What You Need to Know About Peppers

Chef Susie takes us through the various types of peppers available for recipes, what to look for, and how to use them

Peppers HipLatina

Photo: Courtesy of Chef Susie Jiminez

Chef Susie takes us through the various types of peppers available for recipes, what to look for, and how to use them. Thinking about planting your own peppers? Chef Susie shares her favorites and we have done a bit of homework too.

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In our search for the perfect pepper, we discovered Burpee.com. This site has hybrid, organic, and heirloom seeds you can purchase and plant your own.

The famous 10-alarm pepper from the Caribbean.

The hottest of all peppers, but much more palatable than the dangerously hot “bout jolokia” ghost chili pepper. Habanero means “from Havana”. Habanero and its kin long ago migrated from the Caribbean Islands to Central America where they remain extremely popular today. A close relative of the Jamaican Scotch Bonnet. To complement its searing heat, Habanero has a delicious, pungent, smoky quality unlike any other pepper; many people find its flavor and aroma irresistible in sauces and salsas. Days to maturity are from time plants are set in garden. For transplants add 8-10 weeks. Space plants 18-24″ apart. Certified Organic Seed.

An African-American heirloom pepper that’s one of the prettiest, tastiest peppers you’ll ever meet.

You may have encountered (and savored) this heirloom pepper in the oyster and crab houses around the Chesapeake Bay. One of the prettiest peppers ever to grace our test gardens, this African-American heirloom predates the 1870s. Boasting handsome, variegated foliage, the 18-24″ plants produce 2-3″ long pendant fruits. Starting out an unusual cream color striped with green, the fruits ripen to orange with brown stripes, before turning all red. An attractive, attention-getting choice for containers. Harvest about 80 days from transplant.

Pepper descriptions have been shared from Burpee.com

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