A Guide to Sweet Peppers
The nightshade family is full of vegetables that we love to grow here at the farm. These include potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and last but not least...peppers! The first pepper most people try is a sweet one: bell peppers. These garden jewels come in many colors including red, yellow, purple, white and striped. Other sweet peppers include banana peppers, italian frying peppers, lunchbox peppers, shishitos and poblanos.
Looking to add some sweet peppers to your summer cooking? We have many available for purchase in our Online Farmers Market and you can get recipe ideas for them on our website!
Green Bell Peppers
Green bell peppers are crunchy with an aromatic, green, less sweet and almost bitter flavor than the other colored varieties. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and also contain vitamins A, B6, and K, potassium, folic acid, fiber, and beta-carotene.
DID YOU KNOW? Green bell peppers are actually the unripe version of any bell pepper, and have a slightly spicy character (without the fruitiness and sweetness of a red bell) that can add interest to dishes.
Shishito Peppers
They’ve been trending in the past several years for their especially delicious flavor when fried and salted! They are often picked green and have a lovely, sweet vegetal flavor with thin walls in a bite-sized package. Shishito peppers are almost all sweet… but there’s one little known fact: shishitos have a unique genetic characteristic where a very small percentage can be spicy! It rarely happens but this fun trait is part of what makes them so interesting (and a good thing to know just in case).
Glow Peppers
These peppers are sweet, fruity, and delicious. Glow peppers are wonderful for fresh use and in salsas, in salad, or as a burger or sandwich topping.
Lunchbox Peppers
Lunchbox peppers are also known as snack or mini peppers. They are smaller than bell peppers, yet they have a sweeter and fruitier taste. Snack on the raw, roast them, or make stuffed mini peppers for an appetizer!
Cubanelle
Cubanelle peppers have a mellow honey-mixed-with-pepper flavor with a low heat. They're not spicy, but they're not quite as mild as regular sweet peppers. The flesh of the Cubanelle is thinner than a bell pepper or poblano and is more similar to an Anaheim. Cubanelles are great for making stuffed pepper recipes!
Escamillos
Escamillos are a yellow Italian frying pepper. They taste sweet and have a crunchy texture - perfect for stuffing or grilling!
Carmen
These super sweet, very delicious Italian peppers are delectable roasted, grilled and in salads.
Jimmy Nardello
The Jimmy Nardello pepper is sweet and light when eaten raw. An almost uncanny sweet, fruity flavor makes these peppers tempting and delightful eaten straight off the plant. It is considered one of the very best frying peppers as its fruity raw flavor becomes perfectly creamy and soft when fried.
No Heat Jalapeño
Love jalapeño poppers, but not the heat? We present you with Nadapenos! They have all of the same delicious flavor or jalapeños and are perfect for pickling, in dips or hummus, or as a topping on meals.
Round of Hungary
These are a sweet, round, pimento cheese pepper. Their shape makes them ideal for stuffing and they’re also great in salads!
Banana Peppers
They are also referred to as banana chilis or a yellow wax pepper. They have a sweet, mild taste and they're about five times milder than the average jalapeno. To call these peppers "spicy" would be a stretch, as their flavor sensation is more of a subtle tang.
Looking for sweet pepper recipes?
Check out our website!