Oh these June days…each one perfect in its own way. Some mornings we wake to the sound of a gentle rain, while other days we’re greeted by a striking sunrise. As the weeks pass, we find lovely blue-skied days that are ideal for gardening, or even a little afternoon nap. Sunday drives with the windows down soon find us taking in the sweet scent of wild clover.
Here in the Midwest, there are often short afternoon thunderstorms, and once they pass, if we’re very lucky, there will be the dramatic beauty of a rainbow crossing the sky. Hmmm, what’s to be found at the end of that rainbow; the mythical pot of gold? I have a feeling that pot of gold will be something different for each of us.
Lately, I’ve been poking around antique shops, wandering flea markets, and even dodging mud puddles and ankle-deep grass to a barn sale filled with dusty treasures just waiting to be discovered…if we’re willing to do a little work (okay, maybe a lot of work!) I’ve always loved old things…things with a sense of history, a past, rusty things, farm-y things, garden things. Maybe it’s how I was raised; in a little white country house, bordered by tall lilacs, summer days spent gardening alongside my grandmother.
I have so many fond memories of those early years, and one that always comes to mind are the many rows of Ball jars that had just been pulled from the steaming hot water-bath canner. The tabletop would be overflowing with gleaming jars, each filled with something wonderful from the garden: green beans, tomato sauce, sweet corn, bread & butter pickles, dilly green tomatoes and so much more. It was my job to count the “pings” each jar made as the lids sealed tightly to the cooling jars…one of the many ways my grandmother helped me learn to count!
Every year as I begin planning my garden, I always make sure to include plenty of veggies for two of my grandmother’s recipes: Bread & Butter Pickles and Hot Banana Peppers. I preserve them every year. Not only because they’re handed-down recipes that have become family favorites, but because preparing them is my way of honoring her memory. So much of what I love to do, of who I am, I learned from her…baking bread, gardening, quiet evenings reading, Sunday drives, and always sporting an apron!
And so as I begin to till, plant, and weed…endless weeding I might add, I felt like I just had to share this recipe with you for her Hot Banana Peppers (her Bread & Butter Pickle recipe can be found here, July, 2025 post). If you like old-fashioned, tried & true recipes that are oh-so handy when the garden is bursting with cucumbers and peppers, these just may be the answer you’re looking for!
But first, let’s back up a little…below you see Barnum relaxing and enjoying a little “cat nap” however; I have been in a tizzy!
Webster’s Dictionary is spot on when it says a tizzy is:
“a highly excited and distracted state of mind” Yep, that about sums it up.
In a frenzy.
In a panic.
Riddled with guilt.
And why? Because I couldn’t find my grandmother’s recipe for Hot Banana Peppers; it wasn’t in the spot it’s “always” in. Anxiousness set in…this was her handwritten recipe; a treasure and a heartfelt keepsake. What could I have done with it? The last time I made it was for the County Fair last year, but I was sure I didn’t take it with me to the fairgrounds.
I looked through all my cookbooks…had I tucked it away? I looked through kitchen drawers…was it with other favorite recipes? I called my mom…she tried to recall it from memory, but wasn’t sure, and she didn’t have a copy. I have a few handwritten vintage cookbooks…did I slip it in-between their pages for safekeeping?
No…not there either. Feeling defeated, I decided I had to go through all of my cookbooks again, this time not looking for the handwritten recipe card, but looking at cookbooks I had helped write. Once upon a time I was a Cookbook Editor, and surely somewhere in those dozens of books I had included her recipe.
I sat on the floor, piles of books around me. Okay, deep breath, begin! Slowly I went through every cookbook, page by page. Nothing. Then I sifted through an old box filled with faded recipe cards. Still nothing. Then, a basket I had recipes tucked into. You guessed it; nothing. Hours had passed.
I couldn’t stop, I’d never be able to sleep. I had to begin going through cookbooks yet again…tired, irritated, but mostly mad at myself for being so careless. And so I pulled the very first cookbook off the shelf, and as if by magic, there it was: Maymie’s Canned Peppers printed in an cookbook! I was thrilled and relieved. While I still needed to find her original recipe, I at least HAD the recipe.
