Pepper, Sweet 'Jimmy Nardello'
Capsicum annuum
The best frying pepper you can grow, seriously. When Jimmy Nardello made the cover of Saveur, we had been growing it for years, and I totally freaked out! I started gardening *because* of my love of cooking and personal quest for the best and most beautiful ingredients . . . a forever seeker, it was as if the universe winked at me that I was somehow on the right track.
From the issue, where it made the 2020 Saveur 100:
. . . . Jimmy was the son of Giuseppe and Angella Nardello, who emigrated to Connecticut from the Basilicata region of Italy in 1887, bringing with them a handful of seeds. Nearly a century later, Jimmy, the fourth of the couple’s 11 kids, donated the seeds of his family’s favorite sweet frying pepper to the Seed Savers Exchange. Jimmy Nardello’s Pepper was inducted to the Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste in 2005 . . . .
Our seed comes directly from the source. This prolific, deep red, thin-skinned frying pepper has incredible flavor. When it was inducted to The Ark of Taste by the Slow Food organization, it was considered endangered, putting the variety at risk of being lost forever. Now, it has had quite the resurgence. "Jimmy Nardello’s Sweet Italian Frying pepper is considered a U.S. Ark of Taste success story. It is a demonstration of how simply making people aware of a particular heritage product can lead to its revitalization."
And this is what gardening is all about: Preserving heritage you simply cannot find at a typical big-box grocery store. P.S., We love it fried on Italian sandwiches.
As you can probably tell, I find peppers and tomatoes just as addicting as flowers! My personal pepper collection has grown to insane levels, so narrowing down the PBF seed selection was a challenge, but I've included all of my absolute favorites. From early and reliable varieties to incredibly rare heirlooms in every shape and color imaginable—super sweet to exceptionally spicy, complex and smokey to bright and citrusy, let's go!
Packet contains approximately 20 seeds.
DETAILS
Plant type: Annual
Days to maturity: 80 days
Light preference: Full sun
Plant spacing: 12–18” apart in rows 24–36”
Hybrid status: Open pollinated
SOWING
Depth: 1/4 inch
Germination: 80–90°F
How to Grow
Sow indoors 8–10 weeks before transplanting out after danger of frost. Pepper seeds germinate very slowly in cooler soil. When the first true leaves appear, transplant seedlings into 4" pots, bury deeply up to leaves. Grow plants at approx. 70°F day and 60°F nights. At transplant, ideal seedlings have buds, but no open flowers.
Cold treatment information from Johnny's: "Exposing the seedlings to controlled cold treatments can increase the number of flowers and fruits. When the third true leaf appears, grow the plants at a minimum night temperature of 53-55°F (12-13°C) for 4 weeks. The plants should receive full sunlight. After 4 weeks adjust temperature to 70°F (21°C) day and night. If this technique is used, peppers should be seeded 1-2 weeks earlier than usual."
Harvest & Storage
Harvest peppers promptly when they reach full size to encourage further fruit set. Wash and store at 45°F and 95% relative humidity.
SHIPPING
FREE: $100 or more on any seeds
$3.95: 1–9 seed packets
$7.95: 10+ seed packets
Photo Credit: Petal Back Farm & Saveur (magazine cover)
