Pepper, Aji Colorado (Capsicum baccatum), packet of 30 seeds, organic

Family:  Nightshade (Solanaceae)

Perennial in Zones 10-12, otherwise grown as an annual, 120 days to harvest

~30,000 Scoville Heat Units

(Aji Colorado Chili Peppers) Member of a little known group of peppers native to Bolivia and Peru.  Makes a fast growing, flat-topped bush 24-30” tall, loaded with ornamental flowers giving way to red, elongated fruits that are not particularly hot, but have a lot of flavor.  We use these sweet-spicy, thin-walled fruits fresh in season, as a fresh condiment, sliced up on stir-fry or whenever someone has the impulse to soak some beans and make chili.  As a dried pepper, they make a great sprinkle for the table, the pizza, or both and ground up they become an incomparable chili powder.  The plants are highly adaptable to N. American temperate gardens, with easy germination in cool soils and a short maturation period, although not as quick as “Criolla Sella,” which is a related pepper that is also recommended.  Aji Colorado handles wet conditions and high elevation better than other peppers—resistant to viral pathogens.  Another highly significant aspect of Capsicum baccatum is that the mature peppers or nearly mature peppers remain more or less unaffected by light frosts.  This means that harvest may occur on into November in our zone 6, and we make some of the best harvests on this plant in the late season.  Do not prematurely pull up vines–they will keep pumping!

30 seeds/pkt., 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.