glog NJChilehead's 2025 GLOG

Before we get started, I wanted to post this image for the GLOG cover. This was one of the last harvests I got from my 2024 plants, which were picked later in December:

This is probably the earliest I've ever started pepper seeds! Usually seeds are started between 3/1 and 3/15, but this year I'd like to experiment a little.

My reason for starting this early is that I'd like to get split crops from my C. pubescens next year (a spring and a fall crop). Looking at the average temperatures for my area, it looks like the best temperatures for fruit set are from about 4/15 until about 6/1. Afterwards, it would be too hot for fruit set until September:

Considering the typical 8-week time frame between germination and plant-out, I figure if germination is between 1/1 and 1/15, I could grow indoors for a few weeks, do an intermediate up-potting, and then plant in containers somewhere between 3/15 and 4/1. This would give them a few weeks to get their roots settled and start putting on a little size for flowering. The plant might still be a little small around 4/15, but I'm hoping it'll wake up sometime around then and 5/1 to give me at least a few solid weeks of fruit set and growth. Time will tell!

I'm starting seeds for Rocoto Aji Largo for the experiment. I've read that Aji Largo is relatively easy to grow compared to some Rocotos, so I figured it would be a good candidate. I'm also attempting to germinate 20 year old seeds for Rocoto PI 593930 and Rocoto GRIF 9345, I believe neither of these are in circulation anymore. There are pictures of GRIF 9345 online, but nothing about PI 593930. The only thing I could find about PI 593930 is the following:

"PI 593930. Capsicum pubescens Ruiz Lopez & PavonCultivar. WWT-1371-A; Aji picante. Collected 11/03/1995 in Ecuador.Latitude 3 deg. 41' 49'' S. Longitude 79 deg. 41' 12•• W. Elevation 1060m. Provincia El Oro, Canton Pinas, Parroquia Pinas, Localidad Pinas. Locally grown. Purchased in market. Fruits oblong conical, 5-7cm long, 4cm wide, constricted at base, red when ripe. Piquant. Seeds black."

From: https://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/pi_books/scans/pi205.pdf, page 163

Pre-soaking the seeds from GRIF 9345 and PI 593930 (below). Eventually, all of the PI 593930 seeds and more than half of the GRIF 9345 seeds sank to the bottom. I don't know if there's any truth to the old float/sink test for potential viability, but maybe this could be a decent sign that at least one or two seeds might germinate for me. I have at least 30 seeds for each. I'd really like to resurrect these, keep them in circulation and share seeds with others!

I'm also overwintering an Ecudarorian Red Pepper from Hell and a Rocoto Turbo, to see if I can also get a spring harvest off of them. They were both prolific and tasty, and relatively easy, so I thought these would be good candidates! The ones pictured are actually my Ecuadorian Red Pepper from Hell (foreground) and Rocoto de Seda (background). I'm going to give the de Seda to a friend who really liked them when I gave them to him. My big concern with these is keeping them outside in the garage so that they don't bring any aphids inside!

Thanks for looking! I'll keep everyone posted as the season progresses!

 

[hotmanPete]

...apparently Aji Guyana heard about my last message and said "oh no he didn't!" because I went outside today and saw this! I'm thinking I might just wait until Monday and do a side-by-side comparison. Sugar Rush Amarillo is still taking the slow and steady route, but maybe the paradigm there is that good things take time

Are those peppers hot?

 

[NJChilehead]

Are those peppers hot?

Hey Pete, the ones mentioned in the cluster of Aji Chinchi Amarillo, Sugar Rush Amarillo, Aji Guyana and Aji Mango are all Capsicum baccatum species. They tend to be thinner-skinned and taste fruitier than some other species. The heat level on Capsicum baccatum can vary. I grew a C. baccatum called Aji Habanero many years ago and it was absolutely delicious but almost heatless, but I understand that some get very hot, near 100K SHU (close to habanero level).

I'm not sure what the heat level is on these in particular, but I'm going to do a comparative review of these as I taste them.

 

[NJChilehead]

Another little update from today!

Apparently the C. pubescens were feeling a little jealous of all the attention that the baccatums were getting, because after lollygagging along for what seemed like an eternity, Aji Oro decided to throw me a ripe fruit almost overnight.

The de Seda, not to be outdone by the Aji Oro, stepped right up to the challenge and ripened this one also seemingly overnight. Wow.

