Criolla De Cocina is a traditional Nicaraguan sweet pepper producing medium-sized fruits (7–12 cm) that ripen from green to bright red. The peppers have thin walls, smooth skin, and a pleasantly sweet, slightly fruity flavor. Plants are compact to medium in size and highly productive, making them well suited for home gardens and warm climates.

Scoville Heat Units (SHU): 0–500 SHU

(Mild to sweet, with little to no heat.)

Cooking Use:

Excellent fresh in salads and salsas, or sliced into sandwiches and wraps. Its thin flesh roasts and blisters quickly, making it ideal for grilling, sautéing, or marinating. It also dries well for homemade paprika or pepper flakes and freezes successfully for later use.

The Peter pepper is a rare, hot chili pepper with a distinctive shape.

Peter peppers are irregularly shaped pods that are 4–6 in long and 2–5 cm in diameter. They have a wrinkled, cylindrical shape with a rounded tip and a cleft. The skin is glossy, waxy, and firm, and the flesh is semi-thick, crisp, and pale green to red. Peter peppers ripen from green to bright red. 

Peter peppers have a bright, vegetal, and sweet flavor with a moderate to hot level of spice. They are similar to jalapeños but slightly sweeter.

Peter peppers have a Scoville heat unit (SHU) rating of 10,000–23,000, which is hotter than a jalapeño. 

The origin of the Peter pepper is unknown, but it is believed to be from Appalachia, United States.

Santaka peppers are 2–3 inches long, thin-walled, and have a tapered teardrop shape. They are green when unripe and turn red when ripe. The skin is thin and wrinkled when harvested. 

Santaka peppers have a Scoville heat rating of 40,000–50,000, which means they are very hot. They have a simple, intense heat that blends well with other bold spices. 

Santaka peppers can be used fresh in stir-fries and soups, or dried into a powder for sauces, chutneys, salsas, and more. They can also be steeped in vegetable oils to infuse the oil with their heat.

The Aji Rico pepper is a hybrid hot pepper that won the All-America Selections (AAS) Edible/Vegetable award in 2017: 

1000-5000 SHU

Aji Rico peppers are narrow and conical, with thin walls and a crunchy texture. They mature from green to red and can be eaten at any stage of ripeness. 

Aji Rico peppers have a citrus flavor and a warm, medium heat level. 

Aji Rico peppers can be eaten fresh, cooked, or dried into a paprika-style powder. They are great in salsas, sauces, and soups.

Sriracha peppers are a hybrid jalapeño pepper that are large, dark green, and turn red when ripe. They are mildly hot, with a Scoville rating of around 2,300–2,500, and are used to make the popular condiment sriracha. 

Fruit: Large, uniform, dark green fruit that turns red

Skin: Smooth

Scoville rating: 2,300–2,500

Growth: Indeterminate

Days to harvest: 80–95

Spacing: 18–24 in (46–61 cm)

Height: 18–22 in (46–56 cm)

Here are some tips for growing Sriracha peppers:

Plant in full sun 

Ideal temperatures are 70–80°F during the day and 60–70°F at night 

Water deeply but not too often, about 1–2 times a week 

Wait to harvest until the fruit reaches full maturity to reduce yield 

Frequent picking will increase yield but will sacrifice flavor 

Use pruning shears or a knife to cut the fruit from the branch 

Sriracha peppers can be used for roasting, pickling, or slicing.

Origin: Japan. 

Other Names: Chilies Japones. 

Plant Characteristics: 2-3 feet tall, multi-branched, with peppers growing in upright clusters of 5-6. 

Flavor: Similar to Cayenne or Thai peppers, with a fruity and spicy taste. 

Heat Level: 40,000 – 75,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). 

Culinary Uses: Used fresh when a milder heat is desired, and dried and ground for shichimi togarashi. 

Growth: Highly productive, with new peppers appearing as older ones are harvested. 

Popularity: One of the most prolific Capsicum Annuum hot peppers. 

Purple Marconi peppers are a sweet, Italian heirloom pepper variety that ripens from green to a vibrant purple, eventually turning red. They are known for their narrow, tapered shape, reaching about 5-6 inches in length, and are a heavy-yielding variety. 

Color: Ripens from green to deep purple, then red.

Shape: Narrow, tapered, and can grow to 6 inches long.

Flavor: Sweet, with a mild, smoky flavor.

Taste: Sweetness increases as they mature from purple to red.

Usage: Can be used fresh in salads, fried, or stuffed.

Plant Height: Grows to 3 feet tall.

Origin: Italian heirloom variety.