Sweetest Pepper???

[missionrandy]

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to know which variety of Sweet Pepper or Bell you find the sweetest and tastiest...

Please give a brief description of the variety you prefer!

Thanks,
Randy

[Andrey_BY]

Randy,
since the more thicker wall the more sweeter pepper, bell and tomato (cheese) types are sweetest. There ara so many such varieties so I can't choose one or two...

[shelleybean]

My first thought was the same as Andrey's--a red cheese type like Sheepnose or Topepo Rosso. I wouldn't bother trying to eat one of these while still green but after they turn red, they're usually very sweet.

[missionrandy]

Hi Andrey & Michele,

Some Cheese & Bell types of peppers can be sweet.
Though we have tried Elephant Ear, Red Marconi, Zlaten Medal and Corno Rossa, finding them to be some of the sweetest. None of those are bell or cheese types...

A few members have stated that certain bells or cheese types are the sweetest. Interested in varieties...

Thanks,
Randy

[Andrey_BY]

Randy,
you should compare bell and cheese types at one side and other shaped peppers on the other side and you will get the same opinion. But you should also know non-bell and non-cheese sweet peppers are usually much more productive and earlier! That's why I like them most... My shedule for this year: 25% of bell and cheese peppers and 75% of others
Isn't it too late to start peppers for you now? I usually do it in February for my Zone 4a and transplant in mid May into a cold frame. Probably you used to grow peppers only in open ground...

[obispo45]

Randy, I'll apologize in advance because this may not help you too much. The two sweetest peppers I have grown both have a bit of heat in them. The first would be Jimmy Nardello's... which I guess could be classified as an Italian type frying pepper. They are long, skinny, occasionaly twisted in funky shapes and sometimes have a tiny tiny amount of heat in them. Real good OP'ed variety that bears well in a variety of growing conditions. Here in Minnesota they have always produced abundantly and keep on going til frost.

The other one is a Turkish cayenne called Aci Sivri. This is a real fun variety to grow. Fruits can get over a foot long once in a while but the majority are between 9 and 11". They are quick to mature and usually one of my first varieties harvested. The heat issue with these is usually tamed by removing the ribs. Have found that heat varies from fruit to fruit on one plant. One will have virtually no detectable heat while one picked from another node over is noticeably hot. The sweetness is always present though....could almost be described as sugary regardless of heat. One of my top 5 favorite peppers.

I unfortunately haven't grown any pimento or cheese types yet, BUT that will change when I start sowing my pepper seeds next weekend. Think I have 4 varieties I'm going to try out. Can't wait to sample some of these in a few months! Good luck and have fun!

[missionrandy]

Hi,

The long, thin sweet peppers are fun to grow as you mentioned. Though you sometimes get a suprise from the heat in pepper or an entire plant.

Try some of Andrey's varieties in your area, they will do very well!


Have a great growing year!

Randy

[missionrandy]

Hi Andrey,

Last year I compared different Peppers, a few of yours, a few local, a few Serbian from Alex, along with some from Tania.

Found Alex's Elephant Ear(Slonsko Uno-Serbian) was one of the heaviest and sweetest peppers in my garden. Next was Orange Marconi, Corno Rossa and Trinity Red Bell from Tania. Had a cheese pepper called Red Ruffle that had real thick walls and produced well, though it was more juicy than sweet compared to the rest.

Ace Bell out produced most of them except Troyka. Ace Bell isn't very sweet though, best for cooking with, not eating raw. Troyka is more universal, a very good all purpose pepper. Cheers to the Belarus Institute of Agriculture! Excellent variety Andrey...

Take care,
Randy

[ddsack]

I'm not familiar with the term cheese pepper, how is that different than a bell pepper?

Since I live in a cooler, shorter season area, I have tended to grow hybrids, since they often are advertised as earlier DTM's and larger in size. In the past, I have never tried to save pepper seed, so that has not been a consideration. My favorite bell types (after a few years of trying nearly every variety offered) have been Big Early Hybrid and Giant Marconi Hybrid from TGS due to the large size and thick juicy walls. I can't say that I notice much difference, once they turn red, they all taste nice and sweet. I also like Spanish Spice Hybrid, which is not spicy, and is very sweet when red and also quite early. The shape is more like that of a long frying pepper. I did like Elephant's Ear, Ivolga and Red Marconi last year, but I did not get the productivity from them that I get from the hybrids.

Kind of funny, I have no interest in growing hybrid tomatoes anymore, because the op's are so much more interesting and taste better. But so far, I still do prefer the production and taste of the hybrid peppers. But I'm willing to be persuaded otherwise.

[Andrey_BY]

DDsack,

cheese peppers are flat and look like heavily ribbed flattend tomatoes. Usually they are latest to ripe in the garden and less productive than all other types, but have thickest walls.
But I doubt you will have a chance to grow them in your Zone without a good greenhouse/cold frame.

So better choose early sweeties with common conical/prismatic shaed fruits and medium walls. I have a lot of such varieties.

Thanks for a good testimonial, Randy! Leonid Mishin (a Head of Solanum family department of our Belarusian Institute of Vegetable Gardening) has been already informed that his babies (Belarusian tomatoes, peppers and eggplants) are doing fine all over the world. We used to get in touch during an active part of a season (Feb-March, July-September)...
Troyka and Alesya sweet peppers are his masterpieces as well as more recent heart shaped Parnas!

[mayax68]

Andrey, so is cheese pepper a what we used to call "gogoshar" in Moldova?

Maya.

[feldon30]

I always thought they were called pimiento peppers.

[PaulF]

I enjoy sweet peppers, but have not grown lots of varieties. There are three I like better than some of the other sweet peppers.

Cuneo: A long bell starting green ripening to yellow. Cut in half fills a sandwich. Very thick flesh.

Georgescu: Another elongated bell starting light green turns yellow then ripens to red. Very juicy and crunchy. I like this and cuneo raw on sandwiches.

Giant Arconcagua: A long thinner pepper, but very large overall. The fruit for me has been 8-12 inches long. Starts out light green and turns red. This is the sweetest of my three favorites and is good raw no matter the color and is really good put on the barbeque with any kind of meat.

[rxkeith]

i like jimmy nardello. another italian frying pepper that does well for me is frigitello. a new one i'm trying this year is dulce italiano. i get a few fully red bell peppers each year of various varieties, but most of them get picked green due to shorter cooler season, so i haven't taken notes which ripe ones are sweetest. always looking for good varieties for my area. getting some ideas here.


keith

[shelleybean]

Feldon, a cheese pepper is indeed a pimento pepper, but the word cheese indicates a shape sort of like a flattish tomato with lots of ribbing. Some pimentos are heart shaped, with a pointed end, and these are not called cheese peppers. Both are very sweet when ripe and have thick walls.