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Post by Blueflint on Jul 13, 2007 17:28:41 GMT -5
Does anyone know of any heirloom sweet peppers with Appalachian roots?
The only I know of are the ones listed by Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill Kentucky:
Sweet Pepper (1843)
Large Bell Pepper (1843)
Large Red Pepper (sweet? 1885)
Unfortunately I don't know of any source for these exact ones.
Blueflint
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Jul 13, 2007 20:06:35 GMT -5
Great Question Blueflint. I'll be looking for an answer too!
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Post by Blueflint on Jul 14, 2007 10:52:04 GMT -5
While doing a quick search on heirloom sweet type peppers I ran across the following interesting notes:
The first description of the bell pepper comes from Lionel Wafer, an English buccaneer who records two types of pepper while in Panama in 1681, “one called Bell-Pepper"
"Bullnose" pepper seems to be the only named variety in the 1700's and Amelia Simmons refers to these in her 1796 “American Cookery"
Bull Nose pepper was popular in early America and was grown by Thomas Jefferson. They are still grown at Monticello today. Jefferson records planting the “Bull nose” peppers in 1812.
I have seen notes referring to hot peppers going back to 1494 (Columbus' second voyage). There are many references in the 1500's of peppers, most are hot type though some references do not state much about shape or type.
Blueflint
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Post by Blueflint on Jul 15, 2007 21:44:35 GMT -5
Though not pointing towards Appalachian heirloom peppers, I looked thru some old seed catalogs to see what they had. The 1926 Henry Field catalog shows the following:
Bullnose
Giant Chinese
Ruby King
World Beater
Spanish Pimiento
Ruby King description is as follows: is an old stanby, well liked and widely grown. It is a meduim sized Pepper, sweet and tender and medium early.
Blueflint
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Jul 15, 2007 21:51:19 GMT -5
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brook
gardener
Posts: 127
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Post by brook on Jul 16, 2007 12:35:13 GMT -5
Don't know how I missed this thread.
Bullnose is, indeed, still grown. But it is not the same pepper referred to by Amelia Simmons.
The Bullnose of "American Cookery" was a smallish, blocky pepper with a small amount of heat. It was usually described as "piquent" rather than as hot, and was mostly used to make "mangoes," which were stuffed, pickled peppers.
Throughout the 19th century Bullnose was selected for size and sweetness. Net result: By the third quarter of that century is was the #1 choice for a large, sweet bell.
Odds are the original was grown in Appalachia, given its antecedents. And the eventual form surely was.
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