You need to mix some salt in warm water (I think it's about 40 g per litre of water), let it cool then pour over your chillies which you have packed into jars along with garlic (not too much) and one of cabbage leaf/vine leaf or oak leaf. Some people also put in a small piece of rye bread. Seal the jars and leave at least a couple of weeks. You will get a white deposit at the bottom of the jar and a release of bubbles in the liquid when you take the lid off. (Look, mum, no vinegar!) This method is good for most vegetables and is best for fleshy chillies like rocotos (add a little ginger) and jalapenos (add dill). The great thing about this pickling method is that the chillies retain their crispness. Nothing worse than mushy rocotos. Sorry, no idea if this retains the purple colour, but rocotos certainly stay bright red.

From: Chile Head Mailing List
Posted By: John Moore
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