Ancho
/Poblano Medium hot. Widely used for making chile rellenos and for mole. Known as ‘Poblano’
when fresh, ‘Ancho’ when dried. Large, heart-shaped, dark green fruits
ripening to deep red. Hotter when red.
Black
Prince Hot. Compact, purple-leafed pepper. 1.5" pointed fruits;
Tabasco shaped pods. Ripens from green to brown to red.
Cayenne,
Carolina Very hot. Green maturing to red cayenne type pepper.
Developed jointly by Clemson University and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. Pods are blunt ended and reach 5 inches in length. Very hot and
rated from 80,000 to 100,000 Scoville Heat Units. Plants grow to 24 inches.
Cayenne, Long Red Slim Very
hot. Pencil-thin, long, pointed peppers. Dries well.
Charleston Hot Very
hot. Developed by the USDA at Clemson University in SC to produce a disease
and nematode resistant and super hot cayenne chile. The long pods have twice the heat of a
typical Cayenne and about one third the heat of a habañero. The pods change
color from the very palest green (with some purple smudges) to dozens of
shades of orange. This variety is a heavy feeder.
Chiltepin
Very hot. Ranked among the top 3 hottest peppers on the market, although
some rate it even higher on the heat scale. Don't be fooled by the unassuming
size of these pea-like, 1/2" fruits — they pack a wallop! Prolific, 8
to 10" bushes produce extremely hot fruits whose small size is very
versatile in recipes.
Chinese
5-Color Very hot. 1 – 1¼" long by
0.5 – 0.75" wide; matures from purple to cream to yellow to orange to
red; upright blunt-nosed pods; a tall ornamental from China.
Cobanero Love Very hot. Bright red, heart-shaped fruit about ½"
long. One of the world's hottest peppers. Originally grown by the Mayans.
Czechoslovakian
Black Med hot. Great combination of flavor, heat and color. Highly
ornamental green foliage accented by purple veins and white-streaked lavender
flowers. Blunt, conical fruits ripen from black to red.
Datil Very hot. Related to
habañero. Has been grown for 300 years in St. Augustine, Florida. Ripens to a
bright golden yellow. Used in sauces and jellies. Generally not available to
home gardeners, except for at Pete’s!
de Arbol
Medium to very hot.
Name means "tree-like chile." Mark Miller says "Thin fleshed;
has a tannic, smoky, and grassy flavor, and a searing, acidic heat on the tip
of the tongue. Primarily used in powdered form to make sauces. Also used in
soups and stews."
Greek Golden
Pepperoncini Mild. This flavorful golden pepper is the classic garnish for
deli sandwiches, salads and pizza. Usually picked and pickled in the yellow
stage, it holds its color and flavor well when processed. A very productive
variety.
Gypsy Sweet. Early
sweet yellow pepper. Fruits are wedge-shaped and abundant. Medium sized plants
that continuously fruit. Produces well in cool and hot regions.
Habañero
Very hot. One of the hottest peppers. Lantern-shaped bright yellow-orange
fruit. Wonderfully aromatic with fruit flavor.
Habañero,
Caribbean Red Very hot. One of the hottest peppers. Similar to other
habañeros, but ripens to a brilliant red.
Habañero,
Chocolate Very hot. One of the hottest peppers. Similar to other
habañeros, but ripens to a chocolate brown.
Habañero,
Very hot. White Small bushy plants yield loads of these 1"-2"
creamy-white, top-shaped fruit. This Caribbean variety is a favorite for its
smoky taste and extreme heat. Ornamental and unique.
Jalapeño,
Early Hot. Jalapeño flavor, but bears earlier—60–65 days, as opposed
to about 90.
Ignite
Hot. A dwarf ornamental with small dark green glossy leaves and miniature
peppers that ripen from yellow to a radiant red. A wonderfully dramatic
appearance.
Jack
Pot We have no idea...we'll have to grow them to find out!
Kung
Pao Very Hot. Long, skinny red pepper similar in appearance to the
cayenne. Excellent mildly hot flavor often used in Thai and other Southeast
Asian cuisines. Fruits are very long, to 6-9", dark red in color, with
thin walls. Plants are fast-growing and vigorous.
