Canned jalapenos

[Johnvickl]

I can alot of my home grown whole jalapenossome from oct 2010 noticed a black stuff on the lids, what is this? I'd it safe?Thanks John

[CM]

Is that on the inside or the outside of the lid? If the jalapenos are pickled in vinegar and then processed in a boiling water bath for 10-15 minutes and the peppers themselves don't have an off odor, there is no fermentation going on in the jar (bubbles, foam, etc), if the seal is good (you should hear a "whoosh" or "pop" when you open the lid, but the contents shouldn't be forced out or spurt) and the peppers are not mushy or slimy in texture then they are probably OK. This is assuming that your peppers are vinegar peppers - if you canned them any other way, that would be a different question (please let us know).

If there is just a small amount of black stuff and you don't see mold then it's probably just a small amount of food residue on the lid that didn't get submersed in the vinegar - wash it off and refrigerate the peppers after opening. You sometimes see a small amount of residue on the inside of commercially canned pickled peppers; if yours is similar to that then let that be your judge.

On the other hand, if you have any of the problems described above or if your best judgement tells you the peppers aren't like what you'd expect, then toss them.