From the Victory Garden: If you like it hot

Editor’s note: This post is the second in a series of monthly posts exploring the work of Smithsonian Gardens and its relationship to American history.

If you like it hot, you’ll love the fish pepper (Capsicum annuum var. annuum), a little striped pepper that packs quite a wallop! But even if heat isn’t your thing, these plants, with their variegated leaves and multi-colored fruit, are a wonderful addition to any ornamental garden. They grow perfectly fine in containers and tolerate heat and drought quite well.

Fish peppers

This plant is a hometown favorite, first documented just over the border in Maryland in the early 1800s. It began to reveal its beauty when a mutation occurred in the genetic code of a common Serrano pepper. The odd name comes from its use, mainly in the seafood dishes that are so popular here along the East Coast. The young peppers, which start out with a white to light yellow skin, are highly valued for adding a spicy kick to cream sauces; a red or darker pepper would muddy the clean look of the cream. Fish peppers are considered the “secret” ingredient.

Fish pepper plant

Fish peppers are edible at all stages of development, turning from white with green stripes to orange with brown stripes, and finally to a bright, solid red color. The fish peppers we grow today in the museum’s Victory Garden trace their heirloom roots back to plants once quietly cultivated by generations of African-American gardeners and chefs. Knowledge was passed down in stories, along with the seeds, and today this marvelous little plant speaks volumes on the importance of saving seeds, planting heirloom crops, and educating the next generations on these topics as well.

To see this plant and other heirloom peppers, visit the Victory Garden located off of 14th Street along the west side of the National Museum of American History.

Meg Smolinski is a Smithsonian Gardens volunteer and Joe Brunetti is a Smithsonian Gardens Horticulturist at the National Museum of American History.

 

Comments

[Ida Topps]

Plants need nutrients to survive and thrive. Sandy soil lacks enough of the essential nutrients and so needs to be enriched properly. Otherwise, only cacti will survive.

I have friends with a beautiful garden living in Arizona but all their plants are grown in pots filled with rich soil.

[Val Garner]

I've never heard of the fish pepper before, I'll have to try one, they are interesting looking as well.

[Fishing]

The fish peppers makes a nice decoration if you let it dry and then put it in a bowl on a table.

[NMAH]

@Brian Burkard,
Our horticulturist Joe Brunetti says: "Just give the plant adequate amt. of water. Neglet in an Arizona climate will probably do it in. If soil is extremely sandy, I would suggest adding a good quality compost to soil."
Good luck!

[Brian Burkard]

I love seafood and would love to try another way to spice up my seafood dishes. I live in Arizona and wonder if the climate here is condusive to growing these type of peppers. Thanks so much for exposing me to another hot spicy pepper I was never aware of.

[Rich Johnson]

Not only a beautifully spicy pepper to enjoy with shellfish, a stunning fruit to watch grow through the season and also a pleasantly pretty blue and white flower.
My garden is full of these little fish peppers, and my kitchen cupboard filled with home sun dried, flaked and sauced peppers.

[NMAH]

@Ruth, according to Joe Brunetti, one of the co-authors, the peppers do seem to get a little more spicy as they color.

[Lakshmi]

I began growing Fish Peppers a couple of years ago and liked them so much that they’ve been included in every garden since that initial planting. The great thing about this unusual vegetable is that the plant is very ornamental and produces huge crops of tasty peppers. If you enjoy growing peppers and happen to be searching for a new variety that is interesting and ornamental be sure to add this African-American heirloom pepper to your list. Fish Peppers will reward you with a display of ornamental foliage and fruits, and loads of delicious peppers suitable for a range of culinary uses. Thanks for the post.

Lakshmi

[Ruth Smolinski]

Thank you for the interesting article. As the peppers increase in color, does the spicy flavor increase, as well?