It doesn't throw up a red flag for me, because that's exactly how I make sauerkraut, it's just salt and cabbage, the cabbage releases enough juices to make a "brine" which covers it after it's weighted down. I'm assuming that the green chile pickle operates the same way.

Annie

That is what I am wondering -- if the chile is going to release enough brine to cover. I made kimchi using brine, and I cannot find any recipes with just chilies and salt.

All of Linda Z's recipes are tested and approved so no problem there. I have made it several times and I think the confusion comes from the recipe not being clearly written. Did you notice the recipe calls for 1 pint of water? That is your brine. Assuming you use the amount of peppers called for in the recipes the once the salted peppers are compressed tightly down into the quart jar as instructed the pint of salted water brine is more than enough to cover them. So yes they are submerged. You then push the quart size bag down into the jar and fill it with more brine (water + salt) to act as the weight.

I think she assumed that we all know to fill our weight bags with brine so doesn't clarify that part.

Hope this helps.

Dave

So I did misread it! I wondered why all that brine was made just to weigh the peppers down with a plastic bag (I am familiar with that method because I make her kimchi all the time). It really is written in a confusing manner--a rarity in her excellent books. It never actually says to pour the brine over the peppers, just to pour it in the weighting bag. That is why I had even gone to the trouble to look up the addenda/errata!

Feel silly but happy I can go home and add some brine to my precious shisitos!

I know what you mean but no need to feel silly. :-) I think I got it the first time by luck and because I know she adds salted water brines to most all her mixes, even krauts, rather than counting on the juice in the vegetable. But it sure could use some clarification.

Hope you like the results.

Dave

Thanks again--I'll post the results, hoping mild shisitos will give me the spice I like without the burn I can't handle.