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.