A pepper ideal for stuffing
Piquillo Pepper is grown usually in Northern Spain. It is said to originate from South America, "pimientos del piquillo" are used frequently in Spain for tapas. The plant produce small 7 cm long and pointy dark red triangular peppers that tend to be quite bitter when eating raw. They are often stuffed, grilled, skinned and deseeded to release their wonderful sweet flavour. They can then be eaten either whole, stuffed or preserved for later use. Check the mouth-watering recipe of "pimientos del piquillo confitados", caramelised sweet peppers cooked in a garlic flavored olive oil.
Scientific Name: Capsicum annum
Plant Life Cycle: annual
Optimal Germination Temperature: 18C
Germination time in days: 20-30 days
Indicative Days to maturity: 60-90 days
Sunlight: full sun
Soil requirement: well drained, non acidic
Sowing and cultivation: Start seeds indoors in March. After danger of frost transplant to greenhouse with 16-24 inches between plants. Suitable for succession planting for a continuous harvest. It is advised to grow this pepper in a greenhouse or sunny sheltered spot since they need high temperature to grow.