Lemon Drop Very
Hot. Citrus-flavored heirloom pepper is a popular seasoning in Peru, its
country of origin. Bright yellow, crinkled, cone-shaped fruits are about 2-½" long and
½" wide, with very few seeds. Dense plants grow to
about 2 ft. high and wide, and are covered with neon-bright fruits.
NuMex
Bailey Piquin Hot. Chile piquins grow wild in parts of Mexico,
Guatemala and southern Arizona and Texas, where birds eat them and spread the
seeds. Unlike like most of the modern pepper types, chile piquins fall off
the plant when ripe. 'NuMex Bailey Piquin' was developed at New Mexico State
University as the first machine harvestable piquin.
Pasilla
Bajio Mild-Sweet-Hot. Fruit is dark green, turning brown as it ripens.
This pepper is used in Mexican “mole” sauces; tasty.
Peter
Pepper Moderately hot. An ornery old heirloom, grown as much to shock the
prudish as for its culinary value! Pods are 4 to 6" long, blunt ended,
and mature to a deep red — excellent for chili powder.
Peter's
Purple Moderately hot. Small, bullet-shaped upward-pointing
purple-black peppers ripen to orange, then red; deep purple-green foliage.
Prik-E-Gnu
Very hot. One of the most popular chili varieties
in Thailand. Grows exceptionally well in pots and produces an almost never
ending supply of tiny fiery hot chilies that are easily dried. The more you
pick, the more they produce. The pods grow pointing up and the plant is very
colorful, with all colors showing at the same time.
Purple
Mayan Hot. This ornamental plant has dark purple leaves, flowers and
fruit. The small cone- shaped peppers ripen to a brilliant red.
Rocoto
Corazon de Quetzalcoatl Very hot. Rare yellow-colored South American
pepper with juicy very hot fruit which makes delicious salsa.
Royal
Black Hot. Very ornamental. The foliage and stems are dark-purple,
almost black with an occasional variegated growing tip of green, purple, and
creamy white. The undersides of the leaves are green with purple veins. The
bullet-shaped red fruits are ½" wide x 1-¼" long, and borne upright
on 3 foot well-branched plants. Ripens from purple to red with purple-black
stripes.
Scotch
Bonnet (yellow) Very hot. A type of habañero,
considered the hottest pepper in the world. Words such as 'blistering' and
'incendiary' are used to describe it. The Scotch Bonnet is sweeter and a
little less hot than other habañeros,
but still extremely hot. The flavor is citrusy and fruity. Great for salsa.
Serrano Very hot. In
Mexico, one of the primary sauce and pickling peppers. Shaped like a smaller
jalapeño, with thin walls, and ripens from dark green to red. Distinctive
flavor. Slightly hairy leaves that droop at night.
Tabasco
Very hot. Native to the Tabasco state in Mexico, this pepper is famous for
its use in the sauce bearing its name. The small, thin peppers are also quite
ornamental as they ripen from yellow to orange to bright red.
Tobago Hot. Very flavorful.
Hot, smoky, citrus flavor—more than habañero! Very productive.
Trinidad Hot. Ripens to
orange/yellow. Pendant, slightly folded fruits, sweet and fruity taste.
Yatsafusa
Very hot. From Japan. Long multi-branched plant with tight clusters of
long, thin, erect fruits that ripen from light green to dark red. Leave fruit
on stems, harvest after pods dry (remove leaves and hang by branch). Can also
be grown as indoor house plant.
Yellow
Hungarian Wax Medium hot. Long, banana-shaped peppers, 6 – 7" long x
1-½" at the shoulder. 'Hungarian Wax' is a very reliable and productive
variety adapted to the cool north as well as the deep south. Use fresh,
canned, or pickled.
Ace
Bell. Extra-early and highly
productive. Amazing yields of medium-sized, 3 to 4-lobed, green bell peppers.
Has apparent resistance to blossom drop even in adverse weather. Nearly every
flower produces a pepper. Glossy green fruits turn red early.
Aji
Dulce Mild heat. Looks and tastes like an
habañero, but with only a trace of the heat. Ripens to red.
Anaheim
Mild. Produces good yields
of 7" x 1" wide hot peppers. Ripens from green to red. Excellent
fresh, pickled, or fried. Not as hot as the other Anaheim varieties.
