Sweet Pepper, 'Criolla di Cochina'


(C. anuum) If you’ve ever seen Edward Weston’s pepper still lifes from the 1920’s (if not, you should look them up), this is the pepper subject he dreamed of! A study in organic form and beauty; the 4” fist-sized fruits wrinkle and twist in sinewy ripples and waves. Its thin-walled flesh is very aromatic and full-flavored, perfect for dishes that benefit from red pepper as flavor rather than big, sweet, fleshy pepper bites. 'Criolla di Cochina' hails from Nicaragua, where sweet peppers are known as chiltoma, and where some hypothesize the oldest sweet peppers may have first been bred from their spicier relatives. We’ve read that the classic use in its homeland is the sweet/sour salsa criolla campesino. We often slice one up and add it to a pot of cooking rice to infuse it with its delicious flavor. Upright plants are sturdy and productive. A unique and very lovely pepper, certainly one of the most beautiful we’ve seen.
80-90 days. UO

Packet: 30 seeds

Product Code: PEP-CC-pkt

Availability:In stock

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Growing Info

SOWING:

Indoors, 5-8 weeks before your last frost date.

Transplant out after danger of frost (50+ nighttime temps).

Note: Protect well from the cold!

PLANTING DEPTH:

1/4"

SPACING:

12-18" spacing in rows 18" apart.

EMERGENCE:

10-14 days @ soil temp 70-85F

LIGHT:

Full sun

FERTILITY:

Moderate. Prefers well-drained, fertile soil with ample phosphorous and calcium and a pH between 6.5-6.8.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Pepper seeds will germinate very slowly and poorly in cold soil.

Use a floating row cover to keep plants warmer during the day and as protection from cold nights.

Harvesting ripe fruit consistently will encourage fruit production.