What kind of pepper is this?

Can anyone tell me what kind of peppers these are? They're very common here in the Northeast, usually called "long hots" or "Italian long hots", but I've been unable to identify the specific variety of pepper. They're not cayennes, they're not marconis, they're not banana peppers, or Jimmy Nardello's, and they're not half a dozen other close but not quite matches. They're basically a sweet pepper, but they like to surprise you, and every once in a while, one will fire up your taste buds with some heat. I'd love to grow them, but I can't seem to find seed anywhere for "Italian long hot peppers." I got these at a farm stand a few years ago, but they couldn't tell me anything more specific. If they have them this year, I'll get some and save the seeds, but I'd sure like to know what they are. Colorful, wrinkly and curly...aren't they gorgeous?

They sure are gorgeous! Save seed from the most red ripe one and try to grow it out.
They look like a type of Pepperoncinni http://www.territorialseed.com/product/italian-pepperoncini-pepper-seed . Or they could be one of the many many varieties of bull horn peppers. I have good luck with Krimson Lee from Johhny's. They are sweet but more complex and some are a bit hot. Very different flavor somehow than a bell (DH HATES bell peppers and loves these).

Those are gorgeous!  

There are several on Pinetree that look similar:



https://www.superseeds.com/search?type=product&q=Peppers

Scorpio Rising, the Hot Portugal pepper looks close, but it's hot, and smaller, and the Italian long hots are sweet, with the exception of a surprise hot one here and there.
 https://www.superseeds.com/products/hot-portugal-pepper-65-75-days

 Aconcagua looks similar, but at a foot long, quite a bit bigger. https://www.superseeds.com/products/aconcagua-pepper-heirloom

Turan, the pepperoncini in the link you provided sure looks like the ILH, the only thing is, pepperoncini are typically a hot pepper. Very mildly hot, but hot. The description on the Territorial Seed page describes these as sweet, so I'm a bit confused. http://www.territorialseed.com/product/italian-pepperoncini-pepper-seed  While called Italian long hots, they're actually a sweet pepper, with the occasional hot one. The search continues. I think I'm going to have to buy some and save the seeds. Thanks to both of you for your help.

hammock gal wrote:Scorpio Rising, the Hot Portugal pepper looks close, but it's hot, and smaller, and the Italian long hots are sweet, with the exception of a surprise hot one here and there.
 https://www.superseeds.com/products/hot-portugal-pepper-65-75-days

 Aconcagua looks similar, but at a foot long, quite a bit bigger. https://www.superseeds.com/products/aconcagua-pepper-heirloom

Turan, the pepperoncini in the link you provided sure looks like the ILH, the only thing is, pepperoncini are typically a hot pepper. Very mildly hot, but hot. The description on the Territorial Seed page describes these as sweet, so I'm a bit confused. http://www.territorialseed.com/product/italian-pepperoncini-pepper-seed  While called Italian long hots, they're actually a sweet pepper, with the occasional hot one. The search continues. I think I'm going to have to buy some and save the seeds. Thanks to both of you for your help.

HG, you will have to let us all know what you find out!  Now I also need to know!

Scorpio Rising wrote:

hammock gal wrote:Scorpio Rising, the Hot Portugal pepper looks close, but it's hot, and smaller, and the Italian long hots are sweet, with the exception of a surprise hot one here and there.
 https://www.superseeds.com/products/hot-portugal-pepper-65-75-days

 Aconcagua looks similar, but at a foot long, quite a bit bigger. https://www.superseeds.com/products/aconcagua-pepper-heirloom

Turan, the pepperoncini in the link you provided sure looks like the ILH, the only thing is, pepperoncini are typically a hot pepper. Very mildly hot, but hot. The description on the Territorial Seed page describes these as sweet, so I'm a bit confused. http://www.territorialseed.com/product/italian-pepperoncini-pepper-seed  While called Italian long hots, they're actually a sweet pepper, with the occasional hot one. The search continues. I think I'm going to have to buy some and save the seeds. Thanks to both of you for your help.

HG, you will have to let us all know what you find out!  Now I also need to know!

Will do, SC. I'll go back to the same farm stand I got those pictured at, and hope they're still growing them. I do remember getting those in the fall though, so they may not be ready yet. Fingers crossed. I do remember asking the woman at the farm stand if she knew the specific name of the pepper, but she had no idea, so we may never know. If they have them again, I'd be happy to share seeds.

They may well be a local variety, or even local to just that farm, with a history of a family or region sharing and saving seeds through the generations.

Turan wrote:They may well be a local variety, or even local to just that farm, with a history of a family or region sharing and saving seeds through the generations.

Right!  Which would be kinda cool!

I spent a lot of time looking for them last year and getting a lot of blank looks or pointers to something else.


I'm thinking it might be a Jimmy Nardello Pepper.

Hers two vids, the first looks right, does the second match up to what was inside?