Looks like one of the Aji Mangoes is starting to blush too, which means that all 4 baccatums that I'm growing this year might actually ripen within a short time frame. Time will tell!

I harvested the first Aji Chinchi Amarillo today. I will harvest the Aji Guyana tomorrow and do a side-by-side comparison and report back.

First ripened Aji Chinchi Amarillo:

 

[MarcV]

Hey Pete, the ones mentioned in the cluster of Aji Chinchi Amarillo, Sugar Rush Amarillo, Aji Guyana and Aji Mango are all Capsicum baccatum species. They tend to be thinner-skinned and taste fruitier than some other species. The heat level on Capsicum baccatum can vary. I grew a C. baccatum called Aji Habanero many years ago and it was absolutely delicious but almost heatless, but I understand that some get very hot, near 100K SHU (close to habanero level).

I'm not sure what the heat level is on these in particular, but I'm going to do a comparative review of these as I taste them.

Thynnyr-Skynnyd

 

[NJChilehead]

Thynnyr-Skynnyd

Only if you're in Sweet Home Alabama!

 

[NJChilehead]

Okay, after the anticipation, the seed starting, choosing the best looking plants, nurturing, worrying, fertilizing, praying, and occasionally cursing at them, the time comes to actually try a few. Here are a few reviews of the season's first, and also some of the most anticipated, fruit.

First off, Aji Guyana (L) vs. Aji Chinchi Amarillo (R).

I've heard/read very good things about both of these, so I was really looking forward to them. Transcribing my notes from the trials:

First up, Aji Chinchi Amarillo: Wow! Sweet, and some heat. Probably 20-30K SHU at the placenta. Very fruity, sweet and delicious. A very nice tasting C. baccatum! I'm not sure where the line is as far as which fruit I would equate it to (tangerine comes to mind), I am going to have to report back on that, but this pepper is absolutely delicious.

Second, Aji Guyana: Also excellent. As good in every way as Aji Chinchi Amarillo, but also a little different in flavor. Less heat, maybe 5K -10K SHU at the placenta. The fruity flavor might not be -as- strong as A.C.A. and is counterbalanced by some vegetal flavor, but this pepper was grown in a grow bag with lots of watering, and A.C.A. was in ground, so that could factor in. Regardless, also a winner!

Two absolutely solid baccatums (I could just pluck one off of the plant and eat it in the garden!), and ripening within 75-80 days? Wow.

Now on to the Rocotos:

Rocoto Aji Oro (L) vs. Rocoto de Seda (R):

Last year I grew Ecuadorian RPFH, Rocoto de Seda and Rocoto Turbo. Since de Seda and Turbo were the only yellow/orange Rocotos I've ever grown, I didn't have anything to compare them to. The Turbo was a little sweeter and fruitier, with the de Seda being more vegetal. I overwintered the de Seda and am going to use it as a comparison against the Aji Oro.

First up, Rocoto de Seda: Exactly as I remembered it. This pepper has a strong vegetal flavor reminscent of (believe it or not) celery. It's not very sweet, but loaded with flavor, and it's hot! It also has a moderate bitterness to it that complements the eating experience. Of the three I grew last year, this would be third in line for fresh eating, but it does taste good fresh (really nice in salads), and it's dynamite pickled or used as a popper.

Second, Aji Oro: I really wish I had my reaction on video. My wife was in the room, and when I took the first bite of the fresh Aji Oro, my eyes got really big and I looked at her and said WOW! My first impression was that it is sweet, definitely sweeter than de Seda or Turbo, in fact it's sweeter than any of the pubescens I've had so far. It has a nice fruity flavor with little to no bitterness (I think I got a little of the placenta and might have gotten a hint of bitterness from it, but nothing anywhere near what de Seda offers). A little less hot than de Seda but still packs a hit, especially around the placenta. This pepper would be dynamite in jellies or pickled. Holy cow. I'm not kidding when I say that the sweetness/fruitiness reminded me a little of the baccatums. Also, if you've been following my GLOG, you'll see that this pepper is also pretty heat tolerant. A real winner!

Stay tuned, more to come!

 

[CaneDog]

Sounds like great results. I've never grown the Aji Chinchi Amarillo, but given your glowing review and how quickly it produced, it's going to find it's way into my grow list soon.

