Heirloom Pepper

There are not many named varieties of tomato peppers that are documented heirlooms, even though this pod type was one of the most common in early American kitchen gardens. Judging from early botanical works and old garden books, it was also one of the earliest peppers known to Europeans. In the very same print in which Basilius Besler illustrated his cherry pepper in 1613, there is a tall pepper plant with distinctive tomatolike fruit. The pod is shaped exactly like the Early Large Red tomato and may be considered the standard for what is meant by a tomato pepper. In fact, Robert Buist (1847, 97) confirmed this standard shape, adding that tomato peppers were also mildly hot. Hungarian pepper breeders have taken this pod type and developed innumerable variations, some red, some golden orange, resembling little pumpkins, others limy green when ripe.

Note: The plant is shipped in its pot, firmly secured with several layers of clear tape, thereby avoiding any shuffling and moving during transit. The plant reaches you with minimal damage- very safe and secure. We have been shipping plants like this for several years (plant are sometimes shipped in smaller pots for safety and ease of shipping). Most plants go dormant in fall and winter and will lose most of their leaves - looking dead and dry - very normal. They will flush out in spring.

We cannot send ship some plants and some sizes to California due to restrictions placed by department of agriculture.