Meet The Pepper Geeks!

Hi there! We’re Calvin and Crystalyn, and welcome to Pepper Geek. As you may have guessed, we love peppers! 🌶️

From growing peppers in our apartment closet, to blending our own sauces in the kitchen, it all started with a love of spicy food. As far as I’m concerned, a meal isn’t complete without some level of heat.

Pepper Geek is more than a blog, it’s a community. I know there are thousands of chiliheads just like us with a fridge door dedicated to hot sauce and a back room dedicated to pepper plants. We want to share our passion with all the fellow spice addicts by helping gardeners grow healthy pepper plants, and then sharing our amazing spicy recipes in the kitchen.

We started off as seedlings and we’ve learned so much. Thanks for sharing this spicy journey with us!

Calvin started growing peppers in 2013 when a local farmer’s market vendor gifted him a small habanero pepper plant. Ever since frying his taste buds for the first time, he’s been hooked on heat. Obsession with peppers would be an understatement. He is regularly perusing the various forums and literature that is available on obscure, super spicy or otherwise bizarre peppers and pepper facts.

Calvin’s favorite recipes:

• Easy stuffed peppers
• Fermented hot sauce
• Habanero hot sauce
• Raspberry habanero jelly

Crystalyn realized her addiction for spicy food as a teenager when she went through a ‘cayenne-pepper-on-everything’ phase. We’re talking a ⅛ inch layer of cayenne on a slice of pizza kind of addiction. Soon, she discovered a whole new world of heat. Ghost peppers anyone? She loves nature and has developed a natural green thumb for growing beautiful, healthy plants. Her spice tolerance is impressive and her taste in hot sauce is diverse and always growing.

Crystalyn’s favorite recipes:

• Spicy potato tacos
• Jalapeño popper mac n cheese
• Pickled banana peppers
• Chunky guacamole