I had been coveting this pepper for two years, ever since I became a member of a local brewery where they serve the pickled version as a side dish.
Before I go any further I need to give a big shout out to my dear friend, Terry, owner of Secret Seed Cartel for hooking me up with seeds. She put a lot of time and energy into acquiring this variety and I thank her from the bottom of heart for sharing them with me!
A little back history: Discovered in 1993 in South Africa, a very savvy entity decided that they were going to trademark (???!!!???) this pepper and unbelievably they were granted the trademark.
Like something out of a movie, there packing facility was a tightly run operation - nothing in and nothing out (think seed).
Alas, gardeners are a very seedy lot and we don't take kindly to anyone holding Mother Nature's genetics hostage just for the sake of the almight dollar. As it turns out, the 'Peppadew' is really a landrace called Malawi piquante and seeds aren't that difficult to source if you know enough seedy people...
Medium thick fleshed fruits are both spicy, yet sweet and crunchy. They are primarily grown to be stuffed or pickled (which is my preferred method of delivery).
Speaking of which, here's a link to the best-ever recipe for PICKLED PEPPADEWS.
Plants prefer a bit of shade, so easterly light exposure is best. Plants can potentially be beasts, but if you grow them in a pot they won't get as large. A bit slow to get up to speed, once they do you will be rewarded with dozens of golf ball sized beauties! This variety is a good candidate for over-wintering in the house.
Sold in a 2.62" wide x 3.5" deep pot.
PEPPADEW (MALAWI PIQUANTE)
VARIETY CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: C. baccatum
HEAT LEVEL: Mild
FRUIT COLOR: Light Green > Red
ORIGIN: South Africa
SCOVILLE HU: 1000 - 1500