(Capsicum annuum) This prolific, thin-walled sweet pepper, introduced in the US by friend and fellow seedsman Mehmet Oztan of Two Seeds in a Pod, is yet another excellent Turkish cultivar from their collection that has found a lasting place in both our farm production and our kitchen. Thin-walled peppers don't seem to be a particularly appreciated trait in the US, where the vast majority of peppers are eaten either in salads or as the pepper equivalent of carrot sticks, but we've grown quite fond of them and find them much more appropriate in a variety of culinary contexts.Mehmet tells us this pepper is most commonly used as a breakfast pepper in Turkey and is sometimes even marketed as "kahvaltılik" (meaning "for breakfast") at grocers and farmers' markets. Breakfast is an important meal in Turkey and is heavily tilted toward the savory side of things: olives, cheese, eggs, sucuk (dried spicy beef sausages), tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, fresh bread or simit (a circular bread encrusted with sesame seeds), jams and savory spreads. In this context, the peppers are served green, whole, and raw.Personally, we prefer ripe red peppers to green, and we loved them for seasoning rice, sliced for dipping, and even as small (two-bite) roasted/stuffed peppers. I suspect they'd be great pickled as well. They reminded us a bit of a red version of one of our favorite peppers, Petit Marseillais, and were far and away the most productive pepper in our field in 2022. Highly recommended.80-90 days. UO Packet: ~30 seeds [split] Growing Info SOWING: Indoors, 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. Transplant out after danger of frost (50+ nighttime temps). Note: Protect well from the cold! PLANTING DEPTH: 1/4" SPACING: 12-24" spacing in rows 24-36" apart. EMERGENCE: 7-14 days @ soil temp 70-85F LIGHT: Full sun FERTILITY: Moderate-Heavy. Prefer well-drained, fertile soil with ample phosphorous and calcium (too little calcium can cause blossom end rot) and a pH between 6.5-6.8. ADDITIONAL NOTES: Pepper seeds germinate very slowly and poorly in cold soil. Keep soil temperatures at 80-90F while germinating, and grow plants at 70F. After transplanting, use a floating row cover to keep plants warmer during the day and protect them from cold nights. Remove as temperatures increase. Too much heat can cause blossom drop. Taller varieties benefit from staking. Harvesting ripe fruit consistently encourages fruit production.
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