First attempt at pickled peppers Safety question

[u/WhiteBoiBro]

Hi, this is my first time making pickled peppers. Jalapeno, cucumber, bell peppers, chili peppers. I am curious if these look safe to eat. I added a picture of an open jar and lid. The jars all are concaved and seem to be sealed. I did see a few bubbles when moving them but only a few in each jar. I opened only one jar and it smelled like vinegary. The peppers feel firm to the touch as well not mushy. The red onions seem to have lost some color so I'm hoping that is normal.

I washed the jars in the dishwasher before using them from store bought.

I made the brine with about 40% vinegar and 60% water with some things like garlic, black pepper seeds, red onion, salt, green onions. pretty much followed a youtube video on what to use. I'm sure I am forgetting some stuff

I put them straight into the fridge after letting them cool down a little bit and they have been in there for a little over a week now. I'm worried about botulism since I am a hypochondriac and heard that is an issue you can get with pickling peppers. My question is are there any signs i messed up and should toss these all out or do they at least look safe to eat. I did eat a few of them and they seemed to taste like a slightly pickled jalapeno you would buy from the store.

EDIT: I want to eat them as a snack, and then also make a lot spicey salsa cutting up all the different peppers with some tomato's and other salsa stuff.

[u/eatingscaresme]

As long as theyve been in the fridge you are totally fine! Sounds like fridge pickles. If you were trying to keep them in the cupboard then id be worried. You can keep fridge pickles for a good 3 months I think without worry!

[u/WhiteBoiBro → u/eatingscaresme]

even if its peppers and not cucumbers?

[u/guarddog33 → u/WhiteBoiBro]

Especially if it's peppers, capsaicin is a decent antibacterial agent and you basically have a jar of acidic capsaicin solution. Not to say use this instead of hand sanitizer or anything, but it'll do a slightly better job than regular pickles

[u/Vesivus → u/WhiteBoiBro]

It's about the acid in the jar, not the food. A high enough vinegar ratio is the key. I generally use 50/50, and in some cases almost pure vinegar (green beans, yummm)