Hello, Like so many others, I've been questioning the validity of data on my pepper seed pack. The peppers in the photo description do not look like the peppers on my 2 year old pepper plant. I initially stuck to researching the variety of cayenne it could be, however I did not find any cayenne varieties that have the same characteristics my plant displays (I thought it was Buena Muleta for a while, but the peppers are never yellow). Unfortunately, This was the only purple cayenne plant that survived from the pack, so I can't even compare it to see if there are differences of purple cayenne among the pack.
Seed Packet Source Link: https://www.parkseed.com/products/cayenne-blend-organic-pepper-seeds-52901-pk-p1?msclkid=291a03a3617c156a92d3651cda1b62ed
I will attach 2024 photos of different stages and fruit from the same plant.
History of this specimen:
In it's first season of growth, it got a late start, and only produced 3 peppers (Unripe by the time I picked them because it got too cold) I overwintered the plant by harvesting the pods and giving it a minor prune. Indoors in February, it was loaded with purple and white flowers, and had 20+ pods about a month later. It's currently ripening its 3rd flush of this year.
When in the sunny window the leaf margins and some leaf veins were dark purple, and it retained a slight amount of that once moved outdoors, though the leaves changed to a brighter shade of green.
Since I want to include as much info as possible to help you all help me ID this, I get to have a taste test!
TASTE TEST NOTES: (I'm using my own terms because idk if there are others to describe maturity)
1st Stage, Fresh (Purple pod skin with green and purple flesh):
* Tip: tastes like a slightly bitter bell pepper, then about 3 seconds in there's a very mild heat that leaves as quickly as it comes.
* Shoulder with no seeds or membrane: similar, but with more balanced flavor, and the heat is slightly more intense. Still not as spicy as a medium jalapeño.
1st Stage, Dried (purple and red) :
* Tip: tastes like a slightly bitter bell pepper. No detectable heat.
* Shoulder with no seeds or membrane: Tastes similar to above, but slightly fruity and the heat is detectable after about half a second, but slowly increases to what a typical cayenne heat would be.
2nd Stage, Fresh (showing some red among the purple skin with red flesh): [Note: Some peppers will actually turn a chocolate color instead of red during this stage, and will later turn red. I'd say this happens to about 5% of the peppers]
* Tip: Very fruity like a red bell pepper. No heat.
* Shoulder with no seeds or membrane: Fruity and Spicy, but not uncomfortably so (for context, I'd describe eating fresh hab as uncomfortable).
2nd Stage, Dried:
* Tip: Really sweet and fruity. This is like candy. No detectable heat, but my taste buds could be spice blind right now.
* Shoulder with no seeds or membrane: Really Spicy. This is making me cough and beginning to approach discomfort, but it's more like dancing on the edge of discomfort. This is what I consider a perfectly spiced pepper. It's making my nose run, eyes water, and I'm sucking in air to cool down my tongue. (I started giggling a little from the adrenaline response, and had to walk away to get water. I remember thinking the flavor was also fruity and slightly sweet, but the heat was distractingly intense so I couldn't think about the fruitiness enough at the time to describe it that way) 😂
by NeonFreckle