Family:  Nightshade (Solanacea)

Annual, 65 to 70 days to harvest

Heat:  Moderate (10,000 on the Scoville Heat Scale)

(Halaby Pepper, Pul Biber)  A blunt-bottomed red pepper growing less than 2 feet tall.  No staking necessary, this plant also makes a good leaf cover against sunburn of the fruits, which can be damaging to any kind of pepper. Native to Syria and Turkey, this variety is named after the ancient city of Aleppo, once located on the famed silk road of antiquity, now in ruins.  Aleppo pepper is used mainly in the dried, crushed form. The peppers dry quickly and are not likely to go bad on the drying rack.  They do not tend to mold.  The peppers are very thin-skinned and thin-walled, so they may be readily ground through an herb cleaning screen (pictured in gallery) or dry blended in a blender and made into pepper flakes to sprinkle on food as a condiment.  The taste is slightly smoky, salty, sweet, warming.  This is a rare and desirable type that may be gainfully grown in the temperate garden, using standard propagation technique for peppers.

20 seeds per packet, certified organically grown

Traditional usage (TWM): flavor enhancement, circulation stimulant, antibacterial, vermifuge, against shock, life extension, prophyllactic to cancer and heart disease.*  Source of capsaicin.

* American Heart Association Scientific Sessions Report, Presentation P1036

• Consumption of chili pepper may reduce the relative risk of cardiovascular disease mortality by 26%, according to an analysis of diet and mortality data from four large, international studies.
• Chili pepper consumption was associated with a 25% reduction in death from any cause and 23% fewer cancer deaths, compared to people who never or only rarely consumed chili pepper.