A thread for hot pepper-a-holics...

[The Hollyberry Lady]

They sure are pretty, Janan! Not sure what they are but hope you find out. Very colorful and appealing. How do they taste?

If you remove the fruits that ripen to red before they shrivel and dry up, it triggers the plant to produce more. Leaving them to dry on the plant is fine, but it will be at the expense of new peppers, unfortunately.

If you remove the dried fruits on your plant Janan, in a very short time new blossoms will appear and then new peppers! "Pick-a-pepper" as the expression goes, don't hesitate, and you'll have more fruits than you know what to do with.


Beautiful plant and thanks for sharing.


: )

[stumpy4700]

Originally Posted by Bob

There's got to be about 60 fruits on this plant and it's healthy as can be.... got any recipes that wont land me in the hospital?
Thanks for sharing the seed...... I think!!!

Bob, I love to dehydrate them, grind some of them up into a fine powder and sprinkle it on pizza and sandwiches. It is also added to BBQ sauce for (killer) wings. I also keep some of the dried ones in a mason jar to put into chili and other sauces.....yum. My plant is about 8 inches tall so I won't get fruit this year but hoping for next if I can keep them alive over the winter.

[Jananas Bananas]

I'm picking them off now! I am saving seeds and will be saving the dried pepper to add as I am cooking. Thanks for the advice! They are called Marbles pepper and were developed at the Oregon State University and considered an edible ornamental. Here is more info on them:

A Rainbow of Bright, Marble-Size Peppers on Every Plant!
This charming edible ornamental bears masses of bite-sized round peppers in cream, white, yellow, purple, orange, and red!
58 days. Looking for all the world like a bag of marbles had spilled across its topmost branches, this 12- to 14-inch plant produces multitudes of delectable, tiny round peppers in a rainbow of colors: cream, white, yellow, purple, orange, and red!
Just the right size to pop into your mouth, these peppers have a Scoville heat index of 300 -- not nearly as bad as Habaneros, but with a definite bite! It makes a fun snack, a bold addition to salsas and sauces, and a colorful garnish!

Start seeds indoors or, in climate with short growing seasons, outdoors at least one week after last frost. If starting indoors, allow 7 to 10 weeks for the seeds to mature into seedlings large enough to transplant safely. Fertilize when the blooms appear, and water well. Fruit is most nutritious if allowed to ripen on the plant. Pkt is 25 seeds.

And here are some links if anyone is interested:

Park Seed: Pepper Marbles - A round hot pepper in cream, white, yellow, purple, orange, and red.

PlantFiles: Detailed information on Ornamental Pepper Capsicum annuum 'Marble 5 Color'

Marbles Pepper

Regal Peppers - Buy 5 Color Marble Pepper Seeds!

~JaNan

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Janan, we must arrange a trade soon. I have more pepper seeds than anyone you know I bet, and can offer you some unbelievable beauties that taste great too. "Marble" is one I don't have but would like to have.

I was thinking of offering you a beautiful heirloom pepper called "Fish" that has stunning white and green leaves and very tasty fruits that are wonderful in salsa and tomato sauces. I also have 4 other kinds I think you might enjoy called "Aurora", "Chilly Chili", "Fluorescent Purple", and "Black Pearl". You can check out my list and let me know what you want.

Maybe we can trade in the Fall...

Great you'll remove the red fruits. You'll be happy you did and the plant will produce more blossoms and fruits for you soon. It's beneficial too if you can fertilize the plant with a good blooming formula.

: )

[Bob]

JaNan.... be careful you'll have to buy a new seed storage fridge like I need at this point..... of course there's still some room left for beverages on football Sundays so....

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Very funny, Bob!


Careful, or I just might have to send you many more. After all, harvest time is coming...


: o

[PennyG]

@ Sherry!

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Took this shot early this morning...


Growing these ones indoors in my south window. Mostly ornamental but they have some heat to them...





: )

[The Hollyberry Lady]

More shots taken in early evening...

