Hot peppers: varieties (photo). Pickled capsicum or bell pepper What is the name of red capsicum?

Capsicum is an agricultural vegetable crop. This type of plant belongs to herbaceous annuals from the Solanaceae family. To obtain fruits, various varieties of sweet peppers and. All of them are representatives of the species Capsicum annuum. Varieties with sweet fruits are traditionally combined under one name - bell pepper.

The cultivation of sweet peppers, one of the oldest vegetables known to people, was carried out for many centuries only in warm, sunny countries. Initially, its use was limited to medicinal use only. Sweet pepper was considered a good medicine. Preparations were prepared from it to treat asthma, anemia, and dizziness. And only after some time, fruits with a specific taste began to be used as food.

For our country, the name bell pepper has become firmly established in everyday use. But the birthplace of this plant is America. From this continent the vegetable came to Portugal, then they learned about it in Turkey and from there the fruits were brought to Bulgaria. Everyone there really liked the taste of the new vegetable, and they began to grow it intensively. And already from this Balkan country, fruits with a piquant taste were brought to the south of Russia and Ukraine, where they gave the name to the vegetable bell pepper. This is how Russia became acquainted with a new variety from the Solanaceae family.

The leaves of the plant are located singly on the stem or collected in whorls. The leaf blades are simple, oval in shape, pointed at the end, with a smooth edge. Their color varies from rich dark green to lighter tones. The number of leaves on the stem and their size greatly depend on the age of the plant and its growing conditions. For example, the same varieties of sweet peppers in open ground can have a leaf blade size of up to 10 cm, and in a greenhouse up to 15–18 cm in length.

The leaves tear easily, as their structure is quite delicate. When caring for crops, care should be taken not to damage them, for example, during harvesting.

Sweet pepper has a characteristic seed shape: most often flat, sometimes slightly curved. As a rule, their color is pale yellow, but the color can vary; some varieties have white or brownish seeds.

Sweet peppers are grown for the sake of producing fruits. In color they can be red, orange, yellow, green, and also almost black. The fruits are used in various culinary dishes in all sorts of forms. They are eaten fresh, pickled, salted, canned, fried, stewed, stuffed, etc.

Growing

Since the plant comes from warm countries and has a long growing season, growing bell pepper in temperate latitudes is possible only through seedlings. Plants are planted in beds at intervals of 40 cm. A space of 50 cm is left between the rows.

For some gardeners, the square-cluster planting method seems more effective. Seedling bushes are planted at a distance of 60 cm from each other, and two plants are placed in a hole.

Planting peppers can begin at the end of May, when the danger of the last frost has already passed. It is better to plant in cloudy weather, or at the end of the day, when the sun is already setting. This will reduce the likelihood of excess water evaporation from the leaves of plants that have not yet taken root and are not able to absorb water well from the soil. For the same purpose, to reduce aspiration (moisture evaporation), it is better to cover the bed with newly planted peppers with film. Under it, plants will take root faster and grow.

All varieties of bell peppers will look weak and wilted in the first 8–10 days after planting. During this period, caring for peppers should be especially careful: the ground should be moist, but not waterlogged, otherwise the roots damaged during transplantation may rot. Better and faster establishment of seedlings is facilitated by surface loosening, which provides additional aeration for the root system.

When rooting occurs and warm weather sets in, the film cover can be removed. This should be done carefully, as the leaves and shoots of the plant are fragile and easily break off. In the future, in order to grow pepper properly, it must be regularly watered and fed.

Watering before flowering is done twice a week in case of hot weather. On cool and cloudy days, it is enough to water the beds where sweet peppers grow once a week. During flowering, fruit set and growth, more water is required and watering is done more abundantly.

Irrigation water should always be warm, from +22°C. Otherwise, cold water will inhibit the growth of the plant and delay the time of fruiting. It is preferable to use the drip irrigation method. Thanks to this, a crust will not form on the soil around the plant - as a result, drip irrigation will help save water, and growing bell peppers will become less labor-intensive.

The first complex fertilizing should be applied in the phase of 1–2 true leaves. For this purpose in 1 l. water mix 500 mg. ammonium nitrate, 3 g superphosphate, 1 g potassium salt. After two weeks, a second feeding should be given, doubling the concentration of fertilizers. The last fertilizing before planting should contain a higher concentration of potassium fertilizers - 7 g per 1 liter of water. There is a good alternative to chemical fertilizers. For example, you can prepare the following infusion: 1 part green nettle to 10 parts water, leave for 2 days. The last feeding should be done at least 2 days before replanting.

An increase in yield will be facilitated by 3–4 fertilizing with chicken manure per season. They are alternated with the foliar method of applying fertilizers. For this purpose, you can take a solution that is prepared by diluting 1 tablespoon of nitroammophoska in 12 liters of water.

