Torshi Felfel / Pickled Sweet Peppers

Rinse the sweet peppers and cut off the stems. The peppers can be either sliced of cut into large pieces or, if small, left whole. If slicing or cutting them, discard the cores and seeds. If leaving them whole, make small holes all over to allow the pickling solution to penetrate to their hollow centers and bathe them entirely. Pack tightly in a large glass jar, with a chili pepper pod buried in the middle if you like. Cover with the salt, water, and vinegar solution, mixed in a china or glass container, and make sure that no air is left trapped inside the peppers or between the layers. Seal the jar tightly with a glass top if possible, and store in a warm place for about 2 weeks. By this time the peppers will be soft and mellow. Do not keep this pickle longer than 2 months, unless stored under refrigeration. A middle eastern recipe for sweet peppers, but should work equally well with hot ones. I think I would increase the vinegar to 50%, this is probably an old recipe that used the stronger vinegars that were common then. It also suggests eventually refrigerating it, although if you make only small amounts and use regularly this won't be a problem. You could also increase the vinegar to 100% and probably be fine also. No need to worry about botulism with pickles, just them tasting bad.