Sgt. Pepper's Happy Hot Peppers Club

“…the foundations of all good cultivation lie not so much in the plant as in the soil itself. There is so intimate a connection between the state of soil, i.e. its fertility, and the growth and health of the plant as to outweigh every other factor.” (Sir Albert Howard; The Soil and Health – A Study of Organic Agriculture)

Hot Peppers – Part 2

Hungarian Hot Wax - (Reimer Seeds) Excellent for pickling, frying, stuffing. Can also be used fresh in salads, marinades, and dressings. (Scoville Scale 5,000-10,000)

Camino Real – (Seeds of Change) Most often used green when pickling. A Serrano pepper with pungent flavor.Serrano type peppers are usually 3 on a scale of 5.

Jamaican Hot Chocolate – (Tomato Grower’s) Originated in a market in Port Antonio, Jamaica. Deep chocolate-brown when ripe and ribbed. Resemble large dates or prunes. Extremely hot Caribbean flavor that is strong and smoky. Makes a great hot sauce. 200,000 – 300,000 on the Scoville Scale.

Red Savina – (Reimers Seeds) A habanero pepper. Developed by Frank Garcia in Walnut, Ca. From 1994 – 2006 was listed in the Guinness World Records as the hottest chili in the world. 350,000 – 580,000 on the Scoville Scale.

The following three peppers can be viewed as special peppers rather than what might be routinely thought of as hot peppers. Farmer David is hoping that you will be as excited about trying these peppers as he is about growing them.

Shishito – (Kitazawa Seed Co.) Small, sweet-hot, thin-walled glossy green pepper is popular in Japan. Can be grilled, toaster-oven broiled, pan or deep fried.

Padron – (Johnny’s Seeds) Named after the town in Spain where they originated. About 1 out of 20 fruits will be hot, and the rest mild. All the fruits become hot if allowed to grow 2-3” long. Padrons are served sautéed in olive oil with a little sea salt, and eaten as tapas (appetizer) in Spain.

Piquillo (Cook’s Garden) – A variety of chili pepper traditionally grown in Northern Spain. Can be roasted over embers, which gives them a distinct sweet, spicy flavor, more akin to bell peppers than chili peppers. Can be stuffed with meat, seafood or cheese, and served as tapas.

As David finalizes the seed order, there may be a couple of additions the list of peppers. For now, these are the hot peppers you can look forward to this coming season.

Happy and healthy eating to all.