Monday, October 09, 2006

Pepper Butter

This past weekend, I canned the last of the garden produce. I made "Pepper Butter"--an unusual spread made from hot peppers and prepared yellow mustard--for the first time, after getting the recipe from Penny Kershner of Frost. I'd never tasted anything like it, but recently, I discovered I had two similar recipes, for "Pepper Sandwich Spread" and for "Green Tomato Sandwich Spread," in my favorite canning book, Favorite Recipes of Home Economics Teachers: Canning, Preserving and Freezing Cookbook.(Favorite Recipes Press, Montgomery, Alabama, 1975)

Thickened like a gravy, this bright yellow stuff is hot, sweet, and sour. Penny's recipe produced eight pints for me, and it is even tastier than I remembered. Although all the different recipes say you can pour the hot liquid into scalded jars and seal, I went ahead and water-bathed the filled jars for 20 minutes, the way I usually treat my sweet pickles. I find my jars are more likely to seal successfully when I do this, and it didn't hurt the "pepper butter" a bit.

PEPPER BUTTER 60-80 hot peppers (heat intensity your choice) Wash, remove stems, and grind in food processor. If you prefer a milder spread, remove some of the seeds and placenta. 6 cups sugar 1 quart prepared yellow mustard 1 quart cider vinegar In your cooking kettle, mix sugar, mustard, and vinegar. Stir in ground peppers and bring mixture to a boil. Make a thickening of 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 1/4 cups water. Add some boiling mix from your kettle to the thickening, and stir until smooth. Add thickening mix to boiling liquid, stirring until combined. Boil mixture for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent the thick mixture from burning on the bottom. Place in canning jars and seal. To waterbath can, place the jars in a canner and boil for 20 minutes. Remove, and allow jars to cool and seal.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I was online looking for canning recipes for sweet peppers or roasted peppers and ran across your recipe for pepper butter. it is very similar to the one I use. I was surprised to discover that your extensive site regarding Pocahontas County. Both my parents were born and raised in Pocahantas County. My mother on Beaver Creek. My dad, in various places in the county including Marlinton & Campbelltown. I spent a great deal of time as a child on Droop Mountain during deer season exploring the battlefield park. the pictures you have posted were a reminder of the found memories of those days.

Food Jaunts said...

What do you use this pepper butter on? I'm part of a CSA, and as an end of a year treat they gave us all a variety of canned goods. Mine was sweet pepper butter and I'm at a loss as to what to do with it. Any recommendations?

Rebecca Clayton said...

I've used this spread to make sweet and sour sauces, and I like it on hot dogs and on cheese sandwiches. I find the vinegar/pepper combination goes well with oily or greasy foods, and it perks up bland leftovers.

Anonymous said...

I am looking for a Green Tomato Pepper Butter recipe, similar to Duck's. Does anyone have one