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seeds desperately seeking bulbous facing heaven seeds that germ!

Nate (and PeriPeri)- I just joined the site, but had seen this thread before while wandering the internet for info on Facing Heaven Peppers. I ordered 10 Facing Heaven seeds from The Chilli Pepper Company in the UK last year (www.thechillipeppercompany.co.uk) and 8 germinated out of the original 10. One died quickly, and due to some severe environmental conditions last year  I only got peppers/seeds from 3 plants. One of them overwintered inside, but the peppers face down, not up. I have had one  of those ripen so far this year, and there are many green peepers ripening now. The ripened pepper looks and tastes like the description for Facing Heaven, just doesn't point the right way. I am growing out more seed this year from my initial seed collected in 2012 (which should be pure as I grew no other peppers last year) and hope to get at least some that point up, but in the meantime I am looking for another seed source. I offered seed this year through the Seed Saver's Exchange (collected from all three plants), but if either of you could do the same maybe this pepper will finally get into distribution in the western hemisphere. The seed is flat out not available outside of the UK, as far as I can tell. Doesn't make any sense, as Sezchuan cooking is as popular in the US as well as the UK.
 
Thanks, Carolyn
 
Carolyn, welcome! My plants grown from seed from the Chilli Pepper Company also point downwards, but the ones I got from Peri Peri are the real deal. I have been tasting my first ripe pods and they are not very spicy at all, but I think that's how they're supposed to be.

Anyway, the next time you make it into DC, I can give you seeds for the proper kind. Or, I can share if you send me a SASE.
 
Welcome Carolyn! I came across my Facing Heaven plant from a local lady who was selling seedlings. She does a lot of traveling to India and her collection also included many varieties from Asia - that I have never heard of. The plant that I am led to believe is a Facing Heaven var Conoides was actually supposed to have been a Hotazhel... but even in the unexpected there is always a nice surprises. I have overwintered the plant in question and it is doing really well. All things being well, the pods might still be true to its original phenotype last season. I will keep the plant separate this season to make absolutely sure it does not hybridize. Unfortunately all my plants are open pollinated.
 
I have to say that the colour was the most iridescent red of all the pods last season. It just made the eyeballs vibrate lol The flavour for me was fresh, fruity, citrus flavours with very little if any heat. I know nothing about the variety or what it is supposed to taste like. I did see that Nickys Nursery in the UK have Facing Heaven seeds for sale, but they do not look the same. I gather that there are many different varieties of Facing Heaven? If I knew what to look for I could maybe check with the lady I got my plant from to see if she has any more. Maybe I can make some more seeds available.
 
Nate - have you got pictures of the ripe pods? Would like to see if yours turned out the same.
 
Good to see you are getting results. I totally forgot that the Facing Heavens take FOREVER to ripen so I started them about the same time as last year instead of early with my super hots. I only tried over wintering one FHP last year and it died immediately. Im not all science knowledgey about peppers, are there "determinate" ones that only set a certain amount of fruit per season? I got the feeling the FHP were like this since it did not bud at all after the first, and only, batch last season. Seeing that you guys were able to over winter some I might give it another try. I thought it was a one and done type deal....
 
NateFrentz said:
Here's a pic of yesterday's harvest:
 
http://postimg.org/image/tsshz6oxl/

The seven large pods in the front are from the plant I grew from Peri-peri's seeds. They are not spicy (even less than I expected), but taste good.
Click to expand...
Hi Nate, great stash! The pods from my plant - how big are they? They look very large... it's difficult to get a sense of scale on the pic.
 
My plant is certainly overwintering, but have no idea if it will have pods in the spring. Don't see why not, but I will keep you posted.
 
I'm also looking for heaven facing pepper seeds -- I love Sichuanese cooking! 
 
@PeriPeri would be you willing to send me some, too? Happy to pay for shipping.  
 
gibletdinner said:
I'm also looking for heaven facing pepper seeds -- I love Sichuanese cooking! 
 
@PeriPeri would be you willing to send me some, too? Happy to pay for shipping.  
Click to expand...
 

If not, I have a load of dried Facing Heaven Big Rounds that should be what you're after. I cannot garuntee germination but I could certainly strip them of their seeds for you.
 
As for why people are having problems tracking them down, it's because "Facing Heaven" isn't a breed name. It's the generic chinese name for anything that grows upwards and sometimes even gets slapped on non-chinese chillies.
The two main types of proper chinese facing heaven chillies are the Seven Star and the Big Round. The former is a tiny chilli that grows in clusters of 7 (hence the name) and is used for heat, while the latter is bigger, rounder and used more for flavour.
Supposedly they taste nearly identical and have a similar heat level but the Seven Star packs that heat into a smaller body, while the Big Rounds bring more body to bulk them out and add to a dish's flavour.
 
Sadly, next to noone knows the true names of these chillies. Even my local dedicated store is clueless to the fact that there is more than one type of chinese facing heaven.
 
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