Sugar Rush Stripey Peppers – The Striped Baccatum

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There are some amazing and strange pepper varieties out there. The 7 pot bubblegum has a ‘bleeding calyx,’ while the Farmer’s Market jalapeño is covered in corking.

However, the Sugar Rush Stripey pepper may just be the most fascinating variety we have seen so far. We were lucky enough to get some seeds early on. We then planted some of our own, and shared seeds to grow as many plants as possible!

Now that the peppers have ripened, we can finally share our thoughts on the striped Sugar Rush pepper. In this article, I’ll go through everything we know about this pepper, along with our opinion on the flavor and heat.

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Sugar Rush Stripey History

The ‘Sugar Rush’ varieties were first bred in Finland around 2010. Fatalii.net has an experimental greenhouse, and its creator was fascinated by the sweetness of a particular C. baccatum plant, so he named it ‘Sugar Rush.’

From there, seeds were shared with Chris Fowler from Wales, who went on to breed the Sugar Rush Peach and Red varieties. These are well-loved by the pepper community (including the Pepper Geeks).

In 2015, a USA grower discovered that one of his Peach plants had striped pods. From here, seeds were shared back to the original creators of the peppers to be stabilized.

Now, seeds are becoming more widely available, and the unique striped characteristics of the variety seem to be relatively stable. Out of the 5 plants that we grew, only one of them failed to ripen with stripes.

Note: There is a great document created by fatalii.net that explains the history of this pepper, so feel free to learn more there!

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Appearance

When I say this pepper is special, I mean it. The only other variety that I know of that ripens to a striped appearance is the ‘Aloha’ pepper. However, what is different here is that seeds carry on the trait, while the Aloha pepper’s seeds do not. This means that anyone can grow these stripey, quirky peppers!

When fully ripe, these peppers have a deep orange color with vertical red stripes. Before ripening, the pods simply appear pale yellow or a light peachy color.

The peppers are about 4-5″ (10-13cm) long and have a squiggly, whimsical appearance, just like other Sugar Rush varieties. The stripes range from pencil-thin to very thick, and typically run the entire length of the skin. They almost look like a Willy Wonka candy from the garden!

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Flavor

If the amazing stripes weren’t enough, the flavor of these peppers is also delicious. They’re one of the best tasting peppers we have tried. If you’ve had a sugar rush peach, you’ll know what to expect: sweet, crunchy, and fairly hot.

In my opinion, these peppers are almost identical in flavor to the peach variety. The thick, crunchy walls of the pods lend themselves well to making pickles or chopped and eaten fresh with cheese & crackers.

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How Spicy Is The Sugar Rush Stripey?

In terms of heat, the stripey is no slouch. These peppers pack a good punch, similar to many other spicy C. baccatum varieties.

In short, the Sugar Rush Stripey likely falls between 25,000-50,000 SHUs on the Scoville scale. This places it around the same heat level as cayenne peppers.

The heat is mainly concentrated in the pepper’s placenta, the white membrane that has the seeds attached to it. If you want to reduce the heat, simply remove this portion before eating (and why not save the seeds while you’re at it).

Personally, I think this pepper has the perfect amount of heat. Not so hot that it can’t comfortably be eaten, but not purely sweet, either.

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Seeds

The question you’re probably asking is, “Where can I get seeds, immediately?!” FataliiSeeds.net does sell them, but they go out of stock often, and don’t currently ship to the US.

Seed sources:

• Bohica Pepper Hut
• Matt’s Peppers
• Towns End
• Refining Fire
• Fatalii Seeds (For European buyers)

Sign up for our email newsletter to keep in the loop if we ever decide to sell some of our seeds!

Fatalii is based out of Finland, so shipping may be added to your order. Also, if you are located in the US, a phytosanitary certificate is required for international seed orders. Check with Fatalii to learn more.

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Growing

Growing these peppers is very similar to growing any other C. baccatum variety. The plants in this species tend to take longer to fully mature, and the stripey is no exception. Our very first ripe pepper came about 6 months after planting the seeds!

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This new pepper variety is an inspiration. As if we needed another reason to love growing peppers. I hope you will get your hands on some of these incredible seeds and grow them yourself!

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Uses

If you’ve got a nice harvest of sugar rushes, here are some great ways to use them up:

• Hot sauce – We have a tasty sugar rush hot sauce recipe that highlights the fruity flavor of these peppers. Give it a shot and customize the spices to your own liking!
• Pickled peppers – Sugar rush peppers are amazing when pickled. They have an excellent crunch, and the stripeys make for an interesting appearance.
• Dehydrate – If you want a long-term storage method, drying your peppers is a great option. They can be ground into a powder for a unique hot pepper spice, or kept whole for rehydrating later.

Read Next:

• Bizarre pepper varieties
• Fish peppers (striped)

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