Let's start with peppers....sweet peppers. We eat a lot of sweet peppers - fresh on salads, roasted, added to sauteed dishes, or chopped and frozen for later use. Since moving to 5 gallon black containers, the yields achieved have soared. I am growing out the most advanced of my newly named varieties selected and stabilized over the years from the hybrid Blue Jay; these are Amethyst, White Gold, Fire Opal, and Royal Purple. Also being grown is a large green to chocolate bell, in fact called Chocolate Bell, that I've also stabilized from a hybrid. The rest - World Beater, Kalman Hungarian, Red Belgium, Garden Sunshine, Lipstick, Orange Bell, and Chervena - are long time favorites grown for eating (and seed saving). Finally, a seedling friend Diane shared with me a plant of a white hybrid bell, Bianca, and some true Corno di Toro (mine has gone over to the dark side - hot! - see below). I hope to save seeds from Bianca and grow out a number of F2 generation next year...let's see what I find!
Next come a set of peppers given to me by a friend when speaking in Decatur, Georgia earlier this year. All "authentic" Paprika type peppers, I really look forward to seeing how these do - color, shape, size, and heat. This group includes Feherezon, Alma, Pritiman, Rubinova, Fuszer Paprika and Lydia. Watch for pictures and updates throughout the season.
Finally come the hot peppers. Sue and I are finding ourselves turning up the temperature in our foods more and more each passing week, so these are for eating, freezing, drying for chopping into pepper flakes, and seed saving - a new favorite, a tapas preparation with the variety Padron. Also included in my garden are Bulgarian Carrot, Vacquero, Takanotsume, Serrano, Jalapeno and Pinata. Some I am growing for their ornamental beauty as well as the culinary uses - such as Fish, Vietnamese Multicolor, and Pretty Purple. Then there is the mystery of Corno di Toro - will the plant from my saved seed still be hot? Stay tuned!
We have a neighbor from Jamaica who craves hot food and loves my peppers! For him, at the front of my garden, are containers of Bird, Orange Bell (a mystery - likely crossed with a hot pepper, since it has purplish foliage), Fish (growing out a plant with no variegation), Trinidad Perfume, Garden Sushine (a sweet bell that also crossed with a hot pepper, given its purplish foliage), Pretty Purple, Takanotsume, Bulgarian Carrot. Pretty Purple (a crossed selection since the foliage is far more pale in color), and Serrano.
The above will provide lots of good - and dangerous, in some cases! - eating, as well as some lovely photographs and lots of fresh seed.