I would guess that the sugar content in the beets/beet juice blunts the heat of the peppers.

I've only used pickle juice and pepperoncini juice in the past.

Josh

I can't weigh in on what happens when you pickle them, but based on last year's output of 5 serrano plants, I can say that one plant is more than enough for most normal people. Man are those things prolific!

I agree on Serrano plants pumping out alot of peppers. They are great for salsa's and chili's! Alot better then Jalapeno in per plant production and heat content in my opinion.

I had three serrano plants last year that i bought from a nursery late in season and were stunted, but two of them came back to life bigtime and produced alot of peppers. I froze most of them for preservation and have since used em all up. Next year i wanna grow more of those.

I assume you can just pickle em in some straight vinegar overwinter and fridge em up to preserve em just fine.

I can see Josh's opinion holding validation on the sugar theory. From my experience in working with hot peppers in culinary ways, i have noticed that adding sugar to anything with an overbearing heat level tends to balance it out a bit.

Jim

I had a great pepper harvest last year, with the same experience you guys are talking about with the serranos. I pickled some by themselves and some in a blend with jalapenos, pepperoncinis, chile de arbol and cayenne. Here's a video I did on the pickling process.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jeff's Pickled Pepper Video

Looks tasty, Jeff. If I was going to try the same recipe, could I use old sterilized pickle or pepper jars or is it necessary to use canning jars?

John

I'll point you toward the Ball Canning web site to get a very thorough treatment of food safety.

Here's my personal policy. If I keep pickled product in the refrigerator, I'm not too obsessive about sealing. But, when refrigerator space gets to be a premium, and I need to store stuff on shelves, I use a water bath and new caps.

Besides that, canning jars are cheap and other than the caps everything can be used over and over. They're a good investment for any gardener.

Vinegar is a solvent for capsaicin.