These Hot Pickle Mix Vegetables came about at the request of a friends father, who used to purchase them from a well-known pickle company. Unfortunately, that company recently discontinued them, and I was asked to try to recreate them. After a little bit of research, this is what I came up with.
Hot Pickle Mix Vegetables are mild to medium hot, so if you want more heat, I would recommend adding a few small red chili peppers or perhaps some dried red pepper flakes. Another option would be to swap out the banana peppers with some habanero or ghost peppers if you really want to amp up the heat.
No matter what you do, remember the heat tends to intensify while the finished jars sit in the pantry, so be careful how much heat you add.
What do you need to make Hot Pickle Mix Vegetables?
- pickling cucumbers
- cauliflower florets
- carrots
- pearl onions
- banana peppers
- red or mad hatter peppers
- jalapeno peppers
- garlic
- white vinegar (5% acidity)
- sugar
- horseradish
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RECIPE
Ingredients
4 cups (approx. 1 pound) pickling cucumbers, trimmed and sliced into 1/4 -inch slices
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
1 cup peeled pearl or pickling onions (cut larger onions in 1/2)
2/3 cup pickling or canning salt
3 cups sliced seeded hot yellow banana peppers (about 6 peppers)
3 diced Mad Hatter peppers or 1 diced red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, or 1 tsp minced garlic
8 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
3 to 9 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded
Method
In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the cucumbers, cauliflower, red peppers, carrots and onions.
In another large glass or stainless steel bowl, dissolve the pickling salt in 7 cups water. Pour it over the vegetables. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
In a colander placed over a sink, drain the vegetables. Rinse with cold running water and drain thoroughly. Add the hot yellow peppers and mix well.
In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the garlic, 1 1/2 cups water, vinegar, sugar and horseradish. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and boil gently for 15 minutes, until the liquid is infused with garlic flavor; strain liquid through a mesh strainer over a bowl retaining the liquid but discarding horseradish and garlic.
Pack the vegetables and 1 to 3 jalapeno pepper halves into hot jars to within a generous one-half inch of the top of the jar. Ladle hot pickling liquid into the jar to cover the vegetables, leaving one-half inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust the headspace, if necessary, by adding hot pickling liquid. Wipe the rim and cover with lids and bands tightening until just fingertip-tight.
Process jars in a boiling water bath or steam canner for 15 minutes. Remove the jars, and allow to sit undisturbed on your countertop 24 hours. Lid is sealed when button on top is fully depressed and won't flex up or down. Store in pantry up to one year; open jars need to be refrigerated.
Yield: 6 pint jars
Cooks note - wait for 4 to 6 weeks before serving to allow the flavors to develop.
Enjoy,
Mary
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