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UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County

Exciting New and Returning Peppers 2026

The excitement and anticipation are mounting. In addition to our tried-and-true staples, we have a fun lineup of new peppers to introduce.

We are very excited about the lineup for 2026. You will find a wide range of sweet peppers and interesting hot peppers to satisfy the heat that many of you crave!  Whether it’s sweet or heat or perhaps a little of both, enjoy selecting your peppers. 
 

Sweet Peppers:
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Paradicsom

We’ve had this one in small numbers before due to a limited seed supply and it always sells out early.  This year we were able to source more seed and should have full flats to offer.  One of the truly great Hungarian peppers. Yellow, squat, ribbed, pumpkin-shaped fruit have the tremendous flavor that peppers from Hungary are famous for. The flesh is very thick, crisp, and juicy.  Great in salads, salsas, and as a snacking pepper.  A good choice to use as a slicing pepper to accompany summer dips. 

 

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Pimento Elite

This is a beautiful pepper with a lot going for it.  It’s a heavy producer of deep red, heart-shaped peppers with very thick walls, extra sweet flavor, and a good disease resistance package.

 

 

 

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Corno di Toro Rosso

This is a traditional Italian pepper known as "Horn of the Bull".  A bright red pepper measuring an impressive 8” long and 2-3” wide. They’re a perfect grilling pepper – the skin lifts easily and the flavor is delicious – very sweet with thin skin and thick walls—also, a good choice for stuffing.  "I was purchasing these large, very sweet peppers and roasting them at least 2 nights a week all summer long.  My family couldn’t get enough of them."

We also sell its smaller cousin, Cornito di Toro ("little horn of the bull"), a versatile pepper for snacking out of hand, sliced into salad, or roasted.  

 

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Sweet Pepper Escamillo_Photo courtesy johnnyseeds.com
Escamillo

We are bringing back Escamillo for a repeat performance in 2026.  It is another Italian “horn of the bull” type, but this one glows a beautiful yellow. This pepper has a broad shoulder 2 ½ to 3” wide and a length of 6 to 10” with a tapered body.  Being a Corno-type pepper with great versatility, it is one of our favorites to serve raw on an antipasto platter.


 

Hot Peppers:
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Habanada

Love the flavor of a habanero but can’t take the heat?  Here’s your answer.  
A brightly flavored habanero variety without the burn!  Habanada, developed at Cornell University, is a unique, sweet, and flavorful variety of habanero pepper, developed to have all the fruity and floral notes without the intense heat. This vibrant, orange pepper is a prolific producer of 2-3” long, wrinkled fruits. Perfect for snacking, cooking, and adding to salads.

 

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Super Thai  

The SHU (Scoville Heat Units) *level of Thai peppers is in the range of 50,000 to 100,000.  It’s the perfect pepper to add heat to your Asian inspired dishes.  A good choice for stir fries, sauces and for making chili oil.  We’ve been looking for a Thai pepper with a larger pepper size and we’re hoping we found a winner with Super Thai, where the peppers measure 2-3” in length.

 

*SHU (Scoville Heat Units) are not scientifically determined, and the numbers vary wildly between different seed companies. Because you often ask for this information, we are including numbers when available, but please know it is not an exact heat measurement.

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Jalapeño Pantera

We’re offering a 2nd Jalapeño this year.  The Pantera pepper is larger than most jalapeños with the peppers averaging 4 1/2“ long.  They are slow to check (the "stretch marks" or brown lines sometimes seen on peppers).  The smooth glossy skin and larger size make these an especially good choice for stuffing, pickling, and roasting, as well as the traditional use in salsas.

 

Each year, we strive to select new, interesting, and delicious pepper varieties to give your dishes the zest you are looking for. This year, we've done it again. Our latest selections are sure to enhance both your gardening experience and your meals. As you pick your pepper plants for the season, discover your next favorite pepper by trying one or more of the new varieties in your garden this season.

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