Pickled Peppers or Chiles

2 1/2 pounds hot chiles or bell peppers
1 quart vinegar
1 quart water
olive oil

Wash the peppers or chilies thoroughly. Cut around the stem of each large pepper and pull out the stem with attached core and seeds. Leave the peppers whole of cut them into sections or strips, as desired. Hot chilies may be stemmed and seeded, of left whole with stems intact.

Make two small slits in whole peppers or chilies. Mix the vinegar and water; heat to a simmer - 150 F to 160 F. The vinegar should NOT be allowed to boil. Add 1/2 t. per pint salt. Pack the peppers of chilies rather tightly into jars.

Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the peppers to within 1/2 inch of the jar rims. Or, if you wish to add olive oil, pour the vinegar to within 3/4 inch of the rim and pour oil to within 1/2 inch of the rims. The peppers or chilies will be coated with oil when they pass through the oil layer as you use them. Cover jars and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.