Varieties
6-4 New Mexico Hatch Chile
This hatch variety is a cultivar from New Mexico State University. It’s a heritage variety. These flavorful chiles have thick flesh. The plants are high yielding and hardy. Hatch peppers are often roasted or smoked and used in salsas and many dishes inspired by the American Southwest.
7-Pot (chocolate)
This rare superhot Seven Pot variety is one of the hottest peppers in the world. Originally from Trinidad, this HOT pepper is now popular among superhot aficionados and home pepper breeders. Handle with care.
Aji Lemon drop
The aji lemon drop is a Peruvian seasoning pepper. It is traditionally used in ceviche. It also pairs well with chicken and rice dishes. The fruits grow to be about 2” long, and they ripen late in the season (September - October). When ripe, the peppers are a bright yellow color, sometimes with a dark purple blush. They have a clean, lemon-citrus flavor and a moderate heat. Plants are high-yielding and heat-tolerant.
Anaheim - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
The Anaheim pepper is a mild chili pepper with slightly less heat than a jalapeno. Its peppers grow to 6-10” in length, and they are generally picked while green. This pepper is named for the California city of Anaheim where it was grown commercially and popularized. When grown in New Mexico, Anaheim peppers are known as "New Mexico Chilies", or, if grown in New Mexico’s Hatch region, as “Hatch Chilis.” Anaheim peppers are meaty, mild, and versatile, and they can be used in a wide variety of recipes. They are ideal for roasting and stuffing and are often used in fresh salsas. A popular Mexican dish made with this pepper variety is chiles rellenos.
Big Jim Hatch
“Hatch” refers to the Hatch Valley, the specific region in southwest New Mexico where these chiles have been grown for over a century. Several different green chile varieties ranging from mild to extra hot are known as “Hatch Chiles.” This particular variety is medium hot and perfect for roasting. Big Jim Chiles grow to be about 7" long. This pepper is perfect for chile rellenos dishes and for roasting.
Buena Mulata
Buena Mulata is a rare and beautiful cayenne-type pepper. This variety and its legacy trace back to Horace Pippin, a mid-century African-American painter who was also an avid seed collector. This pepper starts out a bright, deep purple, and then changes to yellow, orange, and red. These prolific plants may boast all of these colors at once; thus, they also make stunning ornamentals.
Carolina Reaper - Limited Quantities Available!
The Carolina Reaper is one of the hottest peppers in the world. It measures in at over 2 Million SHU. That’s insanely hot! The pepper pods are small and bright red in color; they have a bumpy texture and a scorpion-like tail. Despite the heat, this pepper has a surprisingly sweet flavor, making it ideal for use in hot sauces.
Cayenne
Cayenne peppers are thin, red-colored peppers with a tapered, curved tip and rippled skin. They are generally rated at 30,000 to 50,000 SHU. The fruits are often dried and ground to make the powdered spice of the same name
Cherry Bomb
This hot cherry pepper is from Trinidad. Peppers are bright red and round, approximately 1-2 inches in diameter. The fruits have a medium-high heat and are meaty and flavorful. We love to stuff them with soft cheese and herbs and then roast them. The Trinidad Cherry is very productive and easy to grow. Plants grow between 3-4 feet tall.
Chile de Arbol - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
A small and potent Mexican chili pepper, the chile de arbol is a close cousin of the cayenne. This small, slim pepper has a smokey flavor and a moderate heat. This pepper keeps its bright red color when dried. In Mexican culture, these peppers are dried in decorative garlands called ristras.
Chocolate Mirasol - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
This New Mexican variant of a mirasol pepper has smokey, fruity tones. It has a mild heat and is used in some traditional moles. Plants are very productive and grow 3-4 feet tall. The chiles can also be dried and powdered to add spice and flavor to Southwestern-style foods.
Corno di Toro - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
The Corno di Toro pepper is a sweet Italian heirloom pepper. Its pods are long (8-10 inches), with a horn-like shape. Corno di Toro translates to “horn of the bull.” The pods mature from green to either red, orange or yellow. Their incredible flavor, their size, and their thick pepper-walls make them ideal for stuffing, roasting, and grilling. These plants can withstand cooler conditions, so they are excellent for higher zones with shorter growing seasons.
Cubanelle
The cubanelle is a sweet pepper variety with just a teeny bit of heat. It's spicier than a bell pepper, but much milder than a poblano. Cubanelles are also called "Italian frying peppers." They are commonly grown and used in Central America, especially Cuba, the DR, and Puerto Rico.