And so, to keep it in safe hands, right here on these Fabulous Farmgirl pages, I’ll share it with you exactly as it was written. Now, she only listed the ingredients, no instructions. Yes, that’s the beauty of a 100 year-old recipe. I’ve added instructions, but know that I don’t claim to be an expert at perfecting the pickling salt/water/vinegar ratios, I just know that this recipe works for me and has been enjoyed for generations.
When I’m ready to begin, I pick as many peppers as I can, double the brine, and usually still have some left over. I can’t give you an exact count or weight of peppers…for me, that’s the beauty of this old-fashioned recipe. I make the recipe just as she did, even always using the same brand of oil that’s been around since 1899 – simply because that’s what she had written down.
Maymie’s Canned Peppers
Banana Peppers; hot or sweet
1 cup pickling and canning salt
9 cups water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled, per jar
1 Tablespoon Wesson Oil, per jar
Prepare peppers…if leaving whole, cut two slits in each pepper, or you can slice peppers into rings discarding the stems and seeds.
Prepare a boiling water bath and sterilize jars, lids and rings. (If you have never done this before, please read the step-by-step instructions shared by the National Center for Home Food Preservation by linking HERE to ensure you have a safe product to enjoy.)
To make the brine, combine salt, water, and vinegar in a stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir, and simmer until salt is dissolved. Set aside, but keep on a low simmer.
Add one peeled garlic clove to the bottom of each sterilized jar; then pack peppers tightly into jars. Slowly pour hot brine over peppers leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add Wesson oil to each jar.
Slip a small, non-metallic spatula or plastic knife inside the jar between the peppers and the side of the jar to remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims, apply sterilized lids (fingertip tight), and sterilized rings.
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars with a jar lifter and allow to cool completely, assuring seals are complete (count the “pings” as I still do) and then make sure each lid is concave to indicate the vacuum has pulled the lid down to the jar rim creating an airtight seal.
Here are some additional sites to follow for safe, complete water-bath instructions.
National Center for Home Food Preservation https://nchfp.uga.edu/
USDA https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Where-do-I-get-information-on-home-canning
Downloadable PDF https://ask.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=867764
Ta-da! The End! You Did It!
When I first went to look at Mae, my 1950 Hotpoint stove, the lady selling her asked if I canned. I was happy to tell her yes. Now, years later, I’m still humbled to be able to carry on the tradition of making these peppers from a handed-down recipe. Simple homemade goodness.
Let me know if you try them, if you do, I hope you enjoy them! Not your usual pickled flavor, but salty, with a hint of garlic and oil. I’m oh-so grateful to have jars lining my pantry again.
Did I find the handwritten recipe? Sadly, no. but I keep looking, desperately hoping that I’ll come across it at some point. I’ve shown you this picture in the past, but this is where I keep her handwritten recipe cards; in an old Ball jar, along with her sewing scissors.
I wish I had more to remember her by…I have this jar of keepsakes and an old wooden yardstick that was often given away at county fairs. Oh, to have her bread recipe…it was absolutely delicious warm from the oven topped with butter! But she was from the generation that baked with “a pinch of this, dash of that” and to be honest, it probably wasn’t written down at all.
Now, as we swing from Spring into Summer, this seems like a fine time for storing memories to draw out on future days. I remember trips to the lake, root beer floats, and tapping my toes to the lively tunes played on a jaunty banjo. Late in the evening the whip-poor-wills could be heard, and as they settled in for the night, they’d sing us to sleep.
The joys to be found in June are as assorted as the colors in a rainbow. From juicy strawberries and red radishes, to black raspberries and crisp snow peas. Gardens are blessed with morning rainfall and flowers seem to be even more lovely in the shadows of the gathering dusk.
Earlier I said that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow will be different for each of us. Maybe it’s finally catching those dreams you’ve been chasing or finding peace of mind after passing through a difficult time. For me, it’s recalling all those sweet memories of someone who helped me become who I am now…and still inspires me.
June is full of days for celebrating…days that may start off with a rainbow and end with the flicker of fireflies. Enjoy every single one!
Until next time, with more “tails” from the farm!
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