Topic: Rocoto Peppers

[George the Pigman]

This year I bought some Red and White Rocoto pepper seeds from Nickys Nursery. They were a bit slow growing but I've  harvested them today and got a reasonable crop. They are about the size of a medium sized tomato. I've nibbled a bit of one and its not really hot but having a whole one will be the better test.
Anyone any experience of growing these,their hotness and recipes?

[Obelixx]

Never heard of them so, as I'm on th elook out for decent chilies to grow, I googled and found this - https://www.pepperscale.com/rocoto-pepper/

Maybe what you have is a manzano?

[Vinlander]

 Rocoto locoto and manzano are all regional names for the same plant - the species C. pubescens (they have hairy leaves like a tomato, the flowers are purple and the seeds are black). The term manzano is Mexican and mainly applies to the ones that are apple shaped, though those look even more like sweet peppers - hence the nickname "gringo killers".

They have their own flavour and add a lot to a mixed chilli sauce. I was given some powdered Manzano and it definitely had a hint of garam masala.

The most important thing is that they are totally perennial. If you can keep them above zero they can live for several years - even more useful is that they never sulk in the spring - no chance your new sowings will ever overtake them (unlike other sort-of-perennial species).

As you found, they are late cropping in their first year - so it makes a lot of sense to sow them in May (taking the pressure off precious propagator space). Then you will get smaller plants you can keep on a windowsill through winter (prune them to fit if you need to).

In March they will take off like a rocket, you can harden them off until the last frost is over, and they should produce bigger earlier crops.

You should sow every March so you always have yearlings, but I also tend to transplant my yearlings to big pots in May and bury the whole pot - then when you dig them up before the frosts there will be enough roots in each pot to carry them through the next winter in a light frost-free place.

I have a small conservatory and most of my plants are 3 years old - a few have made it to 4. I now sow comfortably less than a dozen a year and half get given away.

Important caveat - the flesh is so thick and juicy that they will never dry (unless you shred them - but they spit fire if you do). In fact you should pick & use or freeze them as soon as they are ripe because they can rot quite soon after that - even quicker off the plant. So different from sweet peppers that it may be some kind of seed-dispersal gambit.

Incidentally, the green ones are much milder, and there are always lots in September - if you cook a few in something like a bolognese or goulash they taste more like black pepper than chilli - delicious.

Cheers.

[galina]

Vinlander, a great summary.  I think they are actually hardy to a very slight frost.  I had a plant survive in the greenhouse one year.  The next year it took off like a rocket.  I got pounds of fruit in the second year. 

I halved them and stuck those halves in the freezer, frozen loose on a tray then bagged.  A frozen half manzano is very easy to cut into small strips for cooking and a half is about the right heat for us.  Their flavour is quite addictive, certainly very delicious. 

[BarriedaleNick]

I was sure I posted here but it seems to have gone!
Anyway it was down to Vinlander that I bought some Alberto's Locoto from real seeds - sold as a Rocoto. Odd plants as mentioned but good to know I can grow them on for another year as I have a lot of green fruit.  Fruits are like a small roma tom - they are quite hot but not madly so with a bit of a fruity hit so I am thinking sauces and salsas for some and I am going to nick Galina's idea of slicing and freezing..

[Jayb]

I love growing Rocotos, they are just real doers, even if they are a little late to the party. I agree with Galina in a mild year they will overwinter, here it's in the polytunnel or greenhouse, though there is no guarantee. I think a touch of fleece would help too. I have a couple of little seedlings growing in the house at the moment, Alberto's Rocoto I think, I've never grown them this early so fingers crossed!

I find them really hot peppers, but I'm a bit of a lightweight with heat but love their flavour. I follow Galina's advice and freeze, usually quartered or halved depending on size, it's also a good moment to set a few ripe seeds aside for drying and sowing next year. I wear disposable gloves as they do have a lot of juice.

For cooking, I love them in casseroles, bolognese and such.

[Obelixx]

Thank you all for this info.  One to look out for then.  The only seeds I can get here are espelette which has no subtlety or imported Scoth Bonnet which are too hot for me.  I want flavour, not numbing or volcanic heat.

[George the Pigman]

Thanks for all your knowledgeable tips.
After saying the skin didn't seem too hot I steamed one the other day and on sampling it it blew the back of my head off. Most of the heat must be in the seeds and inner skin as with other chillies.
I have frozen them whole in separate bags so I can fish them out as required. I should have saved a plant and tried to overwinter it
(the plants are now chopped up  in the compost bin). I did this once with an ornamental pepper and it survived a couple of seasons.
Here is the link to the seeds I grew if anyone is interested:-
https://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/product_info.php/chilli-rocoto-mix-seeds-veg425-p-5318

[Vinlander]

I forgot to say that cloudy years seem to mean milder rocotos- though I can't be sure because semillas.de sell a wide range and I bought some that were supposed to be milder.

What can I say? My labelling is always questionable.

I also think that warm dryish soil can help them survive a nip of frost, and cold, wet soil can spell death from the roots up. 
This means that those in pots and those in soil both have their risks.
Safer to get them all inside as soon as frost threatens.

Don't worry about pruning them, cut them to fit the space you have.

Cheers.