It's that time of the year again! The one I wait for the most, besides foraging season - growing season! One of my favourite things to grow are peppers. The second is tomatoes. Today, I'll be writing about peppers because I have already planted their seeds and most have already germinated.
P.S. I'm not gonna get into how to grow peppers, there are far better resources out there. I'm still a hobby gardener. I do however, recommend getting a heat mat for your seeds to speed up the germinating process and some growing lamps if you live in a colder climate like I do.
Should also mention that some of these peppers will be grown on my balcony, and some will be grown in a green house.
Let's get into the varieties now!
1. Habanada - this is a chili pepper that supposedly tastes just like the habanero pepper, but doesn't have the same heat levels. Unfortunately, this is the one and only pepper that hasn't germinated yet and I remember having trouble with this pepper last year too. So once I will need to re-seed it and hope for the best. Last year I didn't get to taste this due to pests. This plant, if I get some seedlings, will be grown on my balcony.
2. Amy - this is a sweet pepper and a completely new variety to me. Supposedly, this is called the "Queen of field peppers" so I might actually grow it outside and not in the green house but I haven't decided yet. Most likely it will be still grown in the green house. The fruit is white in the beginning and will turn red.
3. Hungarian Hot Wax - a chili pepper that I have grown for many years and is one of my favourites. It's similar to the banana pepper but is much hotter. Might try to grow this in the greenhouse this year because how big it gets or just grow it in a bigger pot this year on my balcony. The fruit is this yellow-green in the beginning and will turn red. It's harvested, like the jalapeno pepper, in it's green stage. I'd like to pickle it this year as they're my favourite pickled. Lots of kebab places serve these peppers as a side and they're amazing.
4. Padron - a chili pepper that I've grown for two years in a row now in the greenhouse. The first year it was amazing and produced a lot of fruit. Last year it didn't do as well so I hope to try again this year. They're harvested green and the most common way to eat them is to slather them with olive oil and then fried on a pan until the pepper skin blisters a bit. Once they're done, sprinkle some salt and enjoy! Could also do the same thing on the grill. So good! The heat level really varies with this, but I find the heat really nice and not too hot.
5. Cherry - also called the pimiento chili pepper, are small and round peppers. I've grown these mostly on my balcony and they've done well if there aren't any pests. They can be really hot so be careful with them! I'd like to try pickling them this year or stuffing them with cheese and preserving that way.
6. Big Black Mama - this is a very, VERY, like dangerously(!!!) hot chili variety. It was one of the varieties I grew for the first time last year and I just didn't get to try because they didn't really take off due to pests. They also seem to need a really long growing season but I want to try again. Will be growing them in a larger pot on my balcony. Most likely I will be dehydrating the peppers and using them in my jerky recipe.
7. Jalapeno - mildly hot pepper, one of my favourites due to the taste. Can't say it has been the most reliable pepper for me but I just need to try again and adjust accordingly. I've grown them on my balcony and greenhouse. If I ever get a big harvest, I'd like to make jalapeno poppers with them and then freeze them or try to make chipotle (a jalapeno that has been left on the vine to ripen until red, and is then smoked and dried).
8. Sugar Rush Stripey - a chili pepper I was really excited to grow last year but again, didn't do well due to a pest problem on my balcony. I LOVE how they look and am very excited to grow them again. It's supposed to have a great taste too so that's also a big bonus. Haven't decided what to make with them if I get a big harvest so this will be an experiment!
9. Buena Mulata - this is a cayenne variety pepper. The peppers start out purple and then turn red. They're small and really cute and supposedly really spicy. Unfortunately, this was another failed experiment for me last year so I'm growing them again this year to hopefully get some peppers to try. If I get some, I will be most likely using them fresh in food or dehydrating them and then grinding them up.
10. Corno di toro Rosso - a sweet pepper variety. Also called the "Horn of the Bull" due to it's shape. This is an Italian heirloom variety and I will be growing this in the greenhouse. You can use them fresh or fry them and honestly I might be the most excited to grow them out of all the peppers. I LOVE long red peppers as they're sweeter than bell peppers. And look how beautiful they look!
Hopefully you got some inspiration out of this post! And it's not too late to sow peppers! You obviously don't have to grow as many peppers as I do, peppers and tomatoes just excite me the most and I will grow more and different varieties to find my favourites and experiment with. I am aware that some cross-pollination might happen and has happened in the greenhouse (padron peppers with purple streaks one year!) but I don't personally mind. On the balcony I have to pollinate the peppers myself as pollinators don't get access to the peppers but I've found an old electric toothbrush does a great job!
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