I grew something called Pumpkin Peppers this year - and just wonder what the heck these things are? I can't believe they're actually a pepper - certainly aren't a pumpkin. I get the feeling this plant is a genetic mutation created in the secret labs of the flea beetles - I've never grown ANYTHING the FBs like so much. I now have dozens of the "peppers" and wonder if I must put them in a dehydrator to dry, let them dry on the vine, in the barn...?
Can anyone fill me in on these things?
What's the plant look like? Have you tried cutting one and seeing what the flesh looks like?
There is a pepper called a pumpkin pepper, supposedly it's for using in crafts.
I get the feeling this plant is a genetic
I would think the dehydrator would be a better choice, but that's just a guess. I've never grown them.
Why did you grow them?
Penelope
I've actually got some pepper plants hanging in the garage right now. I've always found it easier to hang the plants than to pick and string the individual peppers.
(I very rarely grow hot peppers anymore. My dad and I were the only ones who liked them, and when he died 16 years ago a large part of my incentive was gone.)
If you search "pumpkin peppers" you end up with a couple of recipes and many, many pages of fishing lures...
I have a passing acquaintance with hundreds of pepper cultivars, but I have never heard of this one. A description should be useful. There is an unusual looking sweet pepper called Balloon and there are a couple of tomato shaped peppers.
The description, for those who don't want to bother with the link is:
"A pepper, that when dried, takes the shape of a mini pumpkin. It is hard when it dries and can be used in crafts that need a dried pumpkin shape. These peppers hold their shape after drying and won't mold. You can buy the peppers themselves or the seed to grow them. "
I was curious, too.
Penelope
They do look like very small pumpkins, though when ripe they're more red than orange - very fleshy/mushy on the inside when first harvested, but as they dry (as far as I can tell) they start to shrink and lose much of their weight. I have about a dozen of the peppers drying in a windowsill - grew them only because I try a few pepper varieties each year that I've not tried before - someone gave me 5 seeds of the Pumpkin Pepper.
For what it's worth, my favorites this year were Mushroom Pepper, Fish Pepper, Jalapeno Goliath Hybrid, and Medusa (a VERY colorful ornamental) all from Totally Tomatos, Burpee's Hot Lemon, Territorial's Autopick. From a packet of "Ornamental Pepper- Hot Mix" from Pinetree I found an unusual pepper with green & white stripes on each pepper, along with green & white foliage. No idea what it is, but it's a keeper.
After some one gave us the the lead to Eckler farms, I found the pumpkin pepper cultivar listed by Harris Seeds.
Yeah, I always try a few new ones. The problem with that is that my list of "must grow" peppers keeps getting longer and longer, but my yard isn't getting any bigger!
I'm assuming it's clearly a different variety of pepper from the Fish? I love Fish peppers, btw, they're on my "Must Grow" list. I put them in the front flower bed because they're so pretty.
Could your mystery variegated pepper be:
STRIPE - hot; 1.5 to 2 inches long by 0.5 to 0.75 inches wide; matures from green with white stripes, to orange and red, to red; pods are striped like a watermelon; plants have green and white variegated leaves; Uses: Ornamental, Compact; C.annuum.
Penelope
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