Fresh market standouts: peppers

Summertime is here, and farmers markets are abuzz with produce, color and choices for consumers.

As a grower, it can be challenging to stand out due to the number of vendors and products available to customers. Peppers, in particular, can overcrowd the summer market.

A great way to differentiate is by showcasing unique and flavorful varieties that also perform well in production.

In this article, we’ll explore a few great options from PanAmerican Seed® and how they can boost your market presence.

Prism

Ever heard of a midi bell pepper? Midis are small bells (64 to 78g) perfect for snacking. Prism Peppers provide loads of sweet midi bells over an extended season. The fruits transition from green to orange to red, providing a kaleidoscope of colors all at once. That makes them perfect for harvesting at all stages of maturity, providing a multicolored assortment that’s sure to catch the eye. Not only that, but they also boast bacterial leaf spot resistance, ensuring reliable performance in production.

Mad Hatter

If you’ve explored the diversity of pepper varieties, you may have run across the bishop’s crown pepper before. These peppers are uniquely shaped Capsicum baccatum that typically pack a punch of heat, with citrusy undertones. Mad Hatter is a bishop’s crown pepper with little to no heat but heavy in flavor. The large plants are loaded with disc-shaped fruits that provide a sweet, flavorful and attention-grabbing alternative to conventional peppers. The low heat develops around the seed cavity, while the rest of the fruit is sweet with floral undertones.

Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry

What colorful market would be complete without some stripes? Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry produces variegated sweet peppers that start off white with green stripes and mature to red with chocolate striping. Their sweet flavor and crisp texture are perfect for eating fresh at any stage of ripeness. They are also early to mature, just 70 to 75 days from transplant for ripe fruit. A great addition for any grower looking to add something unique to their offering.

Next-level offerings

When you’re looking at what varieties to grow next season, ask yourself how you can be different. We need to provide tried-and-true varieties to satisfy our customer base, but having some standout varieties will make a memorable impact on shoppers. It can be difficult to show differentiation and value in the old standards compared to the next vendor over, but by providing unique options like these varieties from PanAmerican Seed, you can elevate your offering to the next level.