Diseases and pests

Aphids, spider mites.

Reproduction

Seeds, cuttings.

First steps after purchase

Seed germination, subject to proper storage, lasts 4 years. Before planting, they are soaked in a solution of zircon (proportions: 1 drop per 0.3 liter of water) or epin (2 drops per 0.1 liter of water). Exposure - 18 hours at room temperature. The seeds are then wrapped in a cloth dampened with water and placed in a plastic bag to prevent drying out. They are kept in the bag for 2 days, then they are sown. Pepper is a heat-loving crop; the best temperature for seed germination is +22°C–+24°C.

In central Russia (above the conventional line Belgorod - Voronezh), sweet peppers are sown in late February - early March. Shoots will appear faster if you use pre-soaked seeds with hatched seedlings, the length of which is 5–8 mm.

It is better to sow bell peppers in pots measuring 4x5 cm. If tall, mid- and late-ripening varieties of bell pepper are used, then the grown seedlings can be planted in larger pots with a diameter of 10–12 cm.

For the first 2–3 days, the emerging seedlings are not watered. If the soil is dry, it is better to simply spray with a spray bottle. On the third or fourth day, the cotyledon leaves will unfold, and then the seedlings begin to be watered with warm (+30°C) water. Both excess and lack of moisture are dangerous for young plants. With a deficiency, plants wither and weaken; if over-watered, blackleg may develop. If the disease appears, it is better to immediately stop watering, sprinkle the ground with ash or a layer of pre-calcined sand. It is important to ensure good ventilation of the room with peppers. But it should be remembered that cold air is also detrimental to plants, so drafts should be avoided. Weak seedlings can be treated 2-3 times with epin solution at intervals of 8-10 days. If there is a lack of sunlight, fluorescent lamps should be turned on.

At the stage of 7–8 true leaves, hardening can begin. By this time, the seedlings should already be 20–25 cm high and have large buds. It is correct to start hardening gradually. Boxes with plants are placed in a room with a temperature of +16°С–+18⁰С, and then placed in conditions with a temperature of +12°С–+14°С.

2–3 days before planting in open ground, the seedlings are left outside overnight. If caring for seedlings included hardening, then the seedlings are strong and stocky, with 8 or more true leaves and fully formed buds.

Secrets of success

Sweet peppers do not like cold winds, so choose a sunny area sheltered from the winds for planting. It’s good if the predecessors of pepper were any root vegetables or cucumbers, legumes or green crops. Plant in soil where other members of the Solanaceae family (physalis, potatoes, tomatoes or eggplants) were grown.

Peppers prefer loose and well-fertilized soil. Acidic soils must be limed.

Before flowering, bell peppers are watered by sprinkling - from a watering can - once a week, and during fruiting - at the root (2 times a week). Watering should be regular so that the ovaries do not fall off.

Possible difficulties

Typical pepper pests are spider mites and aphids. Insecticides help against aphids. Measures to combat spider mites include spraying with a solution of onion, garlic, dandelion or liquid soap.

In open ground, peppers can develop a fungal infection called verticillium. Plant wilting is the main symptom of the disease.

Naked slugs also often attack plants. In this case, pollination of plantings with lime or fine tobacco dust helps.

In cooking, sweet capsicum is used as a vegetable, and hot capsicum is used as a spice in dry ground form. Pepper is used to prepare soups, mainly tomato, fish, goulash, almost all types of meat, fish, sauces, beans, cabbage and rice.

It is indispensable in the production of many types of sausages and meat products. Pepper is added for taste to various salads and snacks. Fresh pepper is used to prepare salads mixed with other vegetables. Vegetable pepper is served with meat, bread, various cheeses and in various combinations. It can be preserved with various vegetables and on its own. Pepper should not be poured into boiling oil or fat, as it will lose color, turn black and turn bitter.

Pepper improves digestion, increases appetite and irritates the skin. In pharmaceuticals it is used for the manufacture of medicines - tinctures, patches, extracts.

Allspice

Allspice is the fruit of an evergreen tree of the myrtle family, Pimento officinalis. The fruits are used as a spice; they turn brown when dried and are larger in size than black pepper grains.

Pimenta contains pimento oil, which is used in the production of liqueurs and in the cosmetics industry.

The aroma of allspice is reminiscent of cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg and cloves. Its smell is spicy, its taste is spicy, hot. This is a very strong spice, so you need to use it very carefully; allspice not only adds flavor to dishes, but also changes their taste. It is used in the preparation of hot meats, mainly lamb, gravy and other dishes. Allspice complements spinach, vegetables well dishes, fish in vegetable oil, fish salads, sauces for game, game, vegetable soups, jelly, canned vegetables and cucumbers. It is also used for preparing various marinades, puddings, cookies, pies. In small quantities it gives a unique taste to fruit compotes.

