Grow your own paprika?

[journey11]

Bluebonnet's mention of Hendl got me to thinking how I really would like to make my own paprika. Since it loses its freshness and flavor so quickly, what I've bought in the store is usually not all that great. Does anyone know which varieties of red peppers would be good to grow for paprika?

 

[digitS']

Hungarian Sweet - just guessing. I grew Hungarian wax for a few years - productive!

Journey, I have felt that I wasn't doing much more than adding a dash of color when I've used the store-bought. That's before this winter and learning that there is a smoked paprika. Now, I am looking forward to trying that.

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm going on memory which is dangerous, but I looked that up a few years back. A few years, really dangerous. There is a special pepper they grow for paprika, very likely a different peppers so you can get different flavors.

 

[Lavender2]

Smoked paprika is my son's new 'go to' spice. He is a great cook! (something he gets from his dad ). He made some broiled trout with smoked paprika (seasoning of some sort), YUM!

I think the paprika pepper is used for the color and thin walls so it's easy to dry, and they do come in hotter types. Now I have to look into making it, my son would get into that, if I grew the peppers. Oh, geez, here I go again... thanks @journey11 ...

 

[thistlebloom]

Now you've done it Journey! Got me on a quest looking up paprika. I had actually never thought of the variety, or type you'd use before...
I love growing peppers, they seem to do pretty good for me and that boosts my garden self esteem .

There's an Alma Paprika pepper...suppose there's lots you could use though, as long as they were thin walled.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Why thin walled? Why not just dry them and grind them up?

 

[thistlebloom]

Hmmm...well thin walled peppers were mentioned in the few articles I read.

The questions that occurred to me as I read were, if there's not one particular type of pepper for paprika, and you can use chili peppers, (as some folks did) then, what is the difference between paprika powder and chili powder?
Oh, I guess that's just one question, but it made me wonder.


edited because there's a difference between pepper and peeper.

 

[hoodat]

The biggest difference is the deep red color. There are two distinct types of paprika; sweet or hot. Mexican ancho powder is very close to the sweet. You get it by growing poblanos and letting them turn red. Surprisingly, Peter Peppers make acceptable hot paprika. They will even dry right on the plant when they ripen.

 

[Lavender2]

Why thin walled? Why not just dry them and grind them up?

I like to hang dry peppers. Thick walled peppers will often mold or rot inside if drying conditions are not just right, sometimes even if it is arid and warm enough. You can slice and dehydrate any pepper, but sometimes this can change the flavor, you have to dry them for a very long time to get them past the leathery stage... and I wonder how thicker flesh would affect trying to grind it to a powder?
Thin walled peppers like cheyenne, (the one I am use to drying) you can just crunch them up and run it through a spice grinder, sift and grind again.

This is interesting .. Homemade Paprika ... but must find smoky pepper tips for my chef..

 

[Ridgerunner]

I like to hang dry peppers. Thick walled peppers will often mold or rot inside if drying conditions are not just right, sometimes even if it is arid and warm enough. You can slice and dehydrate any pepper, but sometimes this can change the flavor, you have to dry them for a very long time to get them past the leathery stage... and I wonder how thicker flesh would affect trying to grind it to a powder?
Thin walled peppers like cheyenne, (the one I am use to drying) you can just crunch them up and run it through a spice grinder, sift and grind again.

This is interesting .. Homemade Paprika ... but must find smoky pepper tips for my chef..

Makes sense. Thanks.