This exotic pepper wins on uniqueness alone! However, the plant’s vigor, earliness, high yields, large size and awesome taste all contribute to its high score among AAS judges. Mad Hatter is a member of the Capsicum baccatum pepper species from South America commonly used in Bolivian and Peruvian cuisine. You can impress your friends by growing this pepper and showing off the novel three-sided shape and deliciously sweet taste. The taste has a refreshing, citrusy floral flavor that remains sweet, only occasionally expressing mild heat near the seeds. Be prepared for vigorous and robust plants that are easy to grow because they were bred for North America’s many growing conditions. Use your abundant harvest raw in salads, pickled or stuffed with cheese…a new favorite!
Sow in flats or plug tray at least 5-6 weeks before the target date for transplanting outside, temperatures above 65°F are preferred for germination. Transplant into larger plug tray or small pot (3-4 inches) approximately 3-4 weeks after sowing or when at least one true leaf has developed. Maintain medium soil moisture and use a complete fertilizer after transplant. Wait to transplant outdoors until night temperatures are over 45°F and there is no threat of frost, as cold temperatures will cause severe damage. Transplant outdoors in full sun at least 2-3 feet apart, plants require staking. Water and feed with complete fertilizer regularly.
C.L. Fornari –
I was so thrilled with this pepper it is now on my “must grow this every year” list. In fact, I wrote a blog post about it, which included my favorite way to cook this fruit: http://bit.ly/mad_hatter_pepper Why did I love it? First of all, it was easy to grow from seed. Secondly, the plants were very ornamental all season…I’m even considering planting this in one of my flower gardens or in pots on the deck next year because they are so attractive. But of course flavor is extremely important with edibles, and this one passes that test too. It wasn’t a bit spicy for me – sweet and flavorful. Finally, it did well for us this past summer in my Northeast garden even though the season was cool and damp.
Gardening Jones –
Everything C. L. said and more. Also in the Northeast and we only broke 90F once. Seriously, how are we supposed to grow warm weather crops? But I like this pepper for an additional reason, it’s a survivor. When our other varieties succumbed to pests, Mad Hatter came through unscathed. Got to admire that! Read more about this and other AAS Winners here: http://gardeningjones.com/blog/2018/04/02/2017-aas-winner-review-mad-hatter-pepper/
Felder Rushing –
Because my cottage gardens both in the southeast US and England are too small for me to play around in, I farm out new introductions to see which I can count on myself. One of my most avid experimental gardeners just showed me his HUGE plant, completely loaded with fruits, grown in the torrid, humid (so thick you can lick it) Mississippi summer. When I chew an entire pepper it does have a twinge of warmth, not enough for my pepperhead taste to call hot. It’ll be in my garden next year for sure as much for ornament as food; I expect to freeze a lot for winter and spring cooking!
George Weigel –
My wife loved these at first just for their “cute” fruits, but then both she and my daughter-in-law found Mad Hatters were delicious, too, especially when stuffed with pimiento cheese or a similar dip. This 2017 winners has become a must variety in my vegetable garden. It’s also extremely productive and a reliable performer every year. They do have a tiny bit of heat in them, which may happen in my garden because I also grow hot peppers (although isolated from the bells about 25 feet away). If there are no hot varieties anywhere near to cross-pollinate, then Mad Hatters may not have any heat at all.
Pamela Keene –
Mad Hatters are the cutest peppers and they’re very tasty without much heat. We grew them this year and I’m usually not a big pepper fan, except for bells. These are sweet and flavorful. My only wish is that there was a Mad Hatter “adult size,” that’s just a bit bigger.