Anaheim
NuMex Joe E.
Parker Mild heat. Extremely productive,
traditional Anaheim type. Uniform, 6-8" x 2", 2-lobed fruits ripen
from bright green to mahogany to red, but are mostly used green. Favorite for
chile rellenos and enchiladas, grilled, and roasted for stews and sauces. The
flesh is thick and crisp with a delicious mild heat and richly satisfying
chile flavor. Medium-tall plant.
Aruba
Sweet. A cubanelle-type pepper
producing unique, elongated, 3 to 4-lobed fruits up to 10" long, with a
distinctive flavor that is mildly sweet and fruity but with a hint of heat.
Perfect for salads and stir-fries. Peppers ripen from lime-green to orange to
red to chocolate. A vigorous yielder.
California Wonder
Bell.
Good all-purpose bell pepper. Productive and disease resistant. Starts green,
ripens red. A favorite since its release in 1928.
Chilly
Chili Sweet. 2002 AAS Winner produces tapered, 2" long peppers that
change from greenish-yellow to orange to red in a continual display set off by
lush and attractive foliage. The heat has been bred out of these so they are
safe to have around kids and animals.
Hungarian
Paprika
Sweet. This strain has excellent color and a sweet, spicy flavor. Compact
plants produce an abundance of peppers averaging 1 x 5". The fruit does
show some susceptibility to sunscald and blossom-end rot, but is otherwise an
excellent variety. The sweet, very dry flesh is ideal for drying. Grind dried
fruits for a superb paprika seasoning.
Italia
Sweet. Similar to Corno di Toro. Long, tapered fruits ripen from green to dark
crimson. Wonderful sweet taste. Great in pasta sauces or stir fries.
Italian
Gourmet Sweet. Heirloom Italian pepper with flavor plus F1 hybrid vigor. Sweet and spicy dark
green fruits with thin skin.
Jimmy
Nardello's Sweet Heirloom
pepper. Long, 8–10", thin peppers with a tapered shape. Red when ripe
with shiny, wrinkled skin. Considered the sweetest non-bell pepper.
Marconi
Purple Sweet. A lovely, purple version of the Red Marconi. These elongated
fruit can grow 10" long and turn red at full maturity. An exciting new
twist on this old Italian heirloom. Mild, sweet flavor.
Medusa
Sweet to mildly hot. Narrow, twisted, snake-like peppers named for
Medusa's mythological hair! Compact, well-branched plants produce huge yields
of 2 to 2-1/2" pointed peppers held prominently upright over dark green
foliage. Very productive; fruits ripen from ivory to yellow, orange and bright
red.
Melrose
Sweet A wonderful heirloom frying pepper, brought from Italy years ago.
The 4" fruit turn brilliant-red and start producing very early. Great
fried or fresh.
Pizza
Mildly hot. The name of this versatile variety doesn't begin to describe
its many delicious uses! Pendulous, cone-shaped, 3 – 4" peppers are
mildly hot, with just a hint of heat. Sturdy, 14 – 18" plants bear
loads of heavy walled fruits making them ideal for slicing. Fruits are hottest
when green, growing milder as they mature to red.
Red
Belgian Sweet The fruits start out a pale yellow, then slowly turn red.
The peppers are wedge shaped and 3 1/2" long. This is a family heirloom
from Belgium.
Spanish
Spice Mild. Spicy as opposed hot. Flavorful and aromatic when grilled or
fried, this European import looks like a green chili pepper, but has a
pleasingly spicy taste, rather than pure heat. Heavy yields of extra-early
fruits average 7" in length and are sensational cooked or raw in salads.
Thin walls allow for quick cooking.
Sweet
Banana Sweet. Profuse harvests of 5½" – 6" long, tapered
peppers that are wonderful fried or cut up into salads. Ripen from light green
to yellow to orange, and finally to red. Compact plants.
Sweet Chocolate
Bell. Starts out dark, shiny green, ripening to a rich chocolate brown.
Thai
Long Sweet Light-green fruits are about 6" long, with a tapered and
pointed frying pepper shape. Great for grilling or frying. This pepper is very
popular in Thailand.
