Cherry Peppers

2 lbs cherry peppers
4 cups white vinegar
1 1⁄2 cups water
1 - 4 tablespoon sugar (to taste)
1 1⁄3 teaspoons salt
1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano per jar
1 -2 garlic cloves per jar (whole or halved)
1 small bay leaf per jar
2 peppercorns per jars

Sterilize 5 pint-sized canning jars, rings and lids by boiling them in a large pot for at least 10 minutes, making sure they are completely submerged.

Rinse the cherry peppers thoroughly under cool running water, removing any visible dirt or debris. Trim the stem from each pepper with a small, sharp knife. You do not need to actually remove the stem; simply cut it down to a manageable size.

Place the peppers into your sterilized jars. They should fill the jars most of the way, but don't forcibly stuff them inside. Add bay leaves, oregano, peppercorns and garlic cloves to each jar.

In a saucepan mix the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer and allow them to cook until the sugar and salt completely dissolve, about 5 minutes.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the ingredients in each jar. Leave approximately 1/4 inch of air at the top of each jar. Wipe the rim of each jar with a paper towel, then put the lids and rings on the jars.

Process the jars in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. You should do this with a water bath canner if possible. If not, fill a large pot with hot water, add the jars (which should be standing upright and fully submerged with 1 inch of water over the top of the lids), cover and bring the water to a boil for at least 10 minutes. At the end, turn off flame, remove top and let sit for 5 minutes before taking them out.  I find this helps with the boil out of the jar factor.

Remove the jars from the hot water, allow them to cool, then check the seal by pressing on the top of each jar with a finger. If the top is slightly inverted and does not give when you press on it, the jar is properly sealed. Store properly sealed jars for several weeks before eating the peppers.