2012 Plants - Peppers

SWEET PEPPERS
No heat, all sweet:

Bullnose Bell  Capsicum annuum - RAFT Red List (Endangered)
Bell. Green matures to red, with a beautiful transition. Excellent flavor. Strong plants. Productive. 55-80 days. Thomas Jefferson grew these peppers at Monticello. Illustrated and described in Fearing Burr's 1863 compendium "Field and Garden Vegetables of America." First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2011.

Jimmy Nardello's Sweet Italian Frying Pepper  C. annuum - Ark of Taste
10" long. Shiny red. Scrumptious roasted apple flavor when cooked. 80-90 days. Prolific. Jimmy Nardello's mother brought these seeds to America after she and her husband Guiseppe emigrated from Italy's Basilicata region in 1887. Jimmy gave the seeds to Seed Savers Exchange, which kept them going. First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2011.

HOT PEPPERS
Listed in order by Scoville Heat Units (SHU) from mildest to hottest:

Chimayó  Capsicum annuum - RAFT Red List (Threatened), Ark of Taste
New Mexican long green type chile, 3"-5" long. Changes from red to green as it matures (as Jose Martinez has recorded, Chimayó chile farmers say "I went out of my house dressed in white, and in the garden my white turned green, and I returned home, dressed in red"). According to Marie Campos, "native Chimayó chile has medium heat and a smooth robust flavor with chocolate-like base tones. The remarkable thing about the real Chimayó chile is the ability to age the chile under controlled conditions. When aged properly, the chile's flavor is refined like a fine wine." Matures earlier than many other New Mexican long green chiles. Native to Chimayó, northern New Mexico, a community of placitas as famous for its namesake chile as for its weaving, tin smithing, and wood carving traditions, and its Catholic pilgrimage center El Santuario de Chimayó. Chimayó seedstock dates back 300 years. The Chimayó Chile Project began planting to revive the local chile industry in 2005, and in 2009 published "Chimayó Chile, A Living History of Faith, Culture, and Art" by Marie Pilar Campos of the Native Hispanic Institute. Read more at www.nativehispanic.com, where you can also buy 4 ounces of Chimayó chile powder for $20. Or you can grow your own. First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2010.

Negro de Valle  C. annuum - Ark of Taste
New Mexican long green type chile, 3/4" wide by 6" long. Green ripening to chocolate brown. Medium heat with very rich "red chile" flavor. Very prolific. First collected on the plains of Chihuahua (north of Buenaventura). Prized for the dark color that only the "native, old type" chiles can attain. Makes an incredible chile colorado. First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2011.

Purple Jalapeño  C. annuum
3/4"-1" wide by 2"-3" long fruits are larger than typical jalapenos. Green ripens to deep purple for an extended time, then eventually red. Glossy, thick-walled fruits with typical jalapeno heat (2,500-10,000 Scoville heat units). Compact vigorous plants. Used for salsa, roasting, pickling or smoked as chipotles. Jalapenos are named for Jalapa, the capitol of Veracruz, Mexico. First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2012.

Sinahuisa  C. annuum
1/2" by 2" long serrano-type fruits. Green ripens to red. Thick-fleshed, juicy. Very hot when ripe, at 10,000-20,000 SHU. Great escabeche (pickled) variety. Prolific. Compact 3 foot plants. From a Yoeme weaver at an ejidio in Sonora, Mexico. Plant Height: 30" tall. Good in containers. First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2011.

Patagonia  C. annuum
Conical fruits, 1" long, erect. Yellow with purple mottling, ripening to orange then red. Medium-hot. These make a wonderful vinegar-based hot sauce. A Hispanic heirloom from Patagonia, Arizona. First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2010. RAFT Red List (Endangered).

Ordoño  C. annuum
Elongated fruits, 1" long, erect. Fruits are green, then yellow, orange, red, and purple. Highly ornamental, but also hot and edible. Originally collected in Batopilas Canyon, Chihuahua, Mexico. Great in containers! First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2010.

Wenk's Yellow Hots  C. annuum RAFT Red List (Threatened), Ark of Taste
1" wide by 3" long tapered wax peppers. Yellow ripens to orange then red. Thick-walled, lemony, and very hot. Great for salsa, canning, and pickling. Compact 2' plants. Heirloom grown in Albuquerque, NM's south valley by late truck farmer Erris Wenk. First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2010.

Chiltepin  C. annuum var. glabriusculum RAFT Red List (Threatened), Ark of Taste
Round to oblong fruits, 1/4"-1/2". Orange-red to red when ripe. Intense but short-acting heat. Thrives in hot, arid environments. Chiltepins grow wild in arid Western Mexico and the American Southwest. Plants can overwinter outside and will survive most frosts (if your plant freezes back, it will most likely recover so don't uproot it). First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2010.

Chocolate Habanero  Capsicum chinense
2" lantern-shaped fruits. Emerald green ripens to chocolate brown. Fruity flavor, incredible heat at 300,000-450,000 SHU. Before the Ghost Chile came along, this was the hottest pepper tested by the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University. First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2011.

Bhut Jolokia (a.k.a. Naga Jolokia, Ghost Chile, many other names)  C. chinense
1"-1 1/2" wide by 2"-3" long pendant fruits. Ripens to orange then red. Medium -thick walls. More than twice as hot as habaneros, these "Ghost Chiles" ranks at over 1,000,000 SHU. Proceed with caution! Very late season and tricky to induce fruiting successfully...for patient gardeners only! First offered by Aravaipa Heirlooms in 2011.