First of all, Carlk is telling it straight, these peppers are canned at home and in regular oil, the cheapest vegetable oil you can find, using traditional home canning methods. He's not lying when he says that in old Italian neighborhoods, every house with "older" people has these peppers. Make a roast and a sandwich with these peppers and you'll know exactly why they all have them. Old Italian women seem to have, in my experience, a habit of never really showing how something is made, like it's their legacy, like, "those peppers Eva used to make unbelievable". I've been on the same quest to duplicate the Italian Frying Peppers my grandma used to have. I've searched for 20 years to come up with the recipe. Branco's peppers are sort of okay, but are basically crap compared to homemade one. Barnco's used to use good oil and now they got cheap, they use preservatives and they leave the seeds in, which most people don't like. They also get bad REALLY fast once opened. I've talked to many people, people have made attempts to make these things and nobody comes close. The peppers are cubanelle peppers and they are very mild, just like a green pepper. Many people who can't digest green peppers substitute cubanelles because the skin is easier to digest. One thing you notice right away with Italian frying peppers is that they have a little "bite", not spicy, but kind of hot. This is strange since it's a mild pepper. I've been told that nothing is added to make them hot. In most people's attempts, the peppers stay yellowish, with few red ones in each jar, but the oil looks orange. Almost too orange to have turned orange from so few red skinned peppers in the jar. Most people's attempts yield peppers that are too stiff, unlike the "family made" ones. Someone told me that if you freeze the peppers first and then thaw them when you can them, they will soften. I'll actually be glad to give anyone $100 that can give me a recipe that works and I'm not joking one bit. The old Italian women take their recipes and pratices to grave. My grandma used to make a thing called a falalone, I've yet to ever find anyone that even knows what I mean. I've posted a picture of one of the last 2 jars I have left. I've been told they'll stay good for 2 years or so. There's a link to the pic below. You can contact me at mike AT mjsawyer DOT net http://bit.ly/uhOrmY And having worked in Bellevue for 5 years and selling Internet to about half the population there, I'm kind of curious who CarlK is if he's from there??? And Branco's peppers are a far cry from homemade ones! I'd also like to know how they take a mild pepper and make them hot. The "mild" versions of Italian frying peppers even have bite. This is Branco's business listing on Yahoo - http://local.yahoo.com/info-33246360-branco-s-gourmet-italian-fremont I haven't made it through the entire Internet yet, but I've been using the following search phrase: +recipe +canned +"Italian frying peppers" -stuffed

You may not be aware that Lumbricus rubellus is invasive and is threatening North American Forests. Quoting from: Invasive EarthwormsA Threat to North American Forests Plants & Gardens News : Volume 19, Number 1 : Spring 2004 by Niall Dunne http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/essays/2004su_worms.html "In 2002, Michael Gundale of Michigan Technological University published a report detailing how the epigeic bait and compost worm Lumbricus rubellus may be wiping out populations of the rare goblin fern, Botrychium mormo, and possibly other rare native plants too, in the Chippewa National Forest. Gundale credits the epigeic worm's destruction of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil as a reason for the goblin fern's decline. "John C. Maerz and colleagues from Cornell University have found strong evidence linking salamander decline in the hardwood forests of central New York and southeastern Pennsylvania to invasions by L. rubellus and Asian Amynthas species, among others. ..." "... With invasive earthworms wriggling amok in our forest soils, gardeners who use worms to decompose kitchen scraps and plant waste may want to take a closer look at what theyve got growing in their compost piles. Some of the traits that make worms ideal for vermicompostingsuch as high reproductive rate and adaptabilitymay also make them potentially successful invaders. "The worm predominantly sold for composting is the red wiggler or red tiger worm, Eisenia fetida. It has a rusty brown color with alternating yellow and maroon bands down the length of its body; a pigmentless membrane separates each segment. It grows up to three inches long and is highly prolific. Though the worm has established itself in the wild here, so far it has not been identified as a problem species. "Another popular compost species, the red worm, Lumbricus rubellus, is causing trouble, however, and should be avoided. It also grows up to three inches long and has a history of being confused with E. fetida. This worm is dark red to maroon, has a light yellow underside, and lacks striping between segments. "In The Earth Moved (Algonquin Books, 2004), a wonderful new book on earthworms by Amy Stewart, forest ecologist Cindy Hale advises worm composters to freeze their castings in air-tight bags for a least a week before adding them to garden soil, no matter what worms species they use. "It won't hurt the soil microbes, but it will kill all the worms."

I bought one at sams club. DELONGHI AMERICA INC DEEP FRYER STAINLESS STEEL Price: $58.46 It has a Magnetic plug, removable heating element, lid with filter, removable bin, and it is all stainless. The heating element heats to 445 degrees F. Here is a link that might be useful: deep fryer stainless

Here's a strong vote for a good pressure cooker. I wouldn't want to have a kitchen without one. It does some things in about a third or less time than conventional cooking. Steamed artichokes in 15 minutes instead of an hour. Osso buco in under an hour. Pot roasts. Curry in fifteen minutes instead of all day. Corned beef & cabbage in about an hour. I DO have a big ol' pressure canner, the All American 930 that can process a whopping 14 quart jars at once. I honestly don't use it that often--just a few times a year--but when I do use it I make several months' worth of great chicken broth, canning it for future use. I'm into simplifying stuff these days, and I'm finding I just don't use it as much as I used to--and if I don't use it much more I may end up putting it on eBay. While it can be used as a pressure cooker, unless you're cooking for fifty it isn't practical (it's HUGE). I also have a couple of pressure cookers, my favorite being the 6 qt Kuhn Rikon stockpot. (If I were to do it again, I'd go for the 8 qt model.) KR is somewhat pricey but very good quality. You can find them online at a (slight) discount. If you don't have a good pressure cooker, that's the next toy I'd most recommend, no question. Having used a bunch, here's what I'd recommend: The 8 qt Kuhn Rikon stockpot (see link) If you're watching the $$$ and just want to try out pressure cooking, Fagor makes a set in their 'Splendid' line which consists of a 8 qt stockpot, a 4 qt saute pan and a pressure lid which fits them both. That actually was my favorite setup until it got 'borrowed' and never returned. That set is available for around $100-120 (although a few weeks ago it was available for $94 from Amazon with free shipping). They also make a set with a 6 qt and 4 qt pots as well. I recommend going with the set with the bigger 8 qt model if you have the storage space for it. KR also makes a 5 qt brasier which a friend of mine has and loves. BTW, some PC brands make a big thing about having two different pressure settings (the Fagor Duo line, for example). IMHO that's not really a big deal; 99% of the time you use a PC you'll be using the high setting. For info on PC's you may wish to look at missvickie.com, read her cookbook, or any of Lorna Sass's pressure cooking cookbooks. Here is a link that might be useful: KR stockpot