Pepper project

Andy's parents brought up bushels -- literally! -- of produce from a farm in Florida.  The overwhelming majority of this produce was peppers.  Very hot peppers.  Hundreds and hundreds of Scotch bonnets, habaneros, and other assorted, blistering peppers.  We were faced with a dilemma.  What does one do with a lifetime supply of peppers, all mere days away from shriveling up and rotting?  We decided to make pepper relish.  Having never done this before we kind of winged it, so I can't really provide a recipe.  I can tell you we diced many peppers (note to self: next time wear gloves), some onions, used plenty of vinegar and plenty of sugar.  Well, the result was pretty damn good!  

Soon it became clear that we were facing another dilemma.  How do you use somewhere near a gallon of pepper relish before it goes bad?  There were only two options: start eating pepper relish for every meal or figure out some way to preserve it.  So we purchased canning supplies and followed the directions very closely (kind of a delicate process, actually).  We anxiously awaited the "pop" that tells you the vacuum seal has formed.  The minutes felt like hours, but finally every last jar popped.  We breathed a sigh of relief.  Waste not, want not.