Pickled sweet piquanté peppers (peppadew) recipe
2009/04/12
Ingredients for about 2 litres of fresh peppers:
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup white (wine/malt/spirit) vinegar
- ready-mixed pickling spice (usually contains allspice, chilli, cinnamon stick. cloves, black peppercorns, coriander, mustard seeds, ginger, bay leaves, cardamom)
If you do not live in Africa you may want to consider some health and safety aspects, like using surgical gloves while handling the peppers. If you don’t you may experience some side effects after the cleaning operation – a burning sensation at the fingertips near the nails. Also keep your hands away from your eyes and other sensitive body parts (even after they were washed).
Cut off the stems and remove the seeds with a small spoon (this may take a while).
Sterilize jars and lids.
Pour boiling water over the peppers and let it stand for 10 minutes.
Drain well.
Mix all the ingredients and bring to the boil.
Add peppers to the boiling mixture and boil for 15 minutes.
Bottle while hot. Stir/poke with a spoon or skewer to ensure all trapped air escapes.
Wait about 2-3 weeks before enjoying.
Also have a look at the other peppadew recipes, the alternative pickle peppadew recipe and peppadew chutney.
To find out more about the origin of this unique pepper read the peppadew story.
If the pickling/preserving bug bites consider investing in a good book for ideas and in order to learn more about this way of preserving food.
Just Not That 
2010/04/02 at 12:20 pm
Bizarre….how is it that living in Africa protects one from the burning sensation?????????!!!!!!!!!
2010/04/06 at 6:22 pm
Haha, it was meant tongue-in-cheek.
2010/04/27 at 1:24 pm
Where did you get the peppers from? Can you use cherry peppers or does it have to be some special variety?
2010/05/06 at 8:08 am
Hi Fiona, I got seeds from a gardener who worked in another garden with peppadews. Not sure if you can buy seeds anywhere but I have seen posts of people using other pepper varieties with success. At wikipedia there is more information on peppadews – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppadew.
2015/02/06 at 3:10 pm
You can buy them in a vegetable shop. I have thousands of seed because when I grow them I do not get to bottling them and then just dry the pepperdews and keep the seeds. They grow very easily.
2015/07/16 at 1:22 am
Hi Frances. How can I buy or get some of the seeds from u. Been looking for a long time.
Lia.
My cellno 0784780674 if u could message me pls, pls, pls,.
Baie dankie…..
2010/05/09 at 10:12 pm
1st time for me, have a peppadew tree, want to make pickled peppadew.
2010/05/14 at 7:09 pm
It is really easy – not much that can go wrong. Your own pickled peppadews are just so much more special. Only thing to watch out for is that after working with the peppadews, even after washing your hands, be careful where you touch – it may burn.
2010/08/15 at 8:11 am
Hrmm that is weird, my remark got eaten. Anywho I wanted to express it’s nice to learn that someone else also highlighted this as I had a tough time searching out the same info elsewhere. This became the 1st place which helped me understand this. Thank you.
2010/09/18 at 4:10 pm
I have been looking for these seeds for 15 years and there are very few people who have them.
2011/02/07 at 6:40 pm
Can I freeze peppadews that is already ripe while I wait for the others to go red so I can prepare a proper batch?
2011/02/26 at 11:07 am
I have not tried freezing, but picked ripe peppadews and kept them in the fridge for about 2 weeks until more got ripe.
2011/02/21 at 3:47 pm
IS THE PEPPADEW A ANNUAL PLANT OR NOT ?
2011/02/26 at 11:13 am
Peppadews are perennial.
2011/02/27 at 4:55 pm
hi u ignorant people.that is offensive and not funny i live in africa and have a box of latex gloves lying aroud. if u need any let me know.
2011/02/28 at 5:41 pm
I have plenty seeds available, but the caretaking is intense, so they don’t come cheap. Offers? Include postage from South Africa.
2011/03/21 at 11:59 pm
I would like to buy some Peppadew seeds.
Thanks, Curtis
2011/05/03 at 11:29 am
I live in Africa. I purchased some peppadews at a market and then cut out some seeds and dried them. I planted them and now get enough peppadews to pickle, or use in cooking. The plants will grow wherever you can grow tomatoes, chilli, pumpkin. Our area is frost free but I know people who grow them in in tunnels or greenhouses. Peppadews are full of vitamins and capsicain which is a feel good component. I find it best to grow them in a pot. Like all chilli your hands will burn after handling peppadews. Buy latex rubber gloves at a medical equipment or safety equipment store. They are useful for a number of applications.
2011/05/04 at 11:55 am
Hi, I would like to know where i can buy piquante from, i want the actual fruit itself, is there any wholesalers that i can contact please let me know as soon as possible . Thank you
2011/05/16 at 9:21 am
Pepperdews grow easily from seed. Plants need to be covered tho as the birds love them!
2011/10/07 at 2:01 pm
Hi, How many peppadews for this recipe?
2011/10/08 at 1:35 pm
Two litres of peppadews. Does not have to be precise, just ensure there is enough syrup to cover the peppadews, so rather make too much syrup than too little.
2011/11/17 at 3:00 pm
Hi there I have been after buying some pepadew – sweet piquant pepper seeds if you can help me or signpost to someone that can sell me some please contact me on shonawalker@live.co.uk
2012/01/02 at 10:18 am
Please let me know how much pickle spice. Thank you.
