Pickling Quail Eggs

I mentioned last week that a friend from church that lives down the road had given us a bunch of quail eggs.  They raise quail.  At one time we had some quail, but Benjamin mistakenly left the door of the chicken tractor open and the quail escaped.  I would like to think that they made it in the wild, but they more likely become a delectable treat for a hawk or owl or possum.

With the first batch, we scrambled the quail eggs and we fried the quail eggs and we boiled the quail eggs.  Then our friend gave us a bunch more quail eggs.  Tricia decided she'd try her hand at pickling some.  People in this area have always kept quail eggs.  I can remember going into small mom & pop convenience stores and seeing jars of pickled quail eggs for sale.  In fact, there was all kinds of pickled goods for sale - pickled chicken eggs and a big jar of pickled pig's feet.  Come to think of it, I never see pickled pig's feet anymore. 

Tricia lined up the ingredients for making pickled quail eggs - white vinegar, salt, hot sauce, water, pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, hot pepper, water, and clean pint jars.  Our friend gave us the recipe that she uses:

First, boil a ratio of water to vinegar depending on the amount of eggs.  20 - 22 quail eggs will fit in a pint jar.  In a sterile jar, you put the following in order:

• Eggs,
• 1 Tablespoon red pepper,
• 1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes,
• Hot pepper sliced

Pour the vinegar solution over the eggs and seal.

Place the jars in a water bath canner for five minutes.

Pull them out and let them cool.  You should hear the caps pop when sealed.  Once cool store them in the fridge.

These are a delicious little tasty, spicy snack.

Made a Few Jars of Pickled Banana Peppers

This year I had the foresight to plant my banana peppers on the opposite side of the garden from the jalapenos.  Last year I planted them too close together and all the banana peppers were hot.  Don't get me wrong, I like hot peppers, but there is a time and place for them.  I also like a mild banana pepper that has been pickled in vinegar to eat alongside rice & gravy and meat. 

The pepper plants have been producing and we eat them mainly raw - most of the time right off the plant.

The other day I picked all the big ones off the plant, but there are many more little ones growing with blooms that promise more peppers.

It was time to do a quick batch of pickled banana peppers.  I put a pot on the stove with 3 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons kosher salt and 1 tablespoon sugar.  I brought that to a boil and then let it completely cool.

Meanwhile I crushed a garlic clove and put one in the bottom of each of the four jars of peppers that I was pickling.  Then I packed two of the jars with sliced banana peppers.  I packed them in real tight.

For two of the jars, I cut the banana peppers into rings, just to mix things up.  I packed those in tight, too. 

Then I poured the cooled pickling liquid into each of the jars, bringing the liquid all the way up to the top.

Then I placed them in the fridge where I'll let them 'marinate' for a few days before I eat them.

We may even have these jars polished off by the time the next crop is ready to be picked and pickled!