Paprika pepper grows all over the world. Its homeland is considered to be the USA (an area with a tropical climate), where the plant grows wild today. More often it can be found in southern and eastern countries with a temperate climate. However, paprika is also grown in the northern parts of the world as a houseplant. This vegetable is actively grown in the southern CIS countries.
Subspecies of paprika
Currently, vegetable paprika has many varieties, among which are:
- poblano;
- jalapeno;
- cayenne;
- yellow;
- serrano;
- Anaheim;
- capsicum chinensis;
- berry;
- pubescent and others.
Each variety has its own fruit shape and taste. Some varieties have a sweet or spicy taste, while others have a spicy taste. The level of bitterness depends on the amount of capsaicin. Spicy varieties contain much higher capsaicin than sweet varieties. Fans of cooking and gardening know that the statement that paprika is a bell pepper can only be considered partially true. Both are types of capsicum.
In general, peppers can be divided into three types:
- paprika (or spicy);
- hot burning;
- sweet.
Almost all popular varieties belong to one of these types. The difference between paprika and sweet pepper lies in some flavor nuances; they have a mild hot taste and are popular when preparing salads.
Paprika or bell pepper, grown in the CIS countries, belongs to the species Capsicum oblique. The Capsicum vegetable long species mostly includes spicy varieties that are grown in vegetable gardens.
Bell pepper
One of the most popular representatives of the nightshade family. In our country it is better known as bell pepper. This vegetable is native to Central America, and its history goes back more than 20 centuries.
This culture is very demanding of light and warmth. That is why in our northern regions it is most often grown in a greenhouse. Southern regions can successfully grow sweet peppers in open ground.
Its sweet fruits come in many different forms. The most common forms are the following:
- cylindrical;
- cone-shaped;
- oval;
- rounded and others.
In addition to various forms, it is distinguished by a rich range of colors, which includes almost the entire spectrum of colors. Depending on the variety, the fruits can range in color from light green to black. Their sizes and weight will also differ: from 10 to 30 cm and from 30 to 500 grams.
Its nutritional value is determined by its high content of vitamin C. It also contains vitamins A, B, mineral salts and essential oils. Its use in cooking has no boundaries and is universal.
Chemical composition
Sweet peppers contain a huge amount of useful substances - carbohydrates, fats, proteins. These vegetables contain ascorbic acid, B vitamins, vitamin C, E, A, carotene, magnesium, calcium, zinc, sodium, potassium, copper, fluorine, iodine, folic acid, iron, nicotinic acid.
The carbohydrates that make up paprika are presented in the form of soluble sugars - fructose, glucose, sucrose. The sweet vegetable also contains fiber, starch, organic acids, pectin, and nitrogenous substances (50% of them are protein).
Varieties and types of paprika
Paprika peppers always have different flavors, depending not only on the variety, but also on the percentage of heat remaining.
Popular varieties:
- noble sweet is the most popular type of paprika, dark in color with a delicate aroma.
- delicacy - has a medium fine grind and a less rich dark color than noble red paprika, and a pleasant, not spicy taste.
- semi-sweet - has a characteristic smell and medium pungency. It contains a large amount of sugars, so it burns in a frying pan.
- special is a bright red powdered seasoning with a pleasant sweetish taste and delicate aroma.
- Tender is a spice of light red color with a characteristic shine, medium-fine grinding, with a very delicate taste.
- spicy - light yellow or red-brown seasoning has a scalding-hot taste.
- pink is a medium-ground spice with a sharp, piquant taste.
Each of them has its fans and has a different set of vitamins; the varieties differ from each other in taste, pungency and color.
Contraindications
Dishes with the addition of paprika are not recommended for people with diseases of the liver, kidneys, gastritis, colitis, cholecystitis, stomach and duodenal ulcers.
Also, a contraindication to its use is individual intolerance, and during pregnancy and breastfeeding it is undesirable to consume spicy varieties in large quantities.
The mystery of paprika pepper: application, difference from bell pepper, photo
Paprika pepper grows all over the world. Its homeland is considered to be the USA (an area with a tropical climate), where the plant grows wild today. More often it can be found in southern and eastern countries with a temperate climate. However, paprika is also grown in the northern parts of the world as a houseplant. This vegetable is actively grown in the southern CIS countries.
