SWEET PEPPERS

Alma Paprika — Home-prepared seasonings are all the rage these days, and paprika is a kitchen staple that’s easy to grow and process. We recommend this variety-the best paprika we’ve found for drying, grinding, or just plucked straight from the prolific plants and eaten fresh. Thick-walled, sweet fruits start out creamy-white, then mature to orange, and finally red.

California Wonder — 70 days. An excellent green bell pepper, nice size and very good yield, a popular old-time variety.

Carmagnola Rosa — Large Red sweet bell type with slight taper at the end. Slightly smaller and earlier than the red asti. Thin skin, thick walls and very sweet. Good producer. Early; this was the first pepper to ripen in the 2003 trial garden. Big plant; space 16 inches. You can stuff them, cook them in pepperonata or roast them, remove the skins and serve as a wonderful appetizer.

Friggitello — Frying pepper from Calabria in Southern Italy. 4-5 inch long light green, brilliant red when ripe. Very sweet, thin skin which almost disappears when you cook it. A real standout in the 2005 trial garden. Similar in size & taste to melrose (I could not tell the difference) but a bigger plant and I think a higher producer. (Similar to Barese version)

Gallo d’Asti — 80 days. The giant yellow Quadrato bell pepper. The huge fruit are a favorite here. The largest variety we have grown, beautiful and blocky, with very thick walls, the flavor is outstanding – sweet and rich! This Italian variety gives very heavy yields, one of the best varieties for marketing. This superb pepper is a real winner!

Goccia D’Ioro — An excellent frying pepper. Six or so inches long with a thin skin. Very pretty yellow, mostly red/yellow when full ripe. Prolific, relatively early. Start transplants 8 weeks before set out date (7-10 days after frost free date) and set out 12-16 inches apart in rows 4 feet apart. Remove any flowers or buds which may have formed before setting out. Peppers like heat, black plastic mulch helps.

Marconi — 80 days. A late Italian pepper that yields big 7″ long tapering fruit, very sweet, great for frying or fresh!

Padron — This is an interesting pepper. It produces a large quantity of small (1 1/2 or 2 inches by 2 or three inches) green peppers which are very sweet and mild. Some are pointed, some are more blocky in shape. Produce fruit early to mid-early in the season. They are a really excellent frying pepper. Sometimes, especially later in the season, some of the peppers become ‘spicy’. This makes them taste even better when you fry them up. Not a large plant.

Pepperone Friallea Sel Barese — Barese version of the frying pepper found all over southern Italy. 4-5″ long frying pepper, light green, deep red when ripe. Thin skin. Very sweet. Productive. Mid-early. (This variety is similar to the Friggitello variety.)

Pimento — This type of pepper is somewhat similar to the bell pepper. Instead of blocky, the fruit (pod) is smooth, conical, or heart-shaped, up to 3-4 inches long and 2 to 2½ inches wide at the shoulder. The flesh is very thick, sweet and red to reddish yellow at maturity. Roasted, they make the best Pimento Cheese ever!

Purple Beauty Bell — This stocky bell pepper is ready to eat when the fruits turn a stunning, deep purple with a green undertone. Crisp, succulent, 4-lobed, thick-walled fruit. Very productive.

Quadrato d’Asti Roso — Asti is famous for its peppers and this is another classic from Asti. Very large productive pepper, 80-85 days to red ripe. Big plant; space 16 inches. You can stuff them, cook them in pepperonata or roast them, remove the skins and serve as a wonderful appetizer.

Sunbright — This is a California Wonder type bell pepper that turns from green to bright golden yellow. Stocky plants with glossy, deep-green leaves bear large crops of fruit. This will add color to any dish. 75 days.

Sweet Red Pepper – This sweet red pepper has three lobed fruit, tapers to a blunt end with medium thick walls and a terrific and distinct flavor. Grill on the barbecue this summer. Yellow-green when small, red as it matures. Stores well. 70 days.

Yellow Sweet Banana — A favorite home garden vegetable. Sweet Banana peppers produce a smooth, tapered, yellow pepper, 6 inches long, 2 inches thick on plants that are 20 to 24 inches tall. Sweet Banana peppers may be fried, or used raw or on relish platters, in salads, or stuffed, canned or pickled.

HOT PEPPERS

Black Hungarian — Highly ornamental and useful in the kitchen. Green foliage is highlighted by purple veins and beautiful purple flowers. Sturdy plants grow 30-36″ tall. Produces 3-4″ fruits similar in shape to Jalapenos, but black ripening to red. Mildly hot with good flavor. 75/80 days

Early Jalapeno — A very early maturing hot jalapeno pepper. The compact plants produce many small green peppers that will slowly turn to red as the fruit matures. Jalapenos are used in a wide variety of recipes. They are popular fresh, cooked, pickled, dried and great in salsa. Matures approximately 70 days from transplanting.

Habanero — Considered the hottest pepper available today. These are extremely hot peppers that are in great demand.

Hot Portugal – 75 days. Unique, black-colored fruit that are the shape of a Jalapeno. They are mildly hot and have a delicious flavor. The tall plants have beautiful purple flowers that make this variety very ornamental. Rare and colorful!

