plant-i.d. Confused about Datils

[cmwr]

I was given a seed packet from a neighbor three years ago. It was datils from Bakers Creek. I fell in love with them and have been regrowing each year by harvesting my own seeds. I’m really confused lately after more research. All these years my peppers have had blunt noses instead of pointed. There seems to be a debate about the shape. The flavor and heat seems to be similar to descriptions I see online. I am confused about what a Datil should really look like and if I’ve been growing hybrids since I started? When mature they appear to be a yellowish orange instead of a bright yellow although I will say I am partially color blind so it could be my mistake. Can anyone enlighten me on the Datil? After this season should I start over with new seeds from a better source? I’m happy with what I’ve been growing but I would like to know I’m growing authentic Datils and not imposters. The attached pic is of an immature green Datil from this years plants

 

[Marturo]

No, we didn't modify them. We received foundation stock from a Florida gardener like 10-12 years ago.

OK. How do they taste? The BC Datil is a sturdy loaded pepper plant with pods with large thick skinned flesh.
Line any pepper I come across, not Super Hots they get tasted in food. Even the dried pods did not have that smell of fruity peppers.

BC seeds have stories attached about where the seeds came from. Like the Aji Charapita seeds they sourced from a native woman's
kitchen plant. I'm sure you may get different local variants from Growers like us when you travel the world in search of Peppers.

 

[cmwr]

OK. How do they taste? The BC Datil is a sturdy loaded pepper plant with pods with large thick skinned flesh.
Line any pepper I come across, not Super Hots they get tasted in food. Even the dried pods did not have that smell of fruity peppers.

BC seeds have stories attached about where the seeds came from. Like the Aji Charapita seeds they sourced from a native woman's
kitchen plant. I'm sure you may get different local variants from Growers like us when you travel the world in search of Peppers.

To be honest the BC Datil is one of the best peppers I’ve ever tasted and they are NOT thick skinned. In fact they are thin skinned and to eat one raw they are kind of chewy like cardboard. But flavor wise they are AWESOME. I don’t really know how they smell and to be honest with my sinus issues I may not be the best judge . They have a sweet tangy flavor. Possibly a little smokiness but my palette is not that refined lol. They are so good. They are far superior in taste to a habanero, not as citrusy as a Fatalii, but in my opinion a more rounded flavor combining all the good qualities I like. And these datils just do something to my hot sauces that changes everything. Heat wise? I’m waiting for a mature pepper to form orange so I can eat one. I’ve been growing for three years but I can’t base anything off my memory from eating one in the past years. I know they add some zip to sauces but nothing extreme. I’m sure they aren’t exactly the same as a st Augustine Datil as from what I hear they are much hotter! What I’m anxious to find out once I receive my pods is how the flavors compare. I’ve googled online for the flavor of an original St Augustine datil, and they all have a description that matches my baker Creek pepper. But when I was consulting with Raymond Powers about the flavor he said he don’t think they are sweet at all so I don’t know what to believe. Hopefully next week I should be receiving some authentic pods that I ordered from a Florida website and I will eat one and try to compare.

 

[SatanicFlatIron]

My SLP Datils, perhaps it's a further variant

 

[thegreenman]

There are at least a couple varieties called Datil. The Baker Creek Datils are not the same variety as the Florida / St. Augustine Datils. You can check out this thread for a lot more info. Your Baker Creek Datils look great!

There's only one true Datil. All the others are imposters. You can get the real deal from Raymond at Pure Florida. Just Google
I also got true Datil seeds years ago from www.Minorcandatil.com

 

[cmwr]

There's only one true Datil. All the others are imposters. You can get the real deal from Raymond at Pure Florida. Just Google it.

Already have some seeds from him. I’m not sure if I’m going to grow them next year though. I have limited garden space and want prolific plants and depending on what and where you read, some say the true Datil puts out a lot and others have struggled with shorter growing seasons like myself. I might do one in a bucket idk yet. I also ordered some pods from Mayhem Datil farms and I’ve really enjoyed them. They aren’t nearly as hot as my habaneros and honestly I’m not convinced the ones I received were any hotter than my BC version. And they taste similar. I won’t argue though it’s obvious the BC version is a hybrid of some sort but they are heirloom and grow true to seed every year. Both peppers are really delicious and from my experience have similar heat levels although others have had different experiences