Peak season is pepper season! Just like tomatoes, we try to grow every shape, flavor, and color in the books-so no one has an excuse not to love one. This year we’re bringing back some fan faves in a big way while also turning up the heat and trialing a wide range of super hot varieties. And just to make sure you can keep enjoying our peppers after their season ends, we’re growing some special ones specifically known for drying. Thanks to Fire Tongue Farms in Santa Cruz , a local company who specializes in drying and smoking peppers, you can enjoy our dried peppers in soups, marinades, and and stir fry all year long! Check out the details below on all we’re growing.

The larger plantings:

Jimmy Nardello:
Don’t let the red look fool you- these babies are deliciously sweet and hold a rich fruity flavor that perfectly softens when pan fried. Brought to the U.S. from Italy in the late 1800s, these skinny peppers are nearly impossible to find at any supermarket. This year, we’re growing three large plantings, totaling over 15,000 seedlings, which is more than any other pepper we have! Once you taste them, you’ll understand why.
Jedi Jalapeno:
Jalapenos are a kitchen staple and we’ve found this variety to produce a consistently abundant crop. Use them fresh in dips, casseroles, or if you need some creative spice in your baking endeavors!
Red Rocket Cayenne:
The flavor on these thin walled fruits is both fiery hot and sweet. They’re great fresh, dried, and are often used for pickling, salsa, or making hot pepper flakes. Some folks even like to dry and string them for some funky fall decor. You can expect these for sale from August through October.
Helios Habanero:
Hot Hot Hot. Make sure you wash your hands after touching these guys. The helios variety produces a larger than standard habanero fruit with a beautiful bright orange skin. Fire up the grill and use these in meat marinades or on the side for a spicy summer salsa.
El Eden Guajillo:
One of our newest and coolest varieties, this pepper is grown specifically for drying and we plan to send most of them off to Fire Tongue Farms! While it’s not recommended to eat these fresh due to their tough skins, Guajillo peppers are excellent when dried and typically used for making mole or seasoning powders.
Padron:
Similar to shishito peppers, the gamble is part of the appeal. Generally only 1 in every 10 peppers is hot, while the rest maintain a rich earthy flavor. Their best taste comes out when pan fried or charred on the grill and they go great alongside any type of grain, tomato, or on a kabob skewer!
Shishito:
Small, wrinkly, and highly productive, shishito peppers take second place for ‘most pepper plants per variety’ this year. These are commonly used in asian cuisine with soy sauce and/or sesame seeds and oils. They’re also are delicious when charred as an appetizer and drizzled with lemon and butter. Once you buy a pint, you’ll never only buy just ‘one more’ again.
Espelette:
Espelette peppers are arguably the pepper we’re most excited for this year. They’re famous in French Basque country and were originally cultivated in the small French commune of Espelette. Considered only mildly hot, these peppers are used across France and Spain with seafoods, meats, beans, and cheeses. Similar to our Guajillo peppers this year, we plan to use most of these for drying.
Wa Mae Wo:
This Korean pepper has an mid-upper range heat level and a nice crunchy and salty bite to it. It’s delicious raw in salads or cooked with other summertime produce and sauces.

The Trial Plantings:

These varieties are a mix of Korean peppers, Japanese peppers, and super duper hot peppers. Some of them make you tear up just from looking at their photo! We’re trialing only a small amount of each (about 50 plants) to see which ones we love, grow well, and want to amp up for next year. Be sure to let us know which ones are your favorites.