[The Hollyberry Lady]

They're all in different window sills and I needed time to round them all up to take shots of them from my bathroom window where they show up best.


Here's another orange variety, but they are a lighter orange...





These yellow ones have a cool shape to them...





These ones in the ground were supposed to be something else, but they turned out to be different than what I had labelled them. Not sure what they are but they look like they'll be good...





: )

[Richard]

A colleague of mine grew up eating chili peppers at every meal. He munches down Serrano peppers for a snack. So I gave him a bag of ripe Bhut Jolokai peppers and warned him that they are spicy. The next week he said that they were "very hot" and that he could only eat 1 a day. Jeez! One of those in a 5-gallon stock pot of stew is plenty for me.

[soundofthemusic1]

Below is an ornamental pepper plant I grew from seeds saved in 2009. After it was severely damaged by deer, I was lucky enough to bring it back to life.



Here is another shot of the same plant, a full view with flowers, peppers, and variegated leaves.



What I don't understand is that the parent plant did not have variegated leaves as you can see in the following picture taken in 2009.



How interesting...

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Nice shots, Rae!


The parent plants blossoms must have been cross-pollinated with pollen from another variety close by and the difference wouldn't be apparent until you grow the next generation of seeds...which you did, and discovered they were different than the original plant.

Here's the reason...

If you want to collect pepper seeds that are true to the parent plant, you must be sure there are no other different varieties in the area...

This is precisely why I enjoy growing peppers inside also...because the blossoms don't get cross-pollinated and my seeds are always true.

Hope this clarifies things a bit for you. Thanks for sharing your shots with us, Rae.

: )

[soundofthemusic1]

Thank you, Sherry.

I suspect that was what happened, but I do like the variegated leaves more.

Still waiting to see whether red and black color peppers will show up later this year...

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Yes Rae, please show shots of the fruits when they appear...


Richard...


those Jolkias are hot as hell and I can barely stand them myself. I've seen people break into a sweat from eating them and have even heard of people's heart's racing...which doesn't sound too appealing to me.

I only like the Bhut peppers in sauces and stews, but cannot stand them whole or by themselves. A guy from a pepper forum I belong too, brags about eating them whole all the time, but I think he's absolutely frigging nuts!


: )

[Richard]

Originally Posted by soundofthemusic1

What I don't understand is that the parent plant did not have variegated leaves

It may have been due to cross pollination -- particularly from eggplant, but just as likely is due to an otherwise benign virus.

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Yes Rae, what Richard has suggested is also possible...

Do you know what other plants were growing nearby and blooming silmultaneously with your pepper plant? This will tell us what you're dealing with. It could be a virus...unless there was also a variegated pepper plant growing nearby in which case cross-pollination would be the culprit...but you would have a lovely new creation!

After looking again at your pics though and seeing that the fruits have not changed but only the leaves, is a strong indication that it may very well be a virus.

Pepper viruses are somewhat infrequent however, so this was not my first guess...but if this turns out to be the case, discard the seeds and start again with fresh true seed.

: )

[Richard]

Originally Posted by The Hollyberry Lady

Pepper viruses are somewhat infrequent however, so this was not my first guess...but if this turns out to be the case, discard the seeds and start again with fresh true seed.

There are viruses utilized in the nursery trade to induce variegation, and some of them are not specific to peppers or Solanaceae. In general, they do not cause additional harm to the plant, fruit, or animals that eat the fruit. I would not discard the seed unless you are not interested in seeing what the next generation produces!

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Personally I would be most curious...I love the white and green variegated leaves and think it makes the plant way more appealing and attractive. Very unique.

If you are concerned about growing plants true to the parent in your original pictures though Rae, get yourself some new seeds. Otherwise, enjoy!





: )

[Jananas Bananas]

Some new buds on my marble pepper:


Fruit and blossom


Ripening peppers on my black pearl


Peppers before they are ripe - this one is in full sun, it makes the leaves nearly black


Blossoms before fruit


~JaNan