Clean Jars and LidsClean jars and lids with warm soapy water. Ensure the jars do not have any chips or bubbles in the glass.
Prepare Water Bath CannerPut your water bath canner on your stove. Add your canning rack to your water bath canner. Add your pint jars to the water bath canner. They will warm as you heat the water. Add enough water to cover jars with at least 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a boil and allow the jars to boil for 10 minutes.
Cleaning and Cutting PeppersWhile the water is coming to a boil clean your peppers under cold water. Cut off the stem and blossom ends from your peppers. Cut your peppers into 1/2-inch pieces and place them into a bowl.
3 lbs Banana Peppers
Creating BrineCombine vinegar, water, and garlic in a large pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once the mixture is at a boil reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer the brine for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic. I have found when running this recipe a few times that I usually need additional brine than what is called for in the recipe. Keep the ratio of vinegar and water if you are going to add additional liquid to the brine.
Fill the JarsRemove your jars from the water bath canner one at a time using your jar lifter. Dump water out of the jar into your water bath canner. Tightly pack peppers into the hot jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Make sure they are tightly packed in your jar. Ladle the hot liquid over the peppers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add 1/8 teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp Granules to the jar.
1/8 tsp Ball Pickle Crisp Granules
De-bubble Your PeppersUsing your de-bubbler make sure to remove all air bubbles. Since the pepper pieces are hollow they will try to hold a lot of air in them. Make sure to get as much air out as possible. Add some more hot brine if the level goes down below 1/2 inch headspace.
Place Jar in Water BathWipe the rim of the jar to ensure a good seal is made with the lid. Center the lid on the jar and add the band to fingertip tight. Put the jar back into the water bath canner.
Repeat steps for Remaining Jars: Repeat steps 5-7 for the remaining peppers, until the jars are filled.
Process Jars in Water Bath CannerLower the water bath canner rack into the boiling water. Ensure your jars are covered by at least 2 inches of water. If your water is not boiling start your processing time when the water is boiling. Process the jars for 10 minutes. Make sure to adjust your time for altitude. Set a timer, it makes it much easier to make sure you process for the correct time. When your timer goes off turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Leave the jars in the water for 5 minutes.
Remove Jars and CoolLift your canning rack out of the water. Using your jar lifer carefully move your jars onto a wire rack or kitchen towel to allow them to cool. When moving your jars try not to tilt them to the side as this could affect the seal of your jars. Allow your jars to cool for 12-24 hours before handling.
StorageOnce cool, remove the canning rings from the jars. Wash your jars off to ensure there is no food residue on the outside of the jar from processing. Label your jar with the name of the recipe and date. This will help you remember what recipe you used to can and the date will allow you to use the oldest canned goods first.
Notes
This recipe is from Ball Canning Back To Basics book on page 174This recipe is also found on Ball's website under "Hot Peppers"