BLACK PEPPER

This is the most famous and popular spicy plant, the dried fruits of which are used as a spice. The fruits of black pepper are rich in essential oil, starch, and sugars.

Black pepper is used for soups, gravies, sauces, vegetable salads, marinades, in the preparation of all types of meat, including game, savoy cabbage, beans, peas, lentils, sauerkraut, goulash, eggs, cheeses, tomatoes, fish, canned vegetables and for a lot of other dishes. Homemade pig slaughter, sausage production and a whole range of meat products cannot be done without black pepper.

Black pepper promotes digestion. But it cannot be recommended in large quantities.

RED PEPPER

Red pepper is the fruit of a herbaceous plant, resembling a large pod in appearance, which, depending on the variety and stage of maturity, can be dark or bright red, orange, and when unripe, green. Red pepper has a high vitamin content. In terms of vitamin C content, it significantly exceeds even such a vitamin fruit as lemon. Red pepper contains a special substance - capsaicin, which has a very spicy and “hot” taste. Depending on the amount of capsaicin, sweet and bitter peppers are distinguished. Sweet (paprika) has large, short and fleshy fruits. Its best variety, Bulgarian, is usually bright red in color when fully ripe. Unripe sweet peppers are green in color. Its taste is mild, not spicy, except for small seeds, which have significant bitterness. It is used for preparing vegetable dishes and as a seasoning. The fruits of bitter red pepper have an elongated shape and are dark red in color. The best variety of hot red pepper is cayenne. In terms of its pungency and “hotness” of taste, it can only be compared with black pepper. Red pepper is used in cooking to season many meat, fish, vegetable dishes and sauces. It is especially widely used in Central Asian and other national cuisines. Red hot and sweet peppers in powder form can also be served.

I want to tell you how I close pickled sweet or hot peppers for the winter. The method is very easy. The pepper turns out very tasty. Stores perfectly.
This method also works well for marinating bell peppers.

Take 5 kg of pepper.

Trim the tails of capsicums
If you are closing the bell pepper, you need to cut it into 4 parts and remove the seeds.

Place a 5 liter saucepan on the fire, a little more than half filled with water.

Peel 300-400 grams of garlic. Cut the cloves into slices or grate on a coarse grater.

Peel and wash a lot of greens: parsley, celery. You can add more spicy herbs - tarragon, mint... These greens are also marinated along with pepper and all eaten.

When the water boils, put salt and sugar there and pour in wine or apple vinegar.
(I add everything to taste. I taste the marinade so that it is balanced sour-sweet-salty. It will be approximately 1 cup of sugar, 3.4 - half a glass of salt, 1 liter of good wine or apple vinegar) You can put half a portion of vinegar.
(I never use vegetable oil.)

Place 1 tbsp in water. spoon of prepared mustard.

If desired, you can add 1 bag of suneli hops.

Place all the greens in the marinade. Do not cut the greens.

Let the contents of the pan boil

Start adding pepper to the boiling marinade.
(all the pepper will not fit in the pan. Put the remaining pepper to cook in the same marinade from which you will already package the first batch in jars.)

Press it down with a plate so that the pepper is completely immersed in the marinade.

Let the pepper cook.

I like the peppers to be soft. And you choose the degree of softness of the peppers that you like.

Separately, water should boil in two more pans - one for jars, the other for lids.

Now we put the jar in boiling water (all the lids are already boiling. And it’s not true that screw lids can’t be boiled. You can! I’ve boiled them more than once!)
Take the jar out of the boiling water, put garlic at the bottom of the jar and start adding pepper and herbs to the jar. I do this with kitchen tongs. Try to pack the peppers more tightly.

Top up the jar with the marinade in which the peppers were cooked.

Roll up the lid, which was also boiling.

Turn the jars over, cover, and leave for several hours.

Pepper loves vinegar. Sometimes it happens that when you open a jar, the pepper is not as hot as you would like. Or you can even seal it with less vinegar. When in winter I open a jar, try pepper and feel that the pepper is not hot enough (not enough vinegar), then I do this:
I pour the marinade into a bowl, add vinegar to taste and pour the marinade back into the jar. I shake the jar so that the marinade is distributed throughout the jar. After 15 minutes the pepper becomes the taste I like.

Bon appetit!

Pickled sweet peppers

The fruits of sweet red pepper are peeled from the seed part and immersed in a boiling marinade prepared in the following ratio:

5 liters of water, 400 g of salt, 200 g of sugar and 1 liter of vinegar.

After removing them from the marinade, place them in jars. Add 2 grains of black pepper, 2 grains of allspice, a piece of bay leaf and 15 g of vegetable oil to each jar. The same marinade is used for filling. Sterilize for 10 minutes.