Datil
Similar to a habanero but fruitier, the datil pepper has been grown almost exclusively in the region of northern Florida near St. Augustine for around 250 years, making it a staple of the local culture and cuisine. Although common in Florida, they are difficult to find elsewhere. Datil peppers are used to make hot sauces and relishes. An especially famous dish incorporating datil peppers is Minorcan seafood chowder, a tomato-based version of the New England staple – but with a kick! The bright golden orange fruits register on the Scoville Scale from 100,000 to 500,000. Its heat is similar to that of the habanero and Scotch bonnet peppers.
Fatalii
The Fatalii has a quick, intense heat that is comparable to or slightly hotter than a habanero or scotch bonnet. From the Central African Republic, this pepper has 3” pods that are a bright yellow-orange in color. They are tapered rather than bulbous, and they have thin walls that make them well-suited to drying. The Fatalii has a citrusy tang that pairs well with any dish that features lemons, limes, or oranges. Pepperheads love to use this pepper in citrus-based hot sauces.
Fish
The fish pepper plant is an African-American heirloom variety. It has variegated leaves with stripes of white and green. The pepper pods start out a milky white color, turning to striped green and white, then to green, orange, brown and finally red. Their heat-level is somewhere between a jalapeno and a serrano pepper. But the most interesting thing about this unique pepper variety is its history! Although the exact origins of the fish pepper are unknown, fish peppers were most likely brought to the Baltimore area by Haitians in the late 1800s. African-Americans all along the Chesapeake Bay began to plant the peppers in their gardens. It remained popular in African American communities throughout the 19th century, especially in Baltimore and Philadelphia. Black cooks often used the pepper in seafood dishes. Due to urbanization, the fish pepper nearly went extinct in the early 1900s. But some seeds were preserved by Horace Pippin, a Black folk painter. They were stored in a freezer for two generations and then were eventually turned over to a Seed Savers Exchange in 1995. Since then, the pepper has made a surprising come-back!
Fresno - Limited Quantity!
The fast-maturing pepper is similar to the jalapeño pepper, but it has thinner walls and is somewhat milder. Peppers are conical in shape, about 2 inches in length, and grow point-up. Pods are bright red when fully matured. The Fresno pepper prefers hot, dry weather and is cold-sensitive. Plants are compact, only growing about 2 feet tall. These peppers have a sweet flavor and are great for pickling or cooking.
Ghost
Also known as the bhut jolokia, this super-hot pepper is cultivated in Northeast India. Ghost peppers are so spicy that the Indian government uses them to make military-grade smoke bombs which are used for dispelling rioters and keeping elephants at a distance. They are also used in both fresh and dried forms to spice curries, pickles, and chutneys. At Hector Hot Peppers, we use ghost peppers to make a spicy beef jerky!
Ghost (Jay's Peach)
This pale, peach-colored scorcher is a cross between a Bhut Jolokia “ghost” chile and a Trinidad Scorpion. This super-hot is an excellent option for hot sauces. Handle with care!
Golden Marconi Sweet Pepper - Limited Quantity!
The Golden Marconi is a sweet Italian heirloom variety. Substitute for bell peppers. Plants prefer full sun.
Guajillo
The Guajillo chile is commonly grown in Mexico. “Commercially only the Poblano or Ancho is more popular and the Jalapeno is grown more in volume” (Duffy, Refining Fire Chiles). These peppers are relatively mild. They dry well, and are used in salsas, Mole sauces, and marinades. The guajillo chile is distinctive from the mirasol pepper, although dried mirasol peppers are also called “guajillos”.
Habanada
These snacking peppers have all of the fruity and floral notes found in habaneros, but without any heat. Compared to habaneros, the fruits of the habanada are similarly sized and comparable in texture, but their shape is more elongated and curvy. Habanada plants grow low and wide. Consider pruning low branches early on.
Habanero (orange)
This HOT pepper hails from the Amazonas region of Peru, but most habaneros are now grown on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. In fact, habaneros have been grown in Mexico for more than 8,000 years! The fruit is bright orange in color. It has a unique, citrus-like taste with a subtle hint of smoke that makes it very popular in hot sauces, powders, and rubs.
Habanero (Ugandan Red) - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
This dark red elongated Habanero comes from the country of Uganda, Africa. It is very hot and will rival if not surpass the heat of most Red Caribbean types. Seeds are rare. Plants get about a meter tall and are very prolific. Flavor is slightly fruity.
