Sauerkraut-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Recipe by Margaret Santelmann, Seville, Ohio
First place and Best of Show, Preserved Fruits and Vegetables (Vegetables), 2017

Baking temperature: n/a
Baking time: n/a
Yield: Five pint jars

Ingredients

• 1 qt. sauerkraut (batch below makes 12 quarts.)
  • 30 lbs. of cabbage
  • 10 T pickling/canning salt
  • Water (as needed)
• 2 lbs. of small bell peppers
• 4 c vinegar
• 4 c water
• 2 c sugar
• ¼ c pickling/canning salt

Instructions

• For 12 qt. of Sauerkraut (only one qt. needed for this recipe):
  • Shred cabbage. In a 5 gal. food grade bucket, add shredded cabbage in layers with 1 T of salt, tamp down layer until bucket is full. A brine will form and begin to fill the bucket. Add water to bring brine level over cabbage
  • Seal, and place in a cool location for 6 to 8 weeks
  • This 5 gal. Sauerkraut recipe yields approx. 12 quarts (pressure-canned at 10 psi for 15 minutes)
• Add vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a large pot. Bring to boil and simmer until mixture is needed
• Rinse and heat 1 qt. of sauerkraut
• Clean and remove stem/top of peppers. Fill peppers with sauerkraut (tightly pack)
• Water bath method – clean and sterilize pint jars in boiling water
• Pack the hot, sterilized pint jars with the stuffed peppers – pack tightly
• Fill jars with vinegar mixture
• Process for 20 minutes using the water bath method