Capsicum annuum
Kashmiri pepper, Kashmiri mirch: in Indian cuisine, it holds a special place. It is not used to burn but to dye—it is what gives tandoori chicken and rogan josh their deep red color without making the dish inedible. A mild variety whose entire value lies in its color.
Characteristics:
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Intense red: its richness in pigments makes it an outstanding natural coloring agent.
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Mild: only 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville units—a light heat, accessible to everyone.
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Thin, wrinkled fruits: 6 to 8 cm, with relatively thin skin that dries easily.
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Powder variety: it is when dried and ground that it truly comes into its own.
Precautions:
- Although mild, it contains capsaicin: avoid touching your eyes after handling it and wash your hands with soap.
- When grinding the dried fruits, protect yourself: chili dust irritates the eyes and respiratory tract.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: full sun and warmth, in a sheltered location.
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Soil: rich, loose, and well-drained, enriched with compost. It does not tolerate stagnant water.
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Method: sow from February to April under cover or indoors, at 20-25 °C—below 18 °C, the seeds will not germinate. Allow 2 to 3 weeks for germination. See how to sow your seeds.
Planting advice:
- Transplant into the ground when nighttime temperatures stay above 12 °C, spacing plants 50 cm apart. Unlike tomatoes, do not bury the stem: a buried crown will rot.
Care advice:
- Water regularly at the base, without overwatering. Mulch to maintain soil moisture.
- Bring the pot indoors before frost: the pepper is perennial and will grow again the following spring.
Harvesting advice:
- Leave the fruits to turn completely red on the plant: with this variety, full ripeness is crucial for the intensity of the color, which is its main appeal.
- Dry them strung into a garland in a dry, well-ventilated place, away from direct light—the sun fades the pigments. Grind them once they are brittle.
Beneficial pairings:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its white flowers are visited by bees and bumblebees all summer long.
- A little-distributed, reproducible variety in Europe, its cultivation broadens the diversity of the vegetable garden. See our rare and unusual seeds.
Uses:
- Dried and ground in curries, tandooris, marinades, and sauces. It produces a beautiful red color without the heat—very useful for cooking spicy dishes without the burn.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Open a fully red fruit, remove the seeds, rinse them, and dry them flat. Beware: peppers cross-pollinate easily. Isolate your seed plant if you are also growing hot varieties, otherwise their heat may appear in your offspring. See how to save your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne volcanoes, we choose reproducible, non-hybrid varieties, tested for their germination rate, carefully sorted and packaged, with no chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
The color of Indian curries, without the burn.
