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Seeds direct from Lima, Peru!!!

Given that I`m an obsessive compulsive online searcher, I found this group of varieties available from someone in Lima, Peru. It`s a very cool set of varieties, so I thought F**k it and placed an order. 
 
The seeds arrived from Peru today and look very promising indeed. The Rocotos are obviously right!!!
 
 

 
 
 
Nice deal there Nigel, did you get the Free shipping also or was that just for the local areas? quite a few Aji peppers and the Rocoto was right at least by the photo's At $9.00 you can't beat that if all of the seeds produce what they are supposed to.  I'm wary of Ebay, just to many fakes out there trying to make a buck.
 
wildseed57 said:
Nice deal there Nigel, did you get the Free shipping also or was that just for the local areas? quite a few Aji peppers and the Rocoto was right at least by the photo's At $9.00 you can't beat that if all of the seeds produce what they are supposed to.  I'm wary of Ebay, just to many fakes out there trying to make a buck.
Free shipping all the way to California!
 
From looking at the seeds I`d expect a lot to be the right species, if not all. Whether the varieties are right, I have no clue. I am encouraged, though.
 
Info I left out,
 
 
  • Aji Rocoto: Clasic chili pepper from Peru, used in most of peruvian cuisine, black seeds.
  • Aji Amarillo: orange color, also known as "escabeche" or "mirasol" (when it is sun dried)
  • Aji Panca: dark red, generally used on dried form as condiment 
  • Aji Paprika: generally used as a coloring agent in foods and cosmetics but it has a good flavor
  • Aji Charapita: very tiny but also very hot. It is from peruvian amazonian jungle
  • Aji Limo: very hot, used in traditional peruvian food "ceviche"
  • Aji Cacho de Cabra:  (goat's horn, because when it is larger then it can take that appearance) 
  • Aji Arnaucho 1: yellow or red. It has a particular shape.
  • Aji Arnaucho 2: slightly smaller size than the previous and with many colors, 
  • Aji Cerezo 1: tiny but hot. This is from peruvian amazonian jungle. It has a thin skin.
  • Aji Cerezo 2: from north of Peru, very hot, size is aprox 1 inch, it has a thick skin
  • Aji Verde:  from peruvian amazonian jungle, small size (between 1 and 2 inches), very hot, It has a thin skin.
  • Aji Pipi de Mono: from north of Peru, very hot, it has a thick skin
  • Aji Dulce:  from peruvian amazonian jungle, medium size, It is not hot and has a particular flavor
  • Aji Pacay: similar to Aji Amarillo but with larger size (near 10 inches)
  • Aji Mochero: this is an ancient chili pepper from north of Peru, lemon yellow color, plants are low in height.
 
IMG_3537_zps3836bebf.jpg
 
Very interesting find,Nigel.
 
"Excludes:
Africa, Asia, Middle East, Oceania, Southeast Asia, ITA"

Doubt they would have made it through Australia customs but for $9 I would have risked it. They would have probably have tasted sour anyway :-p
 
From Peru a few years ago-

http://s403.photobucket.com/user/smoemaster_2007/media/IM004223.jpg.html?sort=2&o=884

http://s403.photobucket.com/user/smoemaster_2007/media/IM004222.jpg.html?sort=2&o=885

http://s403.photobucket.com/user/smoemaster_2007/media/IM004224.jpg.html?sort=2&o=890

http://s403.photobucket.com/user/smoemaster_2007/media/IM004221.jpg.html?sort=2&o=891

Pods from Peru.
Google Peru Baseball,you'll find picks of a red baseball sized Rocoto and an Aji Amarillo I was given by friends years ago.
Mom's pickled peppers made it through customs.
Pods were put in a jar full of water-they were considered processed pods.Fresh is a no no.
They were waterlogged and the water was liquid fire when I grabbed the pods-use the water to boil rice or whatever,don't waste it.
Pods got soggy but seeds were great.
Do the whole thing just before you head to the airport if you want less waterlogged pods.
Aji Amarillo pods were about 7 inches long average.Baseballs were 3 1/2 in +/-.

http://s403.photobucket.com/user/smoemaster_2007/media/IM003468.jpg.html?sort=2&o=78

http://s403.photobucket.com/user/smoemaster_2007/media/IM003465.jpg.html?sort=2&o=81

http://s403.photobucket.com/user/smoemaster_2007/media/IM003466.jpg.html?sort=2&o=80

The problem with a LOT of Peru Aji's is AJI,Rocoto Etc. covers a TON of variations of LANDRACE peppers.
All yellow/orange pods are called Aji Amarillo in Peru-in general.
SEED CO. make different names for them IF they are larger,smaller or whatever.
A LOT of times it is really the same pepper but grown out in a place with different conditions.
Not really a different variety, not even Landrace-just better or poorer growing conditions - thus a new name from seed vendors...
My Peru source collected seeds from farmers/street markets under whatever the local name was.
Aji Amarillo and the brown poded peppers seem to be VERY similar,if not the same except for the Baccatum or Chinenxe.
Toss in the VERY FEW Annuums and it really was a crap shoot.
Seed vendors-not commercial for the most part used local names to sell the same thing as different varieties.
Or Annuums (yellow chiltepin or ?)as Charapita instead of the Chinense.
Over the years I've gotten a Lot of brown pods from Peru markets that are Chinense,Baccatum or Annuum that are called Aji this or that.

But in the long run,IF you are like me,I WANT every pepper known to man and then some. LOL

Gotta play the game to possibly win...

Several of the pods pictured above I know OR think I know by different names.Depends if they are Baccatums or whatever.Probably depends on the place they were grown.
I LOVE Landrace stuff!
Sometimes names muddle things up.
But it all comes out in the grow.

Like they say,the journey is a lot of times more better than getting to the destination.
 
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