I love pepperoncinis. They were not to be found in Mexico. After months aboard, I thought maybe we could make our own.

I made two jars before our passage, pickled peppers and red onions with garlic for flavor. We liked these so much I just made another batch here in Hawaii. I can't even tell you the type of peppers I've bought, but they are yellow-green and sweeter with just a little spice but very mild.

I found the following recipes online. I made the sweet, haven't tried the sour yet and made a much smaller batch, made 1/3 of the original recipe. My math might have been off, so I'll let you do your own.

Sweet Pickle

• 3 cups vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tblsp + 1 tsp salt

Sour Pickle

• 3 cups vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 2 tblsp + 2 tsp salt
• 2 tblsp sugar

Boil vinegar and water, stir in salt and sugar until dissolved.

Simmer for 2 minutes then remove from heat.

Pour over your jar of cut up veggies. We used our empty peanut butter jar and a mason jar from one of our previous farmer's market purchases.

Since these are not canned they should be refrigerated, but we live dangerously on the Crazy Love and they lasted on the shelf a couple weeks.

We ate these in everything from eggs to on top of our hot dogs. Before our last passage, across the channel to Kauai I put them in a Mediterranean pasta salad. I used to make this often when we'd do weekend trips to Mission Bay.

The original basis for this combination came from a food network recipe. I've simplified it quite a bit. I love it because its a vinegar and oil based pasta salad and keeps better than anything with mayo.

Medditerranean Pasta Salad

• 1/2 package of pasta, boiled, drained and cooled
• pepperoni, chopped, about 1/4 cup
• 1 package feta cheese
• 1 small can olives, sliced and drained
• pepperoncini peppers
• 3-4 tblsp balsamic vinegar
• 3-4 tblsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Combine everything in a bowl or tupperware.

I've also added a can of chicken, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, you get the idea... whatever you have on the boat.