Description

The pickling legend of the Mediterranean. Greek Pepperoncini (Capsicum annuum) delivers a lively, tangy snap with gentle heat in the 100 to 500 Scoville range, bright and grassy with a hint of sweetness. This is the classic pepper tucked into Greek salads and antipasti, a variety prized for crunch, flavor, and versatility.

Plants are compact and productive, typically 2 to 3 feet tall with a well-branched habit that loads every node with blossoms and fruit. Glossy green foliage frames clusters of slender, lightly wrinkled pods that average 2 to 3.5 inches, often slightly curved with a tapered tip. They mature from green to yellow-gold, then to orange-red if left to fully ripen, and their thin to medium walls keep an excellent bite when pickled.

Bite into one and the heat is friendly, a quick prickle that yields to briny, citrus-bright notes and mild sweetness. In the kitchen, these shine in jars of vinegar brine, giardiniera, and oil-packed meze. They add pop to sandwiches and pizzas, enliven charcuterie boards, and bring a gentle spark to relishes, salsas, and sautéed dishes without overwhelming the palate.

Rooted in Greek market gardens and coastal cuisine, Pepperoncini has long been a staple for home picklers who value reliability and heavy yields. For seed saving, select the earliest, truest-to-type plants with strong vigor and abundant set. Allow pods to fully redden on the plant, harvest and dry briefly, then split and rub out the seeds. Screen or winnow to clean, store cool and dry in airtight jars, and label by season. With proper storage, viability commonly holds 2 to 3 years. Keep isolation from other C. annuum types by 300 feet or more, or use bagging and hand pollination for purity.

This is the Pepperoncini that earns pantry space year after year, dependable, prolific, and tailored for the jar as much as the plate.