Hot Peppers And Specialty Sweet Peppers

Center for Crop Diversification Crop ProfileCCD-CP-101Hot Peppers and Specialty Sweet PeppersCheryl Kaiser1 and Matt Ernst2IntroductionHot peppers, also known as chili (or chile) peppers,owe most of their “heat” or pungency to a chemicalsubstance called capsaicin. This chemical is concentrated in the cross walls of the fruit and around thedeveloping seeds. Chili peppers can be mild to fieryhot, depending on the amount of capsaicin present.The amount of capsaicin in peppers is measured inScoville Heat Units (SHU). Currently, the hottest pepper is considered to be the ‘Carolina Reaper’ whichhas 2.2 million SHUs. A combination of genetics andenvironment are responsible for the amount of heatin hot peppers. Peppers that do not contain capsaicin, such as bell peppers (0 SHUs), are considered“sweet.” In addition to the hot types, other specialtypeppers include sweet varieties of unusual shape, sizeand/or color.Types of Hot and Specialty Sweet PeppersUnless otherwise noted, the following peppers areclassified as the species Capsicum annuum.Anaheim peppers, also known as New Mexican Chile,are a mild to hot pepper that are considerably longerthan jalapeños. They are bright green to red whenfresh and brownish red when dried.Banana peppers have long fruits that are pale yellowgreen to yellow, maturing to bright red. Both hot andmild (sweet) varieties are available. Some varieties ofhot banana peppers are referred to as Hungarian Wax.Cherry peppers are small (¾ inch to 1½inches) sweet to hot peppers. They aremedium green when immature and ripento red.12Habanero peppersHabaneros (Capsicum chinense) are extremely hotpeppers that are small and lantern-shaped. They arelight green to bright orange when ripe.Italian or Cubanelle types are sweet to mildly hot,long, and somewhat flattened. These flavorful pepperschange from yellow-green to orange, and then to redas they ripen.Jalapeño peppers range from sweet to mild to veryhot. They are bright green to purplish-green at theimmature stage and ripen to red. The skin of the ripenedfruit of some varieties shows a characteristic crackingor “checking” that may or may not be a desirable trait,depending on the buyer.www.uky.edu/CCDPoblano and Ancho peppers are mild tohot. They are called Poblano when theyare green and Ancho when dried.Pimientos or Pimentos or are sweet,Cheryl Kaiser is a former Extension Associate with the Center for Crop Diversification.Matt Ernst is an independent contractor with the Center for Crop Diversification.Cooperative Extension Service Agriculture and Natural Resources Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Youth Development Community and Economic Development

heart-shaped peppers that ripen from green to red.When dried and ground, pimientos are sold as sweetpaprika.Serranos are small and usually very hot peppers thatripen from green to red.Specialty Bell peppers include sweet bell cultivarsthat ripen to a color other than red. They may be yellow, orange, brown, and even purple at maturity. Goodpotential exists for high tunnel or rain shelter production of colored bell peppers in Kentucky. Miniaturebell peppers are 1 to 2 inches at maturity and ripenfrom green to yellow or red.Tabasco peppers (Capsicum frutescens) are small butextremely hot. These peppers grow pointing upwardand are generally harvested when red. They are grownprimarily for hot sauces.Uba Tuba (Capsicum baccatum) is a mild pepperwith a distinctive flavor. The novel flower-shapedfruit ripens from green to ruby red; fully ripened fruitare sweet. Researchers at the University of Kentuckyhave evaluated this pepper for both culinary and ornamental uses. Samplesof the culinary peppers were distributedto a small numberof chefs; those chefshaving “high end”Uba Tuba peppersclientele were veryinterested and used them stuffed with various ingredients as appetizers. The product was equally desirablewhen consumed fresh or cooked. Those chefs having amore general clientele were not as interested becauseof the preparation time involved in cleaning the centerfrom the pepper. The novel appearance of the peppersattracted a great deal of attention and the taste wasdistinct from that of other peppers.Latin American, Cajun, and Asian cuisine, may bemarketed to restaurants specializing in those dishes.Ethnic grocers may also be interested in fresh, locallygrown hot and specialty peppers.Market OutlookSpecialty peppers have become more popular as consumers seek more ethnic cuisine, spicier foods, andunique locally grown ingredients for recipes and preserves. Per capita use of all chilies (fresh and processed) in the U.S. increased from 5.2 to 6.6 pounds(27 percent) between 2000 and 2010. Use grew ata similar rate between 2010 and 2017, reaching 7.7pounds.Specialty peppers add variety and color at direct marketoutlets and may be sourced as an ingredient by valueadded food producers. In addition, many consumersfind uniquely colored bell peppers aestheticallypleasing and are willing to pay the higher market pricethis crop demands. The popularity of spicy foods hasalso increased the demand for locally grown fresh chilipeppers. Consumer interest appears to be persisting inmany of the food trends that helped support growth inhot and specialty pepper usage since 2000.Production considerationsSpecialty peppers are grown in Kentucky primarily forfresh market sales, although a few red bell and bananapeppers are still harvested for processing. Some hotpeppers are also sold dried.Plant and cultivar selectionCultivar selection is a critical decision for commercialpepper growers, but with thousands of varietiesavailable it can seem a daunting task. The greatdiversity of pepper types and cultivars makes itextremely important to know what characteristicsbuyers prefer. Pepper varieties differ in fruit size, color,shape, number of lobes, flavor, capsaicin levels, anddisease resistance. The level of pungency, which canvary even between cultivars of the same pepper type,is a major consideration in selecting chili peppers.Fruit color and shape are important in selectingspecialty sweet peppers. While standard bell cultivarsripen from green to red, specialty bells may ripen tovarious shades of yellow, orange, brown, white andpurple. Compared to green bell peppers, colored bellsare more difficult and expensive to produce because alonger time to maturity is required.Fresh market options include roadside stands, localwholesalers and retailers, wholesale markets, farmersmarkets, community supported agriculture, andproduce auctions. Hot peppers, which are popular inDisease resistance to Phytophthora blight, various virus diseases, and bacterial spot is available in somehot and specialty pepper cultivars. Due to the prevalence of bacterial spot in Kentucky, it is highly recom-Marketing

mended that commercial growers select hybrid varieties with resistance to this disease, whenever possible.Although resistant jalapeño, banana, and cubanellevarieties are available, many hot and specialty peppersare more susceptible to bacterial spot than resistantbell pepper varieties, and special precautions shouldbe taken. For cultivars that are resistant to bacterialspot, see Page 69 of the University of Kentucky publication ID-36, Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers df). While resistance to bacterialspot has helped reduce losses to this devastating disease, new races of the pathogen have been isolated towhich there is currently no resistance. Growing bellpeppers to full maturity will also increase their exposure and susceptibility to anthracnose; rain shelters orhigh tunnels can help reduce incidence of this important fungal disease.Growers should select well-adapted varieties that havethe qualities in demand for the intended market. Hotand specialty peppers are a niche item and should bemarket-tested before growing large acreages.Site selection and plantingMost (but not all) types of hot and specialty pepperscan be grown u

hot banana peppers are referred to as Hungarian Wax. cherry peppers are small (¾ inch to 1½ inches) sweet to hot peppers. They are medium green when immature and ripen to red. hABAneros (Capsicum chinense) are extremely hot peppers that are small and lantern