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What peppers can you get locally?

AndyW

AndyW

Where I'm from, most people tend to think that bell peppers are on the spicy side so most mainstream markets don't have much to choose from in spice. I found a pack of habaneros at Walmart once years before I started growing and that's about it (side note I grew the seeds out and they were the best peppers I've had to date. Flavor heat and productivity).

Well now I've stumbled upon a small "Mexican store"/Latin market. While it is occasionally laden with fruit flies (they had some overripe bananas at one time and I guess the flies stuck around), 2/3 of the times I've went recently I scored some of these (usually taking half or more of what they have available). Manzanos and what I assume are some type of hab? They're thin walled, with less fruity and more perfumey taste. They're around hab heat and most have that shape shown in a couple of the pictured pods.

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So what does everyone else have locally outside of bells/jalas/the occasional serrano?
 
SCORE!!!! I've seen pods similar to the "hab" sold at Walmart as habaneros. Manzanos would rock!!! I believe there is a Mexican store the next city over, but I've never been. I wanna go so badly.
 
Locally (stores) Habs, Jalapeno, Ghost Peppers
Locally (growers) I used to have someone who offered phantom peppers and Rocoto peppers (and all the flavors it comes in)
but he's not picking up the phone anymore
 
 
Bhuter said:
SCORE!!!! I've seen pods similar to the "hab" sold at Walmart as habaneros. Manzanos would rock!!! I believe there is a Mexican store the next city over, but I've never been. I wanna go so badly.
Click to expand...
I think they're probably shipped under ripe because the manzanos are mostly just bland and sour. Great source for seeds though. Almost 100% germination, but I forgot about 'em and let them die before they broke the dirt.

I found one manzano that had a sticker saying they were irradiated this time though, so these may not work out as well.
 
There's a stand at a farmers market not far away from me and two years ago it had a great collection of peppers.  They had ghosts, reapers, scotch bonnets, baha goats, aleppos, habs - I can't even remember them all.  A good list of interesting varieties in addition to a broad collection of the staples you'd expect to see - and at reasonable prices.  Last year they had fewer, but still some interesting stuff.  I went last Saturday with big expectations thinking to buy some bulk of a few varieties for sauces and what not and the only less-common variety they had was a small box of sorry looking scotch bonnet at $15/ pound. 
 
My conclusion is that there just aren't enough people out there consistently looking for any quantity of the hotter and more esoteric stuff that many shops are going to dedicate the space to it. There are, however, a lot of people wanting organic alternatives for the more common stuff so that's what they're loading up on.  Too bad, because the day I found that place it was like being a kid in a candy store.
 
CaneDog said:
There's a stand at a farmers market not far away from me and two years ago it had a great collection of peppers.  They had ghosts, reapers, scotch bonnets, baha goats, aleppos, habs - I can't even remember them all.  A good list of interesting varieties in addition to a broad collection of the staples you'd expect to see - and at reasonable prices.  Last year they had fewer, but still some interesting stuff.  I went last Saturday with big expectations thinking to buy some bulk of a few varieties for sauces and what not and the only less-common variety they had was a small box of sorry looking scotch bonnet at $15/ pound. 
 
My conclusion is that there just aren't enough people out there consistently looking for any quantity of the hotter and more esoteric stuff that many shops are going to dedicate the space to it. There are, however, a lot of people wanting organic alternatives for the more common stuff so that's what they're loading up on.  Too bad, because the day I found that place it was like being a kid in a candy store.
Click to expand...
 
It really is a niche.
I wonder how hot sauces do in farmers market? I bet it can't be anything more than jalapenos  
 
AndyW said:
I think they're probably shipped under ripe because the manzanos are mostly just bland and sour. Great source for seeds though. Almost 100% germination, but I forgot about 'em and let them die before they broke the dirt.

I found one manzano that had a sticker saying they were irradiated this time though, so these may not work out as well.
Click to expand...
 
