While there are countless flavorful recipes that make use of the fruits and vegetables available at Mt. Valley Produce, the following are among those that we use ourselves. We hope that you and your family enjoy them as much as we do!
Servings: 8 Quarts | Printable Version
Hot Pepper Butter is a sweet and spicy sauce similar to mustard. It can be used in a variety of dishes, including as a sandwich spread, a ham glaze, and a dip for pretzels.
For a mild level of spice, we recommend using Hungarian Wax or Inferno peppers. For a sweeter, less spicy pepper butter, substitute half the hot peppers with Sweet Banana peppers. Although the standard recipe uses six cups of sugar, a healthier variety can be made by reducing the sugar content to three cups.
Gloves must be worn when cutting and handling the peppers to avoid sustaining a chili burn.
In addition to the ingredients listed below, also needed are eight 16-ounce canning jars, eight canning lids, and eight canning lid rings to can and store the hot pepper butter for extended use.
36 hot peppers (Hungarian Wax or Inferno)
6 cups sugar
4 cups mustard
4 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups flour
2 cups water
1 tbsp. canning salt
After putting on gloves, core peppers and dispose of the stems and seeds. Dice or blend the peppers until there are no large pieces left.
Combine peppers, sugar, mustard, vinegar, and salt in a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for 5 minutes.
In another bowl, mix the flour and water. Slowly pour into the boiling pepper mixture, stirring continuously. Boil for 5 minutes.
Place hot peppers into a large pot and grind them into a paste. Blend mixture with sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, and canning salt.
In a second pot, place the empty jars on a canning rack. Fill the pot with water until the jars are both filled and submerged. To prevent residue buildup, add 1/3 cup of white vinegar. Place the pot on the stove, turn the burner to high, and leave the jars in until the water comes to a boil.
Turn the burner down to simmer and use a jar lifter to remove the jars from the pot. Empty the jars and fill them with the hot pepper butter, leaving half an inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Use a damp cloth to remove any residue from the jar rims.
Align the canning lids with the top of the canning jars and seal them with the canning lid rings. Tighten the canning lid rings until there is resistance. Avoid tightening the lid beyond this point to ensure the remaining oxygen in the jar is able to vent during the boiling process, sealing them safely for extended use.
Return the sealed canning jars to the canning pot and ensure that they are still submerged. Return the burner to high and boil for 10 minutes.
Turn the burner off, remove the cans from the pot, and let them sit for 12 to 24 hours to ensure a proper seal.