Lemme's Italian Sweet Pepper, Heirloom (Sweet)

Lemme’s Italian belongs to the cherished tradition of Italian frying peppers (friggitelli / corno di toro style), bred to blister and caramelize effortlessly over heat.

• Intense Concentrated Sweetness: Ripening from vibrant emerald green to a brilliant, glossy crimson, these peppers develop exceptional natural sugars with zero heat. When slowly sautéed in olive oil, the flesh melts into a rich, savory sweetness that supermarket sweet peppers cannot match.
• Classic Italian Tapered Form: The peppers typically grow 6 to 8 inches long, featuring a gently curved, tapered shape with thin-to-medium walls and tender skin that cooks down quickly without becoming tough or chewy.
• A Preserver’s Story: Kept alive through generations by Albert Lemme and carried forward by dedicated heirloom stewards like Darrell Merrell, this variety embodies the community spirit of open-pollinated seed preservation.
• Kitchen Versatility: A dream for traditional stovetop frying with garlic and sausages, roasting on the grill, slicing raw for a sweet salad crunch, or drying and grinding into sweet homegrown paprika flakes.

"Lemme’s Italian is everything you want in a frying pepper. The plants stay sturdy and loaded with long, curved red pods that look stunning against the dark green leaves. Tossing a handful of these into a hot cast-iron skillet with a splash of good olive oil and sea salt releases that authentic, sweet pepper aroma that instantly takes you back to an old-school Sunday family kitchen."

• Sowing: Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before your average last spring frost date. Pepper seeds require warm soil (75–85°F) to sprout reliably; use a seedling heat mat for fast, uniform germination.
• Transplanting: Harden off plants gradually and set them into fertile, well-draining garden soil in full sun after night temperatures stay reliably above 55°F.
• Plant Care: Plants grow 24–30 inches tall and set abundant clusters. A lightweight stake or cage helps support the branches as the heavy crop of peppers ripens.
• Harvesting: You can harvest green for crisp culinary snap, but waiting until the peppers turn fully red unlocks their peak sweetness and rich vitamin content.