[tami]

I am trying to find out what kind of peppers the green chilis that are sold canned for mexican cooking. I would love to grow and can my own.
Tami

 

[Nan]

They are Anaheim chilis. I can them every year! Great, but put them in eeny jars...because the pints are kinda large for most recipes ..at least that was my experience. Use half pints or even 4 oz jars...but the half pints ought to be a good size for most recipes. Freezing them makes a different consistency, but they are still ok for use in cooking. They are a little tougher when frozen.

 

[gobug]

Ancho chilis are used for rellenos. Sometimes, if picked green they are called pasilla, and ancho when the shoulders turn reddish. Then of course there are the jalalpeno chilis.

 

[tami]

Nan,
Do you roast the chilis before you can them? Thanks so much for the input. I am already dreaming of chilis, gardeners optimism.
Tami

 

[Nan]

You can do it either way....but I don't. My recipe said that you can roast them and peel them...OR...cut them up with the peeling still on. I think that the ones in the store have the peelings on them. If you freeze them you might want to remove the peel because they get a little tough after they have been frozen and then you use them in a recipe like chicken enchiladas or something. 5 pounds of pressure for 50 minutes/ pints, 60 minutes/ quarts. I got that from an older canning book and have done mine that way for years! Just seed them....cut them up...and pack them in the jar raw...then add a tsp/quart or half tsp/pt salt....and then fill the jar with boiling water and put your lids on and pressure them. Works great. If you do them at any greater pressure they turn to mush.....Hope you have a great time with them! They are sooooo much cheaper than storebought and a couple of plants will give you gobs! I like half pint jars or pints. The quarts of chillies would be toooo huge unless you feed an army!

 

[lauralee]

I can them after I roast, peel, seed, and chop them. Freezing is way easier if you have the space, roast them first, then pack into freezer bags just like they are. When it's time to use them, defrost, and the peel slips right off. Everybody I know around here makes chile rellenos with Anaheim chiles, any other chile is a sacrilege to me. Jalapenos make good "poppers", stuffed with cheese, coated and fried.