Habanero (Congo Red Trinidad) - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
This jumbo habanero type is commercially grown in Trinidad and can be found there in local markets. The plants are heavy producers of bright red, globular fruits. The peppers have a slightly sweet and smoky flavor. They are slightly hotter than the more common orange habanero varieties.
Hungarian Wax
The Hungarian Wax pepper is productive and easy to grow. The peppers grow about 8” long and are harvested when yellow. They have a crunchy, waxy skin. The sweet, hot flavor of these peppers makes them great for salads or for pickling. Their heat is comparable to a jalapeno.
Jalapeno
This jalapeno variety (Lexus) is one of the first to produce each year. It’s perfect for shorter growing seasons and cooler climates. It has thick, dark-green walls, and 3" cone-shaped fruits. These popular, pungent peppers are excellent fresh or pickled. We stuff these peppers with bacon and cheese to make jalapeno poppers!
Jalapeno (Lemon Spice)
These jalapenos ripen to a bright, sunny yellow. Add some extra color to a jar of pickled peppers! The fruits have thick flesh and a spicy flavor like the Early Jalapeño, but a little more heat and a citrus undertone. The lemon spice jalapeno is easy to grow and ripens early in the season.
Jalapeno (Zapotec) - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
This heirloom jalapeno variety hails from Oaxaca, Mexico and dates back to the time of the Aztecs! It has a sweet, smoky flavor and is slightly hotter than most other jalapeno varieties. The plants grow to be 2-3-feet tall with 1-2-inch deep green pods that ripen to red color with tan crack lines. This gourmet jalapeno variety is perfect for salsas.
Jimmy Nardello's
These seeds first came to the US from Italy in 1887. These bright red frying peppers have a mild, spicy flavor. The pods are long, thin, and tapered, growing about 10” long. Plants are productive and tall, and may need to be staked.
Joe Parker New Mexico Hatch Chile
Hatch is a term describing several different chile varieties that are grown in the Hatch region of New Mexico. This red hatch variety is perfect for roasting and for making red chile sauce. The dried peppers can also be used to make red chile powders. The Joe Parker pepper is about 8” long; it has thick flesh with a mild-medium heat. The plants are heavy yielding.
Maldivian Heart - Limited Quantity!
The Maldivian Heart is a habanero type pepper that comes from the Maldives, a small group of Islands near India. There, these small, heart-shaped chiles are used to flavor fish dishes and curries. Its flavor is most similar to a Scotch bonnet. Heat level is comparable to a habanero. Peppers are orange or red.
Melrose Sweet Pepper - STARTS NOT AVAILABLE 2024
Paprika (Leutschuauer)
This Hungarian paprika is one of our personal favorites! It's a milder pepper – mostly sweet with a lot of flavor and a little bite. It's a fabulous cooking pepper. Paprika peppers work well in tomato-based sauces and chilis. We also put paprika peppers on homemade pizza! The plants are comparatively easy to grow. They are prolific and produce steadily for several months. The fruit is a deep red color when fully ripe. Dried, the peppers can be stored in jars through the winter OR ground into paprika powder. (Yes! The paprika powder in your spice cabinet comes from this pepper-type.)
Paprika (Kapia)
The Kapia Paprika pepper is grown throughout Turkey and parts of Eastern Europe. Pods are a deep red in color. The peppers are rich and sweet. Unlike the Leutschauer paprika, the kapia has no heat. The fruits grow roughly 8” in length. Plants are prolific and the fruits are heavy. We use paprika peppers in sauces, on pizzas, for roasting, and for seasoning powders.
Pasilla de Oaxaca
This rare pepper is from southern Mexico. Fresh, its peppers are green and are traditionally served roasted, with salt. If you wait to pick them, however, they darken to a deep red --almost black. When dried, the peppers are a key ingredient in traditional moles. The pasilla's flavor is rich and smokey, and it's slightly milder than a chipotle pepper.
Peperoni di Senise
This sweet Italian gourmet pepper hails from the Italian village of Senise. It is traditionally fried in olive oil and sea salt, or sun-dried and turned into a seasoning powder.
Pimento - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
A pimiento or pimento is a sweet cherry pepper variety. Its fruits are large, red, and heart-shaped. The peppers have a mild flavor and are commonly stuffed into olives. Use pimentos as a flavorful alternative to red bell peppers.