Read also: How to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse step by step with photos and videos
Paprika in cooking
- Hot and mildly hot are widely used in cooking as a seasoning for many dishes, as well as for pickling. In addition, the pungent pungent is used in medicine and in the distillery industry.
- Paprika is most beneficial when eaten fresh, for example when added to salads. Canned pepper retains about 50-80% of its nutrients, which is especially important in winter. For pickling, they mainly use slightly unripe sweet.
- Hot pepper is used to add to seasonings, and also as an independent spice. It is added to meat dishes, soups, and vegetable dishes. In raw and boiled form, sweet and slightly hot, it is eaten with meat, cheeses, and is also used to make salads.
How to select and store paprika?
The choice of paprika depends on taste preferences.
Some people want to get the traditional bitterness from it, others want to enjoy the mild taste. Hence the difficulty in advice on her choice.
The only rule that unites all varieties is that paprika must be evenly crushed and have a beautiful, uniform color.
Pay attention to how the spice is stored and where it came from.
The requirements for storage conditions for all spices are the same - you need to protect the seasoning from direct sunlight and high humidity.
The sun can kill color and aroma, so you should try to buy only closed packages without “windows”.
The line about the date of grinding, or at least the packaging, deserves special attention.
Important!
The fact is that paprika seasoning can retain its properties and taste only for six months; with longer storage, the spice loses most of its flavor and aromatic properties.
Paprika in medicine
- Acute Studies have found that the substance capsaicin, which is part of paprika, can increase acidity and increase the production of gastric juice. For medicinal purposes, mainly hot varieties with large red fruits are used. Tinctures and ointments containing hot pepper are effective for rheumatism, neuralgia, myositis, radiculitis, and frostbite. Pepper plaster is an excellent alternative to mustard plasters.
- Sweet Ascorbic acid and rutin contained in paprika help increase the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels, help remove cholesterol, and prevent the development of hypertension and atherosclerosis. Sweet pepper is recommended for vitamin deficiency, anemia, scarlet fever, and also as a means to increase appetite and stimulate digestion.
Conditions for growing indoor paprika
Like sweet peppers for open ground, indoor paprika is grown as an annual through seedlings. This plant is simple and “predictable”. Peppers need bright, diffuse lighting, stable air temperatures and controlled ventilation.
Indoor sweet peppers cannot be called difficult to grow, but they are suitable only for those who love fruit-bearing plants and want to observe the entire development cycle from seed to harvest. Peppers are excellent candidates for growing with children and teaching your child how to care for the plants due to their colorful appearance, safety, and rapid growth.
Lighting and placement
Indoor sweet peppers need the brightest lighting, but you should protect both young seedlings and adult plants from direct sun. On a south-facing window, peppers may be too hot in summer, and the risk of sunburn is much higher. Eastern and western window sills are preferred for sweet peppers.
This fruit-bearing plant cannot be grown in the back of rooms; success can only be achieved when grown in a window. Artificial additional lighting does not compensate for shading and affects the quality of fruiting, but is acceptable in case of prolonged bad weather for young plants. If the pepper bears fruit not in summer, but in autumn or winter, it must still be supplemented with light.
Peppers are light dependent and must be rotated regularly to ensure even crown development.
Temperature and ventilation
Indoor paprika is a heat-loving plant, but its preference for temperatures is in many ways similar to orchids: in rooms it is desirable for the plant to create the same conditions that sweet peppers enjoy in open soil, taking into account the drop in night temperatures.
The minimum permissible readings are +16 degrees. During the day, the temperature can be normal room temperature, but it is better if the peppers are in warm rooms with temperatures above 24 degrees. At night, it is advisable to lower the temperature by a few degrees (but no more than 4-5). Peppers also do not like sudden changes in maximum temperatures: the more stable the indicators are, the more decorative they will be.
Access to fresh air in summer is very important for sweet peppers. If plants are grown as purely indoor plants, then choose rooms with constant ventilation. Indoor paprika can be safely placed on balconies or terraces as a container crop.
You cannot grow paprika indoors without careful care. © Volmary
In folk medicine
- Sweet Paprika tincture is used to increase appetite and improve digestion. In addition, green sweet can improve the functioning of the sebaceous glands, strengthens hair and nails. Sweet pepper juice is recommended for people with diabetes. When mixed with carrot juice, its juice lightens age spots, and if you add spinach juice, you get an effective remedy for intestinal colic.
