It’s pepper season and boy are we growing a lot of peppers! To help you navigate pepper world, here is a guide to this year’s pepper varieties.
Bell Peppers:
(from left to right)
Flavorburst Yellow – A sweet lime green to yellow pepper, medium-sized, 3-lobed and slightly elongated.
King of the North Red – Thick, crisp, early season peppers great in salads, salsas, and for snacking.
Yankee Bell – A classic, blocky green or red pepper.
Gourmet Orange Bell – A medium-large orange/yellow pepper with thick, juicy flesh and a sweet flavor.
Purple Beauty – A shorter, rounder pepper with deep purple skin and juicy green flesh.
Purple Islander – A medium-sized, thin-fleshed pepper with a mild, slightly sweet taste. Fruits pass through a showy stage of violet, yellow and orange streaks, eventually turning a rich, very dark red.
Sweet Pimento Lipstick – A cone-shaped, juicy and sweet pepper for salads and cooking, and perfect for roasting and salsa. Fruits range from deep green to a glossy, rich red
Hot:
(from left to right)
Jalapeno – A dark green or red hot pepper with a distinctive shape and flavor, great grilled or broiled.
Hungarian Hot Yellow Wax – A medium hot pepper great for grilling, frying, and stuffing. Color varies from yellow to bright red.
Maya Habenero – A bright red, glossy HOT pepper. Lantern shaped and longer than a typical habanero.
Cayenne – A very hot pepper, glossy and fire-engine red, these are great for cooking with fresh or dried.
Medium:
(from left to right)
Highlander – Classic Anaheim pepper, great for roasting as well as fresh eating. They add some of the hot pepper flavor to salsas and sauces without so much of the heat.
Numex Joe E – A southwestern-style traditional Anaheim chili, longer and thicker than the Highlander, varying from green to red.
Poblano – A mild chili pepper that is fabulous stuffed and on the grill. When dried it is referred to as an ancho pepper and is ground and used as a spice.