A very popular open pollinated bell pepper. Medium size but nice shape and reasonably productive. In fact the most productive open pollinated bell that I have grown.
Thrives in my container garden.
This is the pepper that most people in North America use as the baseline by which to measure other hot peppers. It is commonly available, with both seeds and plants available at most nurseries. This is a good "gateway pepper" for those wanting to venture into growing and eating hot peppers, as it is hot enough to provide some real bite, without the agonizing burn of the hot peppers with MUCH higher scores on the Scoville scale, which measures the "heat" of peppers. This pepper can be eaten raw, if you are tolerant of heat, or as an ingredient in many dishes.
Bhut Jolokia (a.k.a. "Ghost Peppers") was considered the hottest available until 2009 when Trinidad Scorpion was proven to be higher on the Scoville scale.
The tiny peppers, only about 3/4" diameter, are primarily meant to be ornamental. They are edible, and very hot, but don't offer much flavor to go along with the heat. I grow them for the striking purple and green foliage, and the pretty little purple and red peppers. The fruits start out darkest purple, and turn a glowing ember red when fully mature.
Poblano peppers ALWAYS have a place in my garden! They are a milder hot pepper, scoring 1,000-2,000 on the Scoville Scale, or roughly comparable to a jalapeno. I find the flavor a little deeper and more complex than a jalapeno. This is my favorite hot pepper to grill and chop before adding to salsas. Grilling brings out an entirely different flavor in this stocky little pepper. Though it is not an extremely hot pepper, I still make a point of wearing gloves when I work with these, as the oils do cause some skin irritation, and rubbing your eyes while chopping these can be disastrous!
Capsicum: Annuum
Shishito peppers are one of the Japanese Peppers that are commonly picked green and eaten whole by grilling or roasting. They taste great green when raw but even better once grilled to a nice char. If left on the plant they will eventually turn red.
I've found this pepper to have a "sneaky" heat. On first taste, it doesn't seem that hot, but after a moment, the heat sneaks up on you, and you're in trouble! Of the hot peppers I've grown, it seems that the Serrano plants I've planted have the widest variety in how hot the peppers turn out to be. Some years they seem barely above a jalapeno in heat, while other years they are blisteringly hot. I recommend caution until you determine just how hot your particular serranos are! This pepper is a frequent ingredient in the hot pepper sauce I make for my husband. I don't find it contributes much flavor, but it sure does kick up the heat a few notches!
This is a HOT pepper! With a Scoville rating of 30,000-50,000, this isn't for the hot pepper novice. (For comparison, a jalapeno rates at 2,500-5,000 on the Scoville Heat Scale.) Despite the heat, this pepper still manages to deliver flavor as well. This pepper is commonly dried and ground, and it requires only a little shake to add a lot of heat to your chili.