Turan, I would agree with you except for the fact that I've found mention of peppers that match exactly to the ones from the farm stand.
https://www.cayennediane.com/peppers/italian-long-hots/

https://www.pepperscale.com/italian-long-hot-peppers/

I think Cayenne Diane has the best description, "Because they vary so much in spiciness, they are the Russian roulette of peppers. How hot is this one going to be? Many have the appearance of a large chile pepper but the mild taste of sweet peppers."

And so, No_Such_Reality, these are ever so close to a Jimmy Nardello, but Jimmys are not hot. And these mystery peppers are not hot either...all the time, just often enough to keep things interesting. So it's like a Jimmy, but with a twist! And as I remember them, they were a tad bigger than a Jimmy. Jimmy Nardellos are a wonderful pepper, and actually I grew up in the town where Jimmy Nardello lived, and his son still lives.

hammock gal wrote:Turan, I would agree with you except for the fact that I've found mention of peppers that match exactly to the ones from the farm stand.
https://www.cayennediane.com/peppers/italian-long-hots/

https://www.pepperscale.com/italian-long-hot-peppers/

I think Cayenne Diane has the best description, "Because they vary so much in spiciness, they are the Russian roulette of peppers. How hot is this one going to be? Many have the appearance of a large chile pepper but the mild taste of sweet peppers."

And so, No_Such_Reality, these are ever so close to a Jimmy Nardello, but Jimmys are not hot. And these mystery peppers are not hot either...all the time, just often enough to keep things interesting. So it's like a Jimmy, but with a twist! And as I remember them, they were a tad bigger than a Jimmy. Jimmy Nardellos are a wonderful pepper, and actually I grew up in the town where Jimmy Nardello lived, and his son still lives.

HG ... You say the peppers are not hot all the time.  Does the heat depend on the color of the pepper?  I expect those that have turned red taste the hottest.  Is that the case?

trolleydriver wrote:

hammock gal wrote:Turan, I would agree with you except for the fact that I've found mention of peppers that match exactly to the ones from the farm stand.
https://www.cayennediane.com/peppers/italian-long-hots/

https://www.pepperscale.com/italian-long-hot-peppers/

I think Cayenne Diane has the best description, "Because they vary so much in spiciness, they are the Russian roulette of peppers. How hot is this one going to be? Many have the appearance of a large chile pepper but the mild taste of sweet peppers."

And so, No_Such_Reality, these are ever so close to a Jimmy Nardello, but Jimmys are not hot. And these mystery peppers are not hot either...all the time, just often enough to keep things interesting. So it's like a Jimmy, but with a twist! And as I remember them, they were a tad bigger than a Jimmy. Jimmy Nardellos are a wonderful pepper, and actually I grew up in the town where Jimmy Nardello lived, and his son still lives.

HG ... You say the peppers are not hot all the time.  Does the heat depend on the color of the pepper?  I expect those that have turned red taste the hottest.  Is that the case?

As well as I can remember, TD, the heat was not related to the color, making it a true surprise. I'm really hoping that the farm stand where I bought these has them again this year, that way I can be sure to save seeds, and share them with anyone interested.

Yes, I know about the odd one out being hot. Well, not hot, but having some heat.

I also note that while they say the Nardello is a sweet pepper they describe the taste as spicy.

It's really bizarre to see so many sites talking about them but no one has links to an actual plant.

http://www.reimerseeds.com/italian-roaster-hot-peppers.aspx
85 days. Capsicum annuum. (F1) Plant produces good yields of 6" long by 1½" wide hot peppers. Peppers are very mild, just a little heat, and turn from green to red when mature. Plant has green stems, green leaves, and white flowers. Superb flavor. Excellent for salads, pizza, and grilling.

Farmer Phil is selling Italian Long Hots and Italian Roasters,The Roaster sounds closer to your description.
http://www.farmerphils.com/peppers.php

Turan wrote:http://www.reimerseeds.com/italian-roaster-hot-peppers.aspx
85 days. Capsicum annuum. (F1) Plant produces good yields of 6" long by 1½" wide hot peppers. Peppers are very mild, just a little heat, and turn from green to red when mature. Plant has green stems, green leaves, and white flowers. Superb flavor. Excellent for salads, pizza, and grilling.

Farmer Phil is selling Italian Long Hots and Italian Roasters,The Roaster sounds closer to your description.
http://www.farmerphils.com/peppers.php

Thanks for the links! The "mystery peppers" are definitely longer than the ones in the first link. The roasters in the Farmer Phil link sound like a possibility. You can't buy them from the website, so I'll try to track them down at some of the nurseries mentioned that are near me. I'll find those suckers yet!

Intriguing!

I visited the farm stand I've been going to lately, (not the one where I bought the mystery peppers), and what do I see but a sign that says, "Italian long hots". Well, they sure look like them, but smaller. I grabbed a bunch, and when I was checking out, I asked the woman at the register, "Do you know if these go by any other name?" She said "If you're looking for the seeds, you have to look for Portugal hot pepper." So I asked why the sign identified them as "Italian long hots." She gave me some rambling answer that wasn't really an answer, so as soon as I got home, I tasted a couple. NOT Italian long hots. These are quite hot. Every one. And if you read the description here, http://www.seedsavers.org/hot-portugal-pepper , they're described as a hot pepper. Except for their size, they look so close, wrinkly and curly. I'm going to try to get to the other farm stand some time this week. So for now, the mystery remains a mystery.

hammock gal wrote:
As well as I can remember, TD, the heat was not related to the color, making it a true surprise. I'm really hoping that the farm stand where I bought these has them again this year, that way I can be sure to save seeds, and share them with anyone interested.