2012/02/09 at 9:15 pm
Do not worry about exact measurements. Pickling spice is quite overpowering, so rather too little than too much.
2012/01/08 at 8:04 pm
If there is anybody looking for pepperdew seed, i’m selling R20/ 20 seeds (South African) post and packaging excluded.
Please click on link for currency converter – http://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html
email me on cahippy@gmail.com
2012/01/09 at 1:15 pm
Hi All
I have pepperdew seeds to sell, if interested, contact me cahippy@gmail.com
2012/02/16 at 11:19 am
I also have fresh Peppadew seeds for sale. R20.00 for approximately 30 seeds. Post &packaging ex. and also about R20.00
Contact me @ dries@sb.co.za
2012/02/20 at 10:10 pm
The recipe works great – thank you for sharing. What a load of bollocks about the seed. 2 litres of fruit = about a gazillion seeds. Send a self addressed (and paid) envelope to Box 15182 Beacon Bay 5205 SA and I will put some seeds in and post it back. No Guarantees – Fruit looks like peppadews but I am not sure – if not – they taste like them so it achieves my goal anyway. Home growers only.
2012/02/25 at 1:48 pm
I am looking for a recipe for pepperdew jelly recipe can anyone help
2012/02/27 at 9:07 pm
Good on you Bob! …and nuts to the self-styled “seed entrepreneurs” looking to make a quick buck off what’s pretty much freely available. R20 for 20-30 seeds – you cads! Do humanity a favour and get back under that piece of sod you crawled out from.
2012/03/01 at 10:09 pm
Dear Sirs
I search peppadew seeds 5 kg – I want produce in Macedonia
if is possible to find 5 kg. peppadew seeds
wait of your answer
Regards
Aleks Macedonia
0038970214037
2012/04/06 at 1:12 pm
Hi there all,
I live in Johannesburg, South Africa and have planted 8 small peppadew plants which I bought from my local garden centre in September last year. I have just preserved my first batch of beautiful red peppadews as per the above recipe and can’t wait to have a taste in 2-3weeks! I ahve added a few fresh red birds-eye chillies for extra oomph! The seeds have all been stored and dried and ready for Spring 2012! Happy preserving!
2012/07/08 at 12:06 pm
Aleks do you have an idea how many seeds in 5kg? Do you have the space to plant them in? This is millions of seed.
2013/01/16 at 7:18 pm
I got 3 small plants from a friend which produced 10 bottles of chutney and 8 bottles of pickled peppadews last year. I pruned the trees in August and this year the same 3 trees is producing so much fruit that we have to give half of it away and will still make more chutney and pickles than last year. One do not need more than 3 or 4 plants for your own consumption.
2013/02/22 at 1:06 pm
I have peppadew plants for sale
2015/08/31 at 6:37 pm
Do you still have peppadew plants for sale?
2013/03/17 at 11:14 am
How many or what weight of peppadews for this recipe
2013/04/24 at 9:53 pm
Would ike to know can you freez fresh pepperdew’s ?and how long.Have 20kg
2013/04/27 at 6:51 pm
I wish people would not try to rip-off others. Peppadews are easy to grow from seed and the bushes produce plenty of fruit. Please do not buy so few seeds at such an absurd price! Fellow South Africans, you are perpetuating our image as a nation of crooks and criminals. Offer a fair quantity of seeds for free or for a fair price if you must charge.
2013/06/13 at 4:45 pm
Amazing recipe! Thank you!
2014/04/01 at 4:52 pm
I’m in South Africa until this coming Monday (7 Apr) and have only just discovered that the peppadew peppers I’ve fallen in love with in my time here are difficult to impossible to find seeds for overseas. I’m in the southern suburbs in Cape Town — is there anyone nearby with some seeds who’d be willing to give me some to grow in my garden? I’ll come by and pick them up. I don’t think there’s enough time before I leave to get them mailed out!
Please email me if you can help me out: wendy.waring@gmail.com
2015/01/01 at 5:09 am
I have a reasonably large supply of seeds available for home growers. I should say about 20 kg.
2015/07/16 at 1:31 am
Hi Colyn. I am in Gauteng, East Rand, I would like to buy some seeds or plants from u. Can u email me pls
Lia.
ladylia217@gmail.com
2016/05/19 at 10:21 pm
Lia
Concerning the seeds. I was injured and I have been convalescing for a long time. If you want seeds come and fetch. I am going to take out my plants. I have a lot of seeds and fruit. Contact me on 079 5925566.
2015/02/06 at 3:25 pm
Does anyone have the Yellow Pepperdew seeds? I have grown the red ones in containers and they have grown the height of the door, having a large bird enclosure to grow up against. Now I have scattered some seeds in the ground and the fruit is larger. Very easy to grow. Birds may nibble a few. I freeze all different peppers minus the seeds and think you can do the same with pepperdews. I did not parboil them. Each pepperdew has more than 30 to 50 seeds in them so to buy one pepperdew for R20 ?????
2015/07/16 at 1:35 am
Hi Francis. Kontak my asb. Ek soek planjies of sade. Sal koop natuurlik.
Dankie Lia.
0784780674 of epos.
ladylia217@gmail.com
2015/03/09 at 6:17 pm
Please can anybody give me some advice regarding green peppadews? My neighbour picked them all while they were green and has given me a packet full. Can I just pickle them as one would for ripe ones? or is there some ‘treament’ required first?
2015/08/31 at 6:44 pm
I am looking to buy seeds or plants please.