Piccante Calabrese — Hot pepper from Calabria. Small round fruit become deep red when ripe. This small Hot pepper is used fresh or for pickling or dried..(Similar to Torpedo Roso)

Piccante Di’Caynna – Pepper, Picante Cayenna. Classic long slim hot chili pepper; also called goat horn pepper. Red when ripe. High production. Use fresh or dry. 60-65 days green, 80 or so days red.

Santa Fe Grande – Spicy, 4″ peppers are a glowing gold in color and quite warm. Makes pretty pickles and salsa. Ornamental plants give heavy yields over the entire summer, making this variety choice for home or market gardens. Introduced in 1965. Yummy!

Serrano Tampeqino — 75 days. Large plant bears club-shaped fruit, very hot and pungent, distinctive flavor.

Thai Dragon — 1-3″ long, red or dark red chile. The Thai Dragon is very hot, being beaten in spiciness by only a handfull of peppers. Plants generally grow to 1-2 ft high and can produce up to 200 chilles in a single season. Having an excellent flavor, the Thai Dragon is a common ingredient in many Asian dishes. Be very careful when handling the seeds or inner parts of this pepper, the oil can be a serious irritant to the skin and eyes. Origin: An heirloom variety from Asia, probably from the 1800’s.

Tobasco – 90 days. (C. frutescens) This famous heirloom was introduced into Louisiana in 1848, and became the main ingredient in Tabasco Pepper Sauce. This pepper is very hot and has a delicious flavor.

The plants grow up to 4′ tall and are covered with small, thin peppers. Needs a warm summer or can be grown
as a potted plant. Fruit ripen from green to orange, then red.

Torpedo Roso – Topepo Rosso Picante. From small regional south Italian seed company specializing in the varieties of southern Italy & Sicily. Similar in shape to regular topepo rosso: round, bright red when ripe, slightly flattened,
and incredibly tasty. This one is hot. Use for frying, pickling. The pickled ones are incredibly good when fried with pork. (Similar to Piccante Calabrese.)

EGGPLANTS

Casper – Early shiny ivory fruits, 6 x 2.75 inches, mild snow-white flesh.

Diamond – An heirloom variety from the Ukraine which matures earlier than other eggplants and similar in size to japanese eggplant. Cooks up nicely, with firm flesh, thin skin, and almost imperceptible seed.

Hanzel – YOU decide when to harvest this eggplant. Glossy, dark purple, mild sweet fruits are ready at 2 inches, yet keep their tender texture and rich flavor as they grow, so you can harvest them any time up to 10 inches or so.

Jade Sweet – 77 days. Blocky shape, lime green skin. Fruits can get rather large and still maintain quality.

Louisiana Green Oval – 75 days. Very large, blocky, green skin.

Rosa Blanca – Colorful light pink-lavender fruit with white shading. Rich, mild flesh is very popular with chefs and gardeners alike. No bitterness.

Thai Round Green – 2 to 3 inch round light green eggplant with cream stripes. Great in stir-fry, sold extensively throughout Thailand.

Turkish Orange – Beautiful heirloom variety comes from Turkey. 3 inch round fruit are best cooked when they are green to light orange. Very sweet, strong flavor. Small plants yield well.

Ultmalbet – 51 days. Fist sized fruit. Starts out greenish with purple streaks, then turns a deep golden color with purple streaks. Very attractive and productive.

Violetta Lunga – Grown across Italy, 8 inch rustic purple eggplant with a classic rich eggplant taste.

ZUCCHINI, SQUASH and CUCUMBER

Romanesco – Zucchini with traditional style and flavor, high yields and disease resistant. An italian favorite that has creamy sweet flesh, tender striped skin, and long holding edible blossoms.

Zucchini Striato D’Italia – 45 days. ‘Italian Striped’ also known in the U.S. as the famous ‘Cocozelle’. Magnificent early zucchini with dark green stripes and excellent flavor. Often picked early after just setting upon the vine, and cooked in the manner of asparagus.

Spineless Beauty – has become the standard zucchini for eastern U.S. growers. In commercial plantings, this variety has produced outstanding yields of high quality, uniform, medium green fruit that sets early. 2 inch diameter, 7 to 8 inches long.

Park’s Creamy – Highly resistant to squash mosaic, so fruits can stay on the vine longer. Plant has an open bushy habit which makes fruit easier to pick. Vigorous plant, reliable and has great flavor. Large plant.

Park’s Cucumber Bush Whopper #2 – Loads of crisp, straight, 8 to 9 inch cucumber on a compact plant. Has a cool mild flavor. Their long, prolific season is the result of bearing both male and female flowers. Resistant to scab, mosaic virus, leaf spot, anthracnose, and powdery mildew.

Iran Squash (winter) – Large and pumpkin-like in appearance with a round shape and flat outer ribs, this squash will grow to weigh 20 to 25 pounds. Outer skin may be green, salmon-orange, or off white in color; and the meat is pale to bright orange and texture is dense.

Full Moon (we accidentally labeled as New Moon) – 110 days. Very large pumpkins are round to slightly upright and faintly ribbed. Average size is 25-50 lb. but, with wide spacing, can be double that size. The color isn’t pure white, but more of a faint, pastel orange/off-white. As soon as the fruits mature, when stems are turning brown, protect them from the sun to help preserve the “white” color.