 

[NJChilehead]

I decided to get a little creative. I took another ripe Aji Guyana, plus some Sungold cherry tomatoes, plus a little garlic and sea salt, sauteed the Aji Guyana and garlic in olive oil, added the Sungolds and sea salt, sauteed them together, and put that little makeshift salsa over chicken. Man was that good!!

My sons tore into the salsa before I got to take a photo of the whole batch. The photo doesn't do it justice. It was goood!

Sounds like great results. I've never grown the Aji Chinchi Amarillo, but given your glowing review and how quickly it produced, it's going to find it's way into my grow list soon.

Yup, it's a winner, thanks again to @JAB Farms for recommending it! I'll be sure to put some seed aside for you!

 

[NJChilehead]

More first harvests of the season today!

First up: I got a few nice Bahamian Goat peppers off the plant today, and there are a few still on the plant that are about at the halfway mark. There are also Orange Habaneros, Aji Chombos, and a Congo Black Habanero that are all in various stages of ripening. I've never tried Bahamian Goats before, and will report back when I finally do!

Next up, we have Aji Mango (L) and Sugar Rush Amarillo (R):

Aji Mango (L) and Sugar Rush Amarillo (R), notice the thickness of the walls, and how much more seedy Aji Mango is than SRA (at least in these particular two fruit):

...and now for the good part, here are the tasting notes! Keep in mind that this is only the first fruit and may not be representative of later harvests (which tend to be tastier, I have found).

Note that both of these baccatums start cranking out ripe peppers in a pretty good time frame. By my count, these were harvested 84 days from transplant. Not bad at all!

First up, Aji Mango (source was Baker Creek Seeds):

First bite was of wall only, no seeds or placenta. Sweet, a little grassy, sightly less fruity and more vegetal than the other two Ajis that were reviewed upthread, with no hints of mango detected. Slightly more watered down flavor vs. SRA. Not bad at all, probably a little better processed vs. fresh, or even mixed into a salad. It wouldn't be my favorite pepper to stand and eat in the garden, but if it were the only baccatum out there, I wouldn't throw it away. No detected heat from wall, no soap. Next bites included walls plus seeds and placenta. I'd estimate 25K-40K SHU at placenta, with soap and perfume detected.

Second, Sugar Rush Amarillo:

First bite of wall only, no seeds or placenta. Sweeter, juicier (notably juicy, very nice!), stronger flavor and more tropical flavor than Aji Mango. Almost a hint of fruit juice. No grass, soap or perfume detected. Very nice garden snack! 1st bite was reminiscent of Sugar Rush Peach, but stronger, more definite tropical fruit flavor. Little to no heat detected with bite of wall. Next bites included walls plus seeds and placenta. I'd estimate initial burn of 10K (+/- 5K) with placenta and seeds included, but it had a weird afterburn spike afterwards that put it over 10K for a short time. Light perfume detected at placenta, but no soap. Better than Sugar Rush Peach, in my opinion. @Marturo @The Hot Pepper and one or two others have asked about this pepper as far as flavor compared to SRP, so far I think this one is a winner over SRP, if not only for the better flavor, but also for the shorter ripening time! Thank you @Bou !

More to come!

 

[Marturo]

First bite of wall only, no seeds or placenta. Sweeter, juicier (notably juicy, very nice!), stronger flavor and more tropical flavor than Aji Mango. Almost a hint of fruit juice. No grass, soap or perfume detected. Very nice garden snack! 1st bite was reminiscent of Sugar Rush Peach, but stronger, more definite tropical fruit flavor. Little to no heat detected with bite of wall. Next bites included walls plus seeds and placenta. I'd estimate initial burn of 10K (+/- 5K) with placenta and seeds included, but it had a weird afterburn spike afterwards that put it over 10K for a short time. Light perfume detected at placenta, but no soap. Better than Sugar Rush peach, in my opinion.

Those Goats look delicious. The goats have an intoxicating aroma & full Bonnet heat. We had a Lesya with a salad for dinner, !/2 each
Goat & Lesya stored together & that sweet Lesya was spicy LOL.

I like the taste profile of the Sugar Rush Amarillo I'll need a spicy Birthday card this Fall.

 

[Harmonic_Heat]

Those all look delicious especially that makeshift salsa! Thanks for sharing your tasting observations!!

 

[CaneDog]

I like your reviews, NJC. Not just the learning about varieties I haven't tried but it's cool to hear your take on ones I have.