Some repeats, some new. Some of my favorite personal photographs will showcase the repeat peppers, along with some grow notes. Look for the guide to how I grow each pepper after you see the bolded USDA Zone 5 in each profile. SCO = Scoville
Personal pepper profile. As recently as eight years ago, I did not like raw peppers with any heat at all. Raw pepperoncini even used to be too hot for my palate. The only way I experienced hot peppers was diluted in other dishes, i.e. Jerk Chicken. And even that was too hot for me.
Then I nurtured my very first garden on my very own property, moving beyond community gardens and working on other people’s farms. At the same time, I stretched out my culinary skills, adding dishes to the family menu that showcased heat. Because of Drunken Noodles, I grow and use Thai chillis. Because of some new spicy potato salad recipes I created, I grow poblano peppers. Because of pickled peppers for sandwiches, I grow Sugar Rush Peach peppers.
I gain a lot of joy from experimenting with heat in my dishes. While I cannot claim to be a chilli-head, each year I can tolerate a bit more heat. I’ll get there.
2. Poblano – SCO approx 2500. The pepper I use the most. I add it to Banh mi, pasta and potato salads, sandwiches, sauces and chilis. Like most peppers, the heat can vary. A friend of mine said he had some special poblano seeds, so I planted them alongside mine to compare. Mine were milder, noticeably so.
Poblano plants are generally very prolific. USDA Zone 5. I find that two plants give me far more peppers than I need. I consider them mid-season and have never had an issue getting ripe poblano peppers well before the end of the season. I start poblano peppers inside around April 1st to have poblano peppers harvested in August. I consider the germination easy.
3. Buena Mulata – SCO approx 40k. This hot pepper was initially grown to add heat to my Garlic Noodles recipe. It’s a solid all -around hot pepper. This pepper is quite photogenic, moving from green to peach to purple.
USDA Zone 5. This pepper is quite prolific, and early! You’ll have plants loaded with peppers by August, in all the color ranges. Germination is easy. I start Buena Mulata peppers inside April 1st.
4. Thai Pepper – SCO approx 90k. This hot little mama is the chilli I use in my Drunken Noodles recipe. I have made some Thai curry dishes as well.
USDA Zone 5. These pepper plants are small, usually about a foot and a half high. LOADED with peppers. Quite prettily too. These pepper fruits take awhile to bud and ripen. I start this plant inside March 1st with the Sugar Rush Peach. Germination is easy.
5. Lemon Habanero – SCO approx 200k. A free packet of seeds from Trade Winds Fruit. I will grow the cute yellow habanero again this year, as I wish to play around with jerk chicken recipes using this pepper and the sugar rush peach. I am not planting scotch bonnet peppers. Color at ripeness was more a golden orange than a light lemon color.
USDA Zone 5. Only one pepper ripened for me in time for frost last season, so I will be starting these peppers inside March 1st. The plant was loaded with pale green peppers that hadn’t yet had time to ripen. Germination is easy.
6. Cubanelle – SCO approx 750. I primarily use this pepper similar to a poblano. It’s added to cold salads, sandwiches and can be pickled. It’s a lovely color.
USDA Zone 5. Plant provides an expected amount of fruit. The Cubanelle ripens mid-season, late August for me. I will be starting this pepper inside around April 1st. Germination is easy.
7. Monster Gum Peach Leopard – SCO Unk, but I would estimate approx 200k. This is a newer cultivar. I’ve only seen it sold at Renaissance Farms – Seeds of Love. It is very pretty. And hot. Use similar to the sugar rush peach. https://renaissancefarms.org/product/monster-gum-peach-leopard-pepper/
USDA Zone 5. Plant was not prolific. A few fruits did ripen before end of the season, which is nice for a hot hot pepper up north. Still, I do plan to start this pepper inside around March 1st. Germination is easy.
New Varieties I am Trying in 2022
- Sugar Rush Stripey – SCO approx 125k – if they get here from the original propagator from Finland. Edit: they DID!
- Shishito – SCO approx 500
- Biquinho (yellow) – SCO approx 750 – Finland supplier
- Hot Mix – because I like living dangerously and I like delicious surprises.
- Aleppo.
A Note: I did grow a few Aji types last season. They all ripened later in the season AND I got them mixed up so I am unable to provide tasting notes. I will do better this season. Many Aji’s have a mild to medium heat and importantly for USDA Zone 5 growers, they take a long time to germinate, over a month. Some did not germinate at all for me, and I am the queen of germination. I would consider them challenging. One notable pepper I HAVE to grow again is the arroz con pollo pepper. The flavor…sublime, rich.
Watch This Space
First Edit: This season, 2022, I started all the Aji and seasoning pepper types early. ALL are up and healthy, germinating in under a week. Heck yeah!
Join me at youtube!
The End