Looking for good mail order pepperoncini...

[Goldendog]

I have been a pickled food addict since eating a hundred or so jars of my grandmothers homemade Polish pickles one summer about 50 years ago. To this day I can't get enough pickled meats, any kind of vegetable, olives, and in particular, pepperoncini. (My blood pressure will attest to my mania )

My problem--as a kid and through my teens my favorite pepper was an Italian pepperoncini sold by the Trappey Co. Unlike the much more common Greek type they were a very dark emerald green color and tender, hardly ever a thick walled one that crunched. The Greek style are often quite hot by comparison. Then, sadly, the Trappey's brand disappeared from mid-Michigan.

A few years later I found Trappey's at a little spice shop in Detroit. They didn't carry the Italian pepperoncini but had one called Dulcitos. Lighter green but still very tender with little heat. Then poof- Trappey's discontinued Dulcitos. I then found a brand of peppers called Lombardi's at International Market in Las Vegas. Same story--after stocking up on my trips each spring the company stopped selling them.

Mazetta's sold their "Tuscan" peppers which were identical to my original Trappey's...Great sour/salty peppers with little heat. I would mail order them by the case. Now those are gone.

I like the Mt. Olive pepperoncini but can't find a place to order them by mail and they don't sell the brand this far north. Any brands here are crisp and have a burn to them. If you know the type of pepper I'm looking for and can stear me to a place that still stocks them with mail order service I'd appreciate it!!
Thanks

[Shtumagoo]

Hello Goldendog. I too have fond memories of great peppers that I can't find now, although my favorite had a sharp vinegar zing too them. They also were dark green an from Italy. What I remember s that they were made by Red Pelican. But at this point I'd probably settle for a similar product. Can't imagine why they disappeared. Shtumagoo

[DoobieWah]

Not for nothing, (what does that even mean?), but I found a pepperoncini plant at my local plant nursery a few years ago and grew my own. They were the dark green ones you are talking about.

They were delicious, and while I didn't "can" them, I did "pickle" a bunch of them in a brine and vinegar that worked really well.

tl;dr version: Grow your own.

[Kelli2006]

That is the option that I was planning to suggest. I just received my seeds from Pepper Joes and the seeds are now in starter pots and will likely be able to be transferred in 2 weeks.

Ive grown them in the past and the plants are very prolific so 1 package of seeds should be plenty.

[cachinnator]

I emailed Mezzetta about the dark peperoncini and received this reply:

"Thank you for your email regarding our Mezzetta Brand Tuscan Peperoncini. Unfortunately this item is discontinued and no longer available and there are no plans at this time to bring them back. Our supplier that we used for many years stopped producing them due to a decline in demand. We tried several suppliers who were not able to mee the quality standards that we have set."

[maranav]

I have been scouring the internet for a place to purchase the dark green Tuscan pepperoncinis also. Mazetta's did used to carry them because I bought them by the case on line. I cannot find a website anywhere that carries this type of pepperoncini. If anyone finds any information regarding this type of pepperoncini please let me know. I would cases of them.

Thanks.

[mikeav8r]

I too have been searching for dark green pepperoncini for years. I got the same response from Mazzetta as cachinnator. Somewhere someone suggested cybercucina.com I tried their Tuscan peppers (Paesana brand “baby pepperoncini) but no joy – they are the same light green crisp, slightly hot things everyone else has. I have, as a desperate measure, planted some pepperoncini, but I have no experience pickling other than one (fair) batch of gardinaria. PLEASE, if anybody spots those lovely, dark green beauties. Let us know!

[fourunder]

http://www.victoriapacking.com/pepcin...

[mikeav8r]

Sorry, the point was that I am searching for the dark green (Tuscan?) pepperoncini not the golden Greek pepperoncini, which is all that I saw on the site you list.

[fourunder]

oops....

[kkfrnee]

Any luck finding the dark pepperoncini? I've been on a similar mission to find them for years.

[smtucker]

Try this market in the North End of Boston. Everything I have ever bought from this has been wonderful. As a small family run business, if they don't have what you want, they will do their best to help you out. I shop at the store in person, but I have heard from friends that the mail order is equally good.

http://www.salumeriaitaliana.com/inde...

[scottysfiat]

PLEASE.......Have you found a place to order yet? I have been working on this same issue for EVER!! Mazetta's supplied a Italian Pepperoncini for years but stopped importing them 3 years ago. Hard to believe such a great product can not be found! I'll bet there is some guy in Italy selling these peppers for next to nothing and has no idea WE are willing to pay big bucks for the pleasure of eating them.

[Painter2Chef]

Any luck? These are the peppers I also remember, love and have been searching for for years. Great memories of pepper sandwiches that cannot be duplicated by the Greek variety.

Painter2Chef