Litchi Tomato (Solanum sisymbriifolium) – Description & Uses

Litchi tomato is a unique, spiny plant related to tomatoes and eggplants. It produces small, round fruits that ripen from green to bright red and resemble cherry tomatoes. The plant features deeply lobed leaves covered in sharp thorns, along with attractive white to pale blue flowers with yellow centers. Despite its name, it is not a true tomato but has a similar juicy texture with a slightly tart, cherry-like flavor.

Uses:

Fresh eating: Ripe fruits can be eaten raw; flavor is mildly sweet-tart.

Preserves & jams: Excellent for making jellies or chutneys due to its tangy taste.

Desserts: Can be used in pies or sweet sauces similar to berries.

Ornamental: Grown for its striking flowers and unusual, spiny appearance.

Garden protection: Sometimes used as a trap crop to help manage pests like nematodes.

⚠️ Note: Only fully ripe red fruits are edible—unripe parts and foliage are toxic.

A versatile mix of classic and specialty Jalapeño Pepper varieties offering a range of heat from mild to moderately hot. This blend can produce peppers in shades of green, red, and sometimes yellow or purple, with thick walls and the signature crisp, juicy texture jalapeños are known for. Perfect for fresh salsas, stuffing, pickling, grilling, or adding a balanced kick to your favorite dishes.

🌶️ 2,500 – 8,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units)

This mix is ideal for gardeners who enjoy dependable, productive plants and flavorful peppers with just the right amount of heat.

Black Krim ORG

Beautiful 10 oz. maroon fruits with green shoulders have a flavor that can't be beat. A great prolific all-around tomato. It produces early and continues to produce until frost. Also, heat tolerant and very disease resistant.

History: A Russian heirloom from the Isle of Krim, located on the Black Sea. This rare tomato has a rich salty flavor and beautiful color inside. It is truly unrivaled for flavor - intense, rich and juicy. 

Fruit Color: Purple-Black with green shoulders. Shape: Flattened Globe Size: 10 oz.
Plant Habit: Indeterminate  Plant Size: 5’

Open-pollinated -Heirloom - Organic (75-90 days)

This chili pepper originated in Central and Southern America. However, the Espelette pepper was adapted by the Basque people during the 16th Century. The Basque Country is situated between the France and Spain borders.

The peppers are grown in the French community of Espelette in Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

The peppers are found wherever you do in this village. You can see the pepper drying from balconies and local shops selling them. While a lot of foods are flavored with these peppers.

The Espelette is graded 4,000 on Scoville scale. It is then seen as only mildly hot. Although a lot of people say that it actually tastes more sweet than hot. Alongside this, the Espelette peppers are high in vitamin C, B6, K and antioxidants.

The taste of this pepper is quite unique, As it tastes fresh and a little bit fruit with little hints of heat running throughout it. The spice of this pepper won’t overpower your dish, but you will detect a slight smoky taste.

If you use dried or powdered Espelette pepper, then this pepper tastes similar to paprika. The smokiness and sweetness is a little more intense, but it still isn’t overly hot.

Those who grow this kind of pepper, follow specific rules that have been set by the trade union of Espelette peppers. These peppers are treated as much as wine growers treat their grapes.

A lot of care is taken, to make sure the peppers are growing in the perfect conditions. They don’t want anything to affect the flavor or aroma of the peppers.

Capsicum Chinense with 1,300,000 SHU scoville heats

This is a high production pepper with growth up to 5 ft tall. 

Citrusy flavor, with insane heat. Fruity. Earthly Pepper.

Whatever its history, the variety bears highly desirable fruits, with intense heat and an interesting citrus-like flavor.

Starts off as purple then turns into a matrix of colors and finishes as orange/red ripe. 

Chile de arbol is a Mexican chili pepper with several names, including: 

Chile de arbol: The literal translation of this Spanish name is "chili from tree"

Bird's beak chile: Another name for this pepper

Rat's tail chile: Another name for this pepper

Tree chili: Another name for this pepperChile de Arbol are a favorite in Mexican cuisine because of their bold heat and subtle, natural smoky flavor. They originated in Chihuahua, Mexico and dry well with good red color for use as wreaths or other decorative items. Fresh pods can be pureed to make a sauce for chips or to season the pork filling for tamales. When left whole, they can add great flavor to oils and vinegar. Toasted pods can be ground into a powder to season red chile sauces or to create a spice rub.

Narrow pendant shaped fruits grow to 3” long and mature from light green to dark red with a woody stem. This vigorous plant can reach over 4 feet in height in one season and resembles a little tree. Capsicum annuum (90 days)

Heat Level: Very Hot.  Scoville Heat Units 15,000 - 30,000

~ Packet contains 10 seeds. 

Aji Limo / Lemon Drop

Plants are 2’- 4’ tall and loaded with slender 1-1/2” pods that grow upright. Chiles mature from yellow-green to bright red and have a unique, smoky flavor that creates their distinctive tabasco taste. Easy to grow and vigorous. Good for container gardens and ornamental.

Zones: 3-12 Open Pollinated, Heirloom, Hot Pepper, Warm Season

Capsicum frutescens (81 days) 

Heat Level: Very Hot  Scoville: 30,000 - 50,000

~ Packet contains 10 seeds. 

In early spring, start seeds indoors 8 weeks prior to warm nightly temperatures. Place the seeds in sterile media and cover 1/4” deep. Provide 85°F bottom heat, bright light and keep moist at all times. Seeds will germinate in 7 - 21 days. Transplant seedlings into pots and grow until there are 6 true leaves on the plant. Plant them directly into rich soil, 30” apart or into large 5 gallon containers. Harvest peppers when they are full size and glossy red. 

Greek slicing tomatoes are a key ingredient in Greek cooking and come in many varieties. They have a unique flavor and texture, and are often grown in the warm Greek climate.

Thessaloniki tomatoes are a variety of slicing tomato that are red, globe-shaped, and have a slightly sweet, berry-like flavor. They are resistant to sunburn, cracking, and spots, and keep well even after ripening. 

Characteristics: 

Color: Red

Shape: Globe to flattened-globe

Weight: 6–18 oz

Flavor: Slightly sweet, berry-like, with a tart aftertaste

Resistance: Sunburn, cracking, and spots

Plant type: Indeterminate, productive, and disease-resistant