Sweet Pickled Peppers

This past weekend was a pretty nasty one if you lived in the Northeast. Freezing rain, sleet, snow, oh my! Yes, snow is a bit out of the ordinary in October around these parts, but it's not unusual to have a first frost in October where temperatures dip down below freezing.

If you keep a garden (container gardens count!), those chilly temperatures mean it's time to put the garden to bed, and bring in any plants that can't handle the cold, as well as harvest the vegetable garden's last fruits. All I had left in the raised veggie bed were a few peppers and eggplants, so they came in the evening before the inclimate weather arrived.
These small, rounded, red peppers are actually Mini Belle peppers, but their color and size remind me of spicy peppadew peppers. Don't think I've ever had a fresh pepadew pepper, but I absolutely adore the sweet and spicy pickled peppadew peppers you get at cheese shops and olive bars (I was getting them at Claudio's in the Italian Market, but Superfresh on Columbus Blvd. has them for almost half the price of Claudio's). Goat cheese-stuffed pickled peppadews are the perfect pop-in-your-mouth snack! Mini Belles aren't spicy like peppadews, but I decided to pickle them anyway, since all summer long I've been gazing at the 5-foot tall pepper plant dreaming of cute, red pickled peppers. Feel free to use any pepper you like — sweet or spicy.Sweet Pickled Peppers
makes 1 pint

8 ounces small peppers (or enough to fit in a pint jar)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
4 allspice seeds
4 whole cloves
8 peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon mustard seed

• Insert tip of a pairing knife into the top of the pepper, and working the knife around the top at an angle, cut out a cone. Using your fingers or some other small instrument (I used the handle of a spoon), scrape out the seeds. Wash cored peppers in water to remove any seeds stuck to the inside or outside of the peppers. Dry peppers.
  
• Put bay leaf, allspice, cloves, peppercorns, coriander, and mustard seed in the bottom of a sterilized mason jar. Fill jar with peppers, arranging them tightly without breaking the peppers.
• In a small saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Simmer until sugar has dissolved.
• While the syrup is still hot, pour the syrup into the jar, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace. Use a chopstick or some other slim instrument to run around the edges of the inside of the jar, jiggling a bit, to release any trapped air bubbles. There will be lots of trapped air bubbles if you are using whole peppers.
  
• Wipe the rim of the jar, and apply sterilized lid and ring. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water, and let cool on the counter for at least 2 hours. Check lids for a proper seal.