Hot Peppers to Spare

I get hot peppers with my CSA share. As much as I like spicy food, I just don't use the hot peppers fast enough. This is a quick way to preserve a small amount of hot peppers, without canning or drying.

Ingredients:
A couple of handfuls of hot peppers
About two cups of vinegar (white vinegar has a bite to it, apple cider vinegar has a bit of sweetness)
1/4tsp salt
Pint jar (or larger) with a plastic lid

Seed the peppers. (You might want to wear gloves for this. I generally don't. I'm very careful not to touch the cut sides or insides of the peppers.) Mince them by hand or throw them in a food processor. Pack them into the clean jar. Heat the vinegar and dissolve the salt. Pour the vinegar mixture over the peppers. If there is not enough vinegar to completely cover the peppers, add more. Cap the jar and keep in the refrigerator.

If you don't have a plastic lid, put a layer of plastic wrap or waxed paper between the lid and the jar. The pure vinegar will corrode a metal lid.

I use this in cooked dishes, like stir fries or chilli. Since I don't know how hot the finished mix of peppers will be, I add a little at a time. I also use this method to preserve slices of jalapenos, sometimes adding garlic and peppercorns. Whenever we have "Mexican Night" we pile them on our tacos and burritos.