I also sought out a grocery store (yesterday)  that caters to the Hispanic crowd and found manzanos (manzanas?) that looked identical to yours. I thought they tasted OK, but it was my first time time tasting one and have nothing to compare it to. Really juicy and crisp, sometimes would squirt juice into my throat.
 
Thanks for the heads up that the seeds might not grow. Good reminder for me to do a germination test!
 
I think our farmers's market is one of the largest in the state, but very limited amount of pepper choices. I guess the demand just isn't there.
 
Orange Habs, Serrano, Thai, Rainbow Cayenne, Ghost, Bells, Banana, Anaheim, Poblano, Jalapeno and sometimes Scotch Bonnets
 
Honestly it's not a great selection which is the main reason I started growing my own peppers.I wanted more flavours and varieties.
 
Fresh Thyme Market
Orange habs...appear to be Spartacus hybrids (Larkseed)...REALLY hot for habs.
Hatch atm for just 50cents a lb and they are really really tasty...Possibly Barker hots....A little hotter than others ive gotten locally and the shape is about right
Jalapeno and a very good tasting hot variety...always under $1/lb at my stores
 
Most normal stores and specialty markets
Crappy heatless jalapenos
Poblano
Anaheim including some Hatch when in season
Serrano
 
Asian market (Global Foods)
Some super hots (VERY expensive)
Ripe Fresno...damn hot too
Some Thai peppers
Indian Finger Hots
Plenty of habs and mislabeled bonnets
Green Aji Dulce....never have a damn ripe one and i think they suck green
Korean pepper flakes but usually from China. The Korean flakes are pushing $17/lb but the decent Chinese stuff is about $8/2lbs
 
Mexican market which i am going to in a few minutes
Fresh Manzano...yeah baby but around $5.99/lb
All the common Mexican chiles either fresh or dried
Plenty of habs too
Checking today for dried or frozen South American peppers like Aji Panca and rocoto.
 
Score!!! Fresh manzanos for $4.99/lb. Normally $5.99/lb 6 nice ones came to $4.54 and to top it off they threw in a 16oz tub of in house hot sauce made with pulla and quajillo peppers. This market has a small restaurant attached. So i shopped and had lunch. The waitress gave me a sample of the sauce they make when i asked for some hot sauce. Well i could not finish my massive burrito and i wanted to take home the extra sauce. Thats when she grabbed me a free tub of it.
 
The place is called Don Carlos restaurant on Cherokee st. Its attached to the Carniceria Latino Americana. The burrito mojado (pork) and tongue tacos were DELICIOUS!!!
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Just returned from my local Wegmans.  The selection was way better than the local Giant Foods, but, still, not stellar.  It was disappointing to not see anything from their local growers, either.  As for the hots, you're lucky if you can find anything other than a jalapeno at Giant.  The last time I was there, they actually had Cubanelles.
 
View attachment peppers.mp4
 
As labeled:
 
Jalapeno (Hot) Pepper
Serrano (Hot) Pepper
Hatch Chile Pepper
Italian Sweet Pepper (Yellow Color and Sweet Flavor)...they're green
Thai Chile Peppers....all green
Long Hot Green Pepper....???
Anaheim Pepper
Hungarian Wax (Yellow) Pepper
Red Hot Cherry Pepper
Poblano Peppers
Habanero Chiles ("Hotties," from Bailey Farms, NC)
Red Fresno Peppers
Shishito Peppers (Sunset's Shazam brand)
 
Plus, all manner, shape and size of sweet peppers
 
Up here in MN we always have jalapeno, Serrano, Fresno, Ancho and habanero. Sometimes there's cherry bomb, and every now and then some one off stuff. Shishito is coming around more.

I see the word Hatch in people's posts. Those aren't available this time of year. True Chiles from Hatch, anyway. Hatch is not a type of Chile, anyway, but a growing region.
 
In a few local supermarkets in the Helsinki metropolitan area, we have a selection of more than 40 fresh chilis that are grown in local commercial greenhouses. Annuums, Baccatums, Chinenses, Frutescens, Pubes, you name it. They are quite expensive, but the selection is really incredible and fresh.
 
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