banana pepper rings

i have 4 banana pepper plants in my garden this year, and they are producing nicely.  i've been able to harvest 5-10 at a time, a that's quite a bit of banana peppers all at once!  my favorite way to enjoy these veggies is to pickle them.  i have a simple recipe and method that takes very little effort, yet produces delicious pickled peppers; the recipe is adapted from a refrigerator pickle recipe shared with me by my mother in law.

ingredients

5-10 banana peppers

white vinegar (1-3 cups)

water (1-2 cups)

1-3 garlic cloves

instructions

1. remove pepper tops
2. slice the peppers
   
3. remove seeds & white flesh within the peppers (i prefer to do this after slicing, as it proves to be more efficient - a few minutes in a salad spinner, after being sliced and rinsed, helps as well).
4. place clean, sliced peppers in a gallon-sized ziplok bag, or another container.  i use a tupperware pick-a-deli and it works PERFECTLY!  i highly recommend it!!
   
5. add enough vinegar and water to cover the peppers.  a 50/50 mixture is probably ideal.  i prefer a bigger bite, and tend to go heavier on the vinegar than the water.  this recipe doesn't require a perfect science - experiment and see what your taste buds prefer!
6. add the garlic cloves - i always add 2-3.  if you love garlic less than i, perhaps use only 1 small clove.
   
7. refrigerate overnight, and they will be ready to go the next day!!!
8. they keep for weeks (1+ months) in the fridge.  if you eat them quickly, you can reuse the vinegar/water mixture for a second batch (though i usually top off batch #2 with a bit more vinegar).
9. feel free to add sea salt, a hot pepper (jalapeno or red hot chili), or anything else you might enjoy!