Classic pepperoncini are a great way to utilize a fall bounty of small, sweet peppers.

My Gypsy pepper plant was producing so much fruit that this seemed like a good use for them, but it turns out that it might be the best use. Otherwise a little bland for a pepper, Gypsies are thin-skinned, not spicy and on the small side, or perfect for pickling whole. Use these classic pepperoncini in salads, on pizza, on sandwiches or with cured meats.

Other varieties of pepper that will work well for pepperoncini are Paisan, guindilla (spicy, but makes a beautiful whole pickled pepper), Hungarian wax, Carmen and banana peppers. Any unripe, green and thin-skinned pepper will serve here.

makes 1 pint

enough small, green or yellow sweet peppers to fill a pint jar

1 1/4 cups distilled, white or apple cider vinegar

4 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp fennel seed

1-2 bay leaves

1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Cut a small slit into each pepper, then twist the knife slightly to enlarge the hole. This will allow the pickling liquid to soak into the cavity of the pepper. Pack the peppers into a clean glass pint jar. There should be enough peppers to overflow the jar a bit and need to be compressed a little, as they'll soak up a lot of the pickling liquid.

Bring the vinegar, salt, fennel, bay and garlic and 1/4 cup water to a rapid boil. Pour this over the peppers. Allow them to sit for a minute. Air bubbles will indicate that the peppers are filling with the vinegar. Add more pickling liquid as needed to come to the top of the jar (there ay be some left over). Place a lid on the jar and seal tightly, then turn the jar upside down, which will help the soaking process. Let sit for an hour, then turn right-side up and refrigerate for at least a day before using. These will keep for up to a year in the refrigerator. Be advised, these peppers-for reasons known only to the peppers-love to shoot hot pepper brine everywhere at great velocity when bitten or sliced.