Jalapeño Business

Happy belated Fourth of July 2024.

The SkilletReport went dark in July, as all eight of my readers may have noticed. Your local food editor and publisher had some health issues that kept him from enjoying the beat over the month of July, but I’m back and hungrier than ever.

Luckily, the kitchen garden I’ve been bootstrapping did not disappoint.

I pickled the first batch of jalapeños from the garden for Independence Day festivities (right before the dreaded Lyme struck me down for weeks) and the plant has just kept producing. I’ll probably end up with about 30-40 jalapeños and about 50 Tobasco peppers. I also squeezed about three dozen tomatos out of two different heirloom plants (Cherokee Purple and Bush Giant).

The strawberries, herbs and green onions have been producing all summer as well.

Not bad for about 40 square feet partially used up by shrubbery. I plan to double production in the same space next year by shifting varieties and methods.

I’ve made Caprese, tomato sauce, salsa, salads and added fresh herbs to all sorts of weeknight dinners. But my sweet-hot jalapeño recipe turned out the best. I applied Great Grandma Nan’s fridge #picklerecipe, but added a half dozen jalapeños and garlic.

Nan’s Sweet-Hot Jalapeños

• 6 jumbo jalapeños

• Sliced carrots

• Crushed and minced garlic

• Onions or scallions

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1 tbsp salt

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/3-1/2 cup water

Mix veggies, salt, sugar and vinegar first and dissolve as much as possible. This draws out the spicy oils in the chili. Then, top with water and chill for a couple hours. These will last a couple weeks in the fridge. You can also use the same brine with garden cucumbers and onions.