Pippins Golden Honey
This multicolored sweet pepper is named for Horrace Pippin, a Philadelphian painter, seed collector, and activist. This pepper variety is an heirloom of the Philadelphia African American community of the early 1900s. This beautiful ornamental sweet pepper has fruit that ripens from purple to yellow to bright orange.
Poblano
This popular pepper originates in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The peppers are a dark green in color, ripening to dark red. They are mild, large, and heart-shaped. Their walls are somewhat thick, making them perfect for stuffing and roasting. Dried, the poblano is called ancho or chile ancho. Poblano plants typically prefer full sunlight and may require additional support (a stake or a cage) in late summer.
Scotch Bonnet (yellow) - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
The Gros Islet Scotch Bonnet is from the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia. It has a fruity, citrusy flavor. Its heat is comparable or slightly less than that of a habanero. This scotch bonnet’s peppers are a bright yellow in color and grow to roughly the size of a golf ball. These plants grow over 4 feet tall and are very productive.
Scotch Bonnet (MOA Orange) - SOLD OUT!
These spicy orange peppers are originally from Jamaica, where they are used to make Jamaican Jerk spices and sauces. The scotch bonnet is closely related to the habanero, but with a sweeter flavor and stouter shape. Scotch bonnets can be finicky during the early growing stages, but they are hardy and very productive once established.
Scotch Bonnet (chocolate)
Scotch Bonnet peppers are a staple of Caribbean food. This particular variety has large, bonnet-shaped fruits that ripen to a rich, chocolatey brown. It’s slightly hotter than the more common yellow and orange varieties, and it has a smoky flavor.
Serrano
The name "serrano" is a reference to a mountainous region in Mexico. This small finger-shaped pepper has a similar flavor to a jalapeño, but it’s spicier! The fruits are usually harvested while green, but if allowed to ripen they will turn a bright red. Serranos are most commonly used in salsas, picos, and relishes.
Shishito
The shishito is a mildly spicy, East Asian pepper variety. These plants grow well and produce bountifully. I fry the palm-length green peppers in a hot cast iron with a little olive oil, some kosher salt, and lemon zest.
Sugar Rush Peach
The Sugar Rush Peach is an aji-type pepper. It starts off sweet and fruity with notes of apricot, peach, and citrus, but finishes with a surprising heat. Sugar Rush Peach peppers are somewhat milder than a habanero. Peppers are about 3" long and a bright peach color when ripe. This pepper is productive and high yielding and grows 4-5' tall. It has a long season, producing peppers right up until frost. We start our aji seeds EARLY so that they have months of grow-time in our greenhouse before they make their way to your garden. This is a great pepper for spicy salsas and hot sauces.
Sweet Apple - Limited Quantity!
The Sweet Apple Pepper is a heart-shaped chili pepper. Its fruits grow 3-4 inches long; they have a thick, juicy flesh and ripen to a bright, dark red. Plants are very productive and disease resistant. A very sweet chili pepper ideal for all types of cooking. Use sweet apple peppers in place of bell peppers, for small stuffed peppers, or for sweeter sauces.
Sweet Scorpion - Limited Quantity!
The Sweet Scorpion pepper is a scorpion variety from grower Sandra Tipton. Most scorpion types have a floral flavor with superhot heat; this variation is fruitier and sweeter!
Thai Chili (Red Vesuvius) - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
These small, fiery peppers grow point-up. Their flavor is spicy and nutty, and their pungency makes them perfect for stir-fries and other Asian-inspired dishes. Use fresh or dry. These pepper plants are short and bushy, making them perfect for pots or for container gardening.
Thai Chili (Full Moon) - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
These prolific chilis ripen to a bright orange. They have a medium-hot heat blended with a surprising sweetness. These Thai peppers are a wonderful addition to sauces and salads.
Thai Chili (Orange Long)
Long Thai chili plants are short in stature and perfect for container gardening. The peppers themselves are palm length, mild-medium heat, and orange in color. These chilis are perfect for Asian-inspired stir-fries.
Tibetan Lhasa - NOT AVAILABLE 2024
Tibetan Lhasa peppers are widely grown in Tibet, where they are made into a spicy sauce and featured in a variety of dishes and condiments. Plants bear heavy sets of fragrant, flavorful chiles that ripen to a rich, deep red early in the season, and keep producing for long extended harvesting.
XXX
This pepper is not related to Pepper X, newly named the world’s hottest pepper. The XXX pepper is a Brain Strain cross. Like other 7-Pot peppers, this variety is extremely hot and has a fruity flavor. In appearance, pods are similar to a scorpion.