BANANA PEPPER RINGS

I think I have loved pickled banana pepper rings since I was a baby! I stopped buying them as an adult once I learned about the potential hazards of government-approved artificial food dyes and preservatives. My son surprised me with a jar of his homegrown peppers which he pickled using the following recipe. They are fantastic and the recipe is simple!

You can find the recipe at “Bless This Mess” blog: QUICK AND EASY REFRIGERATOR PICKLED BANANA PEPPERS. The recipe says to wait 2 days before eating but I waited a month.

If you are currently buying banana pepper rings, be sure to read the label in case they contain ingredients you want to avoid. According to Fooducate.

-VLASIC Deli Style Banana Pepper Rings, Mild: peppers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, contains 2% or less of: phosphoric acid, calcium chloride, preservatives (sodium benzoate, sodium metabisulfite), natural flavor, yellow 5, polysorbate 80

-MT. OLIVE Mild Banana Pepper Rings: Banana Peppers, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Calcium Chloride, 0.1% Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Polysorbate 80, Sodium Bisulfite (Preservative), and Turmeric.

-MEZZETTA Pepper Rings, Deli-Sliced, Mild: Banana Peppers, Water, Salt, Distilled Vinegar, Calcium Chloride, Natural Flavors, Yellow No. 5, Sodium Bisulfite (Added as a Color Stabilizer), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Potassium Sorbate (Prese

Here are a brief educational article about food colorings.

This 4 minute video by Dr. Michael Greger about who gets to determine the safety of food additives is definitely worth watching.

If you want to know more about the politics of the food industry, read "Food Politics" by Marion Nestle, a Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health and Professor of Sociology at New York University.