Caring for sweet peppers at home
You cannot grow paprika indoors without careful care. Watering for the plant should not only be plentiful, but also careful; it must be supplemented with several important procedures. Peppers require formation, special feeding, and constant monitoring. But you won’t have to add anything exotic to your plant care program.
Watering and air humidity
Sweet peppers are very sensitive to fluctuations in soil moisture. Any deviations in the watering schedule are especially dangerous at the stage of budding, flowering and fruiting, when drying out of the substrate or stagnation of water can cause the shedding of both flowers and ovaries. Water the peppers so that the soil partially dries out, but the middle and lower layers remain constantly moist. Water in the trays should not stagnate.
In summer, plants are watered with an average frequency of 1 time every 3-5 days. Regular loosening of the soil should be included in your plant care program. It is carried out the next day after watering. Instead of loosening, you can use some gardening tricks and mulch the surface of the substrate in containers, using any materials that are light and do not impede the access of air into the soil.
Peppers like average air humidity (from 50 to 75%). They need to be protected from too dry conditions, but high humidity can also be destructive. For pepper, simple daily sprays are sufficient, even in summer.
Top dressing and fertilizer composition
Without regular replenishment of nutrients, it is impossible to get peppers to bear fruit in a limited amount of soil. Fertilizing for plants begins 3 weeks after planting in the “final” pot and until the end of fruiting, it is carried out once a week - for organic fertilizers and once a month for mineral fertilizers.
For indoor sweet peppers, you can use both complete mineral fertilizers and biological products. When choosing fertilizers, it is worth considering the influence of the composition and type of fertilizers not only on the quality, but also on the safety of the crop. Organic and bio-fertilizers are preferred for indoor peppers. You can use infusions from your own garden, but purchased fertilizers remain the best option due to their controlled composition, safety and microbiological parameters.
Pruning, shaping and harvesting
To thicken the bushes and control the maximum height of sweet peppers, you can pinch the tops of the shoots. This plant is never completely pruned; plucking is sufficient to achieve the desired size and shape.
When grown indoors, peppers are usually quite compact and resilient. If there are signs that the fruits are too heavy for the plant, then it is better to install supports for gartering the bushes around the perimeter of the pot.
The fruits of indoor sweet peppers are removed as soon as the color typical for the selected variety is completely or almost completely revealed. It is better to harvest slightly unripe peppers than to let them ripen completely on the branches: the end of fruiting causes the plant to stop growing and reduces yield.
When grown indoors, peppers are usually quite compact and resilient. © arthur kortekaas
Care
As for care, like all plants it needs to be watered. The bush grows first, and the fruits appear later; if you overwater the pepper, the plant will grow too tall and may break. But from the second half of summer, you can water the plant without fear. During this period, the fruits begin to grow.
If you see that a crust has appeared around the plant, in this case you definitely need to work with a hoe. A plant can signal that it does not have enough moisture by the fact that its leaves begin to fall off. And during the period when the pepper begins to bloom and fruits appear, you need to fertilize the plant well. Also spray the plant with wood ash 3 times to protect it from pests.
How I make a homemade wig
The best way to dry the pods is in the form of a necklace, for which I string them on a thread, piercing the stem with a needle. To speed up the process, I sometimes use an electric dryer. In this case, peppers with thin walls can be dried literally in one day.
I try to avoid oven drying, as it is very difficult to achieve the required minimum temperature. The peppers can burn, and then the paprika will change its taste and lose its aroma.
When drying, it is better to avoid violating the integrity of the fruit, as this often leads to rotting of the pod.
To hang your pepper necklace, choose the warmest room in the house. Peppers are ready to be turned into a seasoning when the pods have completely lost their elasticity and break easily with a characteristic crackling sound.
Then I remove the peppers from the string, tear off the stalks and break the pods into small pieces, which I place in a special blender grinder designed for grinding seasonings (but you can also use a coffee grinder).
By the way, sometimes tearing off the stalk, I notice mold inside the pod; this most often happens with unripe fruits, so be careful when preparing peppers for processing.
We use ready-made paprika in a wide variety of ways. This is both a seasoning for soups and a breading for baking vegetables. Homemade paprika is ideal for pizza, pasta, and many other dishes. And sometimes I just take a jar from the shelf and inhale this wonderful spicy aroma, remembering the hot summer.
