Hot Pepper Sandwich Spread

As planting season approaches and our pepper and other plants start to inch skyward, we are compelled to get our freezers ready. This means it’s time to clean out!

John got interested in hot peppers 3 or so years ago and like any good pepper enthusiast quickly went from 2 or 3 varieties to 20 or 30. This means more peppers than we can possibly use in one season. We’ve pickled, we’ve powdered, we’ve dehydrated, we’ve made poppers, we’ve made more kinds and combinations of hot sauce than I can count but one surprisingly delicious pepper product that we use a lot is hot pepper spread!

In fact, we’ve depleted our stock enough that it was time to replenish and freezer clean out was the perfect time to do it. We found 4 gallon sized bags of last year peppers just waiting their turn to become something yummy!

Besides being oh so pretty to look at, hot pepper spread is a really easy way to use up lots of peppers and can be made with any combination of pepper varieties. We like ours to be medium to hot without completely destroying our taste buds so we mostly use a combination of sweet and hot peppers. This years left overs included, Sugar Rush Peach, Mad Hatters, Habanada, Serrano, Cayenne, Red Flame Cayenne, Aji Crystal, Aji Colorado, Aji Mango and I’m sure there are some others I’m forgetting.

It’s great on sandwiches, hamburgers, hotdogs, brats, cold cuts, etc. but could also be put over cream cheese and used as a dip for crackers. It’s got a vinegar base so water bathing is the preferred method for canning.

If you are a hot pepper fan and are looking for something new to try to use up some peppers, might we highly recommend this spread. It’s an easy process that’s great for new or seasoned canners.

Please find the recipe below!

Hot Pepper Spread
4 quarts Hot peppers ; finely chopped
2 tablespoons Salt
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
3 cups Vinegar
3 cloves Garlic
3 cup Water

Instructions
Combine peppers and salt; let stand 3 to 4 hours.