Pepper Draft Roster 2019
If you want a pdf of the Pepper Draft Roster to print out, just click on this link.
Annuum
A4 and A5 Paprika Alma
This is a large, red pepper from Hungary. It is known for its unique and spicy flavor and is used as a powder.
Baccatum
B1 – Aji Lemon
These Hot Lemon Peppers originated from Peru, and they are some of my favorites. They are yellow, about 3 inches long, thin and tapered. They have a fruity/citrusy taste, kind of, and a surprising amount of heat. The plants get large, 4-5’ high and will branch out at least that wide.
B2 – Aji Peruvian
Another Baccatum variety, this time from Peru. The plants produce a heavy amount of bright red pods that have a lot of heat and an excellent, berry-like flavor.
B3 – Strawberry Drop
This is a baccatum from Tradewind Seeds that is good to use for seasoning. They produce red pods that have some heat, a fruity flavor with a hint of strawberry.
B4 – Aji Verde
This is another variety of Baccatum found in Peru, in the northern coastal valleys. The name means, “green chile,” but the pods ripen to red and orange. They are elongated and pointed pods, about three inches long and are of mild to low heat and are used in Peru for sauces and eaten fresh.
B5 – Sugar Rush Peach
The sugar rush baccatum comes from South America. These are peach variants developed by a grower in Wales. They are supposed to be sweet with a bit of a citrus flavor and a bit of heat. The pods are peach colored and the plants produce a lot of them.
B6 – Sugar Rush Cream
The sugar rush baccatum comes from South America. These are cream variants developed by a grower in Wales. They are supposed to be sweet with a bit of a citrus flavor and a bit of heat. The pods are cream colored and have a blocky shape as opposed to the elongated shape of the Peach variant. The plants produce a lot.
Chinense
C1 – Bahamian Goat
This is perhaps my favorite pepper. It has an outstanding flavor, shape, color, and level of heat (low Habanero). The taste is fruity, and this was Anne’s favorite tasting hot pepper.
C2 – Bhut Jolokia Red
Also known as the ghost chili, these come from India and are known for previously holding the record as the hottest pepper. These will be red with a very strong heat. This is a great tasting pepper.
C4 – Bhut Orange Copenhagen
This is a version of the Bhut Jolokia that was developed by Bjarne in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is not only orange, but also reportedly much fruitier and has a wonderful taste to it. It is a Bhut, so it is still very hot. One person described it as a Bahamian Goat Pepper with the heat turned up. The growers estimate that it is 95% stable, so there may be some variation in the pods. These seeds come from a plant I isolated and collected seeds from.
C6 – California Reaper
This pepper was developed by Tyler Farms horticulturalist, Dr. Steve Bender. He created it by crossing a Carolina Reaper with a Jay’s Peach Ghost Scorpion. The result is typically a pod that looks like the Carolina Reaper, but is peach colored. There is also a yellow variant. The taste is described as fruity and sweet, but being a cross of the world’s hottest pepper, the chances of actually tasting anything are slim. These seeds are from Tyler Farms.
C8 – Harold St. Bart’s Habanero
These Habaneros are some of the best tasting Habaneros available. They produce a yellow habanero with a decent amount of heat. These are probably my favorite habanero.
C9 – Trinidad Perfume
This is a sweet seasoning pepper. It ripens into a beautiful golden pepper that looks like a habanero in shape, but has significantly less heat. It is said to be very flavorful.
C10 – Trinidad Scorpion Butch T
This variety of Trinidad Scorpion was developed by Butch Taylor from Zydeco Farms in Mississippi. This variety had a higher level of heat than most scorpions and was for a time the record holder for the hottest pepper. These seeds come from Butch Taylor himself.
C11 – Uruguay Seasoning
This very rare variety of pepper comes from Uruguay and is supposed to have a great, fruity taste with a tropical aroma. The pods are yellow and it is a C. Chinense, so it is a hot pepper.
Scotch Bonnets
SB1 – Scotch Bonnet MoA
True Scotch Bonnets come from Jamaica, although many varieties are labeled as Scotch Bonnets and have their origin elsewhere. This particular Scotch Bonnet is a true Scotch Bonnet. The seeds were acquired from the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture by a pepper growing hobbyist in Florida. This was a bit of a shock, as the MoA does not tend to hand out many seeds even to their own people. The grower in Florida quickly grew out several seeds, isolated the peppers, and passed seeds out to other growers in the US. I have some of those seeds and now you have the opportunity to grow a Jamaican national treasure from seed that was selected by the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture. I have seeds from two sources for these this year.
SB2 – TFM Scotch Bonnet
This is a variety of Scotch Bonnet that was discovered by a pepper hobbyist at the Trenton Farmers Market. The seed was grown out and produced true to form this variety of Scotch Bonnet that is yellow and more flat on the top.
SB3 – Jamaican Scotch Bonnet (Pic1)
This variety of Scotch Bonnet was brought back to the US by a hobbyist from Chicago.
SB4 – Scotch Bonnet Papa Dreadie
This Scotch Bonnet variety was collected, grown, and then the best pods selected over seasons of growth, by Amarillo, Texas based musician, Erin Mason. He was a touring harmonica player for an Austin Texas band, “Alvin Crow and the Pleasant Valley Boys” in the 1970’s. After leaving the band, Erin travelled to Jamaica, fell in love with Reggae, selected the best Scotch bonnets he could find, and took on the altar ego Pappa Dreadie.
SB5 – Scotch Bonnet Schneider Farm
This Scotch Bonnet comes from a strain I received while visiting a Hydroponics store in Lansing. The person who gave it to me says the source of the seed is from Jamaica from the “Schneider Farm.” They produce a great looking, bonnet shaped, yellow pepper.
Pubescens
P1 – Red Rocoto
The Rocoto peppers originate from the Andes mountains in Peru. It is red and about 2 inches long, apple shaped, and has distinctive black seeds. They need a longer season, but are well worth the effort. These are easily one of my favorite tasting peppers. They are juicy, hot, and wonderful.