I LOVE a good garden mystery!

HG, if you come across more of those peppers, I'd love to swap seeds.  Maybe you'd like some of of the tomatoes from my vast-and-evergrowing collection? 
Save

hammock gal wrote:I visited the farm stand I've been going to lately, (not the one where I bought the mystery peppers), and what do I see but a sign that says, "Italian long hots". Well, they sure look like them, but smaller. I grabbed a bunch, and when I was checking out, I asked the woman at the register, "Do you know if these go by any other name?" She said "If you're looking for the seeds, you have to look for Portugal hot pepper." So I asked why the sign identified them as "Italian long hots." She gave me some rambling answer that wasn't really an answer, so as soon as I got home, I tasted a couple. NOT Italian long hots. These are quite hot. Every one. And if you read the description here, http://www.seedsavers.org/hot-portugal-pepper , they're described as a hot pepper. Except for their size, they look so close, wrinkly and curly. I'm going to try to get to the other farm stand some time this week. So for now, the mystery remains a mystery.

Go hammock gal go!

Go hammock gal go!

Go hammock gal go!

Ginger Blue wrote:

hammock gal wrote:
As well as I can remember, TD, the heat was not related to the color, making it a true surprise. I'm really hoping that the farm stand where I bought these has them again this year, that way I can be sure to save seeds, and share them with anyone interested.

I LOVE a good garden mystery!

HG, if you come across more of those peppers, I'd love to swap seeds.  Maybe you'd like some of of the tomatoes from my vast-and-evergrowing collection?   
Save

Sounds like a good deal to me! Wish me luck.

So today I went back to the farm stand where I bought the original mystery peppers. I found the ones pictured below. They're the size of the ones I got yesterday, smaller than the MPs. When I got home, I tasted them...hot. Rats! The only glimmer of hope I have is that I remember I got the original ones in the fall, because they had the pumpkins out then, so I'll try in the fall, on the chance that they're a pepper they wait to pick until they have a lot of color.

DRAT!  And double drat!

I was reading an old blog about them with several comments from people in the philly/New Jersey area. Basically they named several species of peppers that all fall under long hots.  Some very hot cayennes,  cow horns, Italian roasters etc,  

Some felt long hots where all hot with some super hot, some more mild with some hot tc. Most saying the local nurseries just call a bunch of different species "long hots"

I suspect the random hot thing is some mix of roaster or nardello typez with the odd kick in of cowhorn, port roaster, cayenne

No_Such_Reality wrote:I was reading an old blog about them with several comments from people in the philly/New Jersey area. Basically they named several species of peppers that all fall under long hots.  Some very hot cayennes,  cow horns, Italian roasters etc,  

Some felt long hots where all hot with some super hot, some more mild with some hot tc. Most saying the local nurseries just call a bunch of different species "long hots"

I suspect the random hot thing is some mix of roaster or nardello typez with the odd kick in of cowhorn, port roaster, cayenne

It's really frustrating, but there seem to be people out there who know exactly the pepper I'm talking about. This guy is one of them, and he describes it here. I've emailed him because I didn't see a follow up, so maybe he'll have some info.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmFCMBzyC34

I've also come across a lot of sites where people are looking for Italian long hots, and seem to be describing the pepper I'm talking about, but are having the same trouble I am with finding them. People keep suggesting peppers that look or sound like they should be right, but aren't. The main thing they seem to be lacking is the variable heat. I did find this one at White Flower Farm, that looks promising, and it does mention variable heat, so hopefully they will have it next spring, and I'll give it a try. http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/5301-product.html

So while I think that there are many different peppers known as long hots, or Italian hots, there is definitely a particular pepper with variable heat levels that some of us know and love, and I'm determined to find it.

The variable-heat pepper varieties I'm familiar with are shishito and padron. Typically it's quoted that one in ten is hot. But I don't think either is what you're looking for.

I know pepperocini peppers were already mentioned and discarded, but these are listed under 'mild' rather than and look similar to yours to me (and not like typical pepperocinis in size/shape.) The description doesn't mention variable heat, but the shishito and padron descriptions by the same seller don't include that either -- and both of those are listed under sweet, which I tend to equate with not-hot/safe, so I'll have to be careful if I get "sweet" pepper seeds from this seller... 
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/pepperoncini-pepper-italian-seeds

This thread: http://www.homebeccanomics.com/2013/01/21/roasted-long-hot-peppers/ "The heat varies from pepper to pepper, but prepare yourself for the worst as to avoid a scary surprise."
also has some guesses about the identity of long hots, though I don't think all the respondents caught the 'varies' part.