Your Favorite Paprika Pepper

[GoDawgs]

I've grown Alma last year for the first time and Feher Ozon this year. The Alma plants seemed to be slow growing with small peppers that took a long time to turn red. Is that normal for the variety or just the ones I grew?

This year it's Feher Ozon. It has done better and I'll probably overwinter one but after reading several paprika threads here, Leutschauer seems to be a favorite. Those threads were created a while ago and I was wondering if Leutschauer is still a crowd favorite or is there something else I should consider? The end game is making paprika powder.

[greenthumbomaha]

I grew Alma. It was not what I call small, but it is not large like a bell or marconi. I gave up on paprika because it takes so long to ripen in a normal summer in my area (it was hot as the dickens all summer here so probably would have done well). I am surprised to hear it takes long for them to ripen in Georgia! Maybe try another seed source. If I have any seeds left they would be very old but I will check during the mid winter doldrums.


- Lisa

[GoDawgs]

I think the Almas didn't get enough sun as I had them in containers sitting on the pallets with the tomatoes. That whole bed was entirely too shady and it cut tomato production back too. So I'll try them again next spring along with something else.

I've got a new spot planned for them next spring. Full morning sun but a bit of shade maybe 1:00-3:00 or so and then fun sun again. Trying to find that sweet spot after all day full sun really cooked them Spring '19!

[Zeedman]

Alma does take a long time to ripen; but given that, it is highly productive. The ripe dry peppers grind to a deep red, sweet paprika. Feher Ozon has a different shape, but its habit, productivity, and DTM are similar. I have grown both here, ripening can be hit or miss if it is a cool/cloudy year, or if a wet Spring delays planting.


My favorite for paprika though is Pelso. It too is a "white" pepper, similar in appearance to Feher Ozon, but with a little more heat. I believe it was sent in trade by someone on this forum, years back. The original packaging said it was from Amishland Seeds, who sadly went out of business this year.


BTW, I grow quite a few of the "white" Hungarian peppers, including Taltos and Bacskia this year. The common feature of the "white" peppers (cream or yellow immature color) seems to be uniformly high productivity. Even here, they seem to benefit from a little shade (although it does lengthen the DTM). In your climate, provided you can find a place with full sun, they may benefit from a light shade cloth.

[FarmerShawn]

I've had good luck here in northern Vermont with Boldog Hungarian Spice, seeds from Fedco. It's productive, dries easily, makes a stunningly red paprika, and, best of all, I get ripe peppers this far north!

[habitat_gardener]

I have a question about paprika. Can't you make it from any dried, ground peppers? Isn't this analogous to paste tomatoes, that there are varieties bred for cooking into sauce, but in fact, any good tomato can make good sauce?

I had more sweet peppers than we could eat this year (and by the time I noticed they were wrinkling up, so couldn't really give them away). I ended up dehydrating them and then grinding them -- mostly Frank's and some Slonovo Uvo, Sunbright, and Cal Wonder. It smells delicious!

I also dried and ground my poblanos, so now I have ancho powder.

I have a few other hot peppers that need to be preserved, and I will probably dry and grind each one separately.

[FarmerShawn]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I have a question about paprika. Can't you make it from any dried, ground peppers? Isn't this analogous to paste tomatoes, that there are varieties bred for cooking into sauce, but in fact, any good tomato can make good sauce?

I had more sweet peppers than we could eat this year (and by the time I noticed they were wrinkling up, so couldn't really give them away). I ended up dehydrating them and then grinding them -- mostly Frank's and some Slonovo Uvo, Sunbright, and Cal Wonder. It smells delicious!

I also dried and ground my poblanos, so now I have ancho powder.

I have a few other hot peppers that need to be preserved, and I will probably dry and grind each one separately.

Yes, you can dry and grind up any pepper for good pepper powder; I've done it for years. But when I finally had enough of the Boldog Hungarians to grind by themselves, I was astounded by the intensity of the red color as well as the flavor. And both the previously mentioned Alma and Feherozone peppers have quite thick walls, giving a higher yield of powder. These days, though, I make a fermented sweet pepper sauce from them and other peppers instead of drying them.

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by FarmerShawn

Yes, you can dry and grind up any pepper for good pepper powder; I've done it for years. But when I finally had enough of the Boldog Hungarians to grind by themselves, I was astounded by the intensity of the red color as well as the flavor. And both the previously mentioned Alma and Feherozone peppers have quite thick walls, giving a higher yield of powder. These days, though, I make a fermented sweet pepper sauce from them and other peppers instead of drying them.

I will have to grow Boldog and make paprika!

[Whwoz]

Sounds like it's time for a pepper seed hunt down under

[GoDawgs]

Thanks for all the pepper input. It is hard to grow bells here due to the heat. UGA recommends the more elongated types like Gypsy or Marconi instead. For years I disregarded that advise and only harvested frustration with little or nothing from bells. Then I discovered Gypsy, which does wonderfully well as do jalapenos, anchos, Hatch types and other long ones.

I think a little more sun next year will help a lot.

[Gardeneer]

Here we are 2021
I am growing Alma. waiting to germinate. I grew some 2 yrs ago..
I remember getting some rot .But they were productive.
very meaty medium size, twice the size cherry bomb.
so i am using my own saved seeds. I might check at Lowes to see if
they have other variety.