What to do with a lot of Peppers? 28+ IdeasWondering what to do with a lot of peppers? This list above and below includes our favorite ways to use your pepper harvest from our latest Seed Catalog, which is packed with recipes and growing tips.Too Many Peppers? If you find yourself with an abundance of peppers, there are several effective strategies for making use of them immediately or preserving them for enjoyment throughout the winter months. Learn how to make many of these ideas below with our Chile Recipes » Right now: Grill th...
Jalapenos Turning Black?Don't worry if your jalapenos are turning black! Jalapeños turn black often during their to natural ripening process. Most Jalapeño varieties mature from green to red, and during this time they often turn partially black or deep purple – this is totally normal. You may be worried that there is something wrong with your Jalapeño peppers, but often they will turn partially dark or black as they starting to turn red. Green to black to red is how they ripen!Jalapeños peppers can be harvested ...
Recipe for Spaghetti Verde – Pasta with Cilantro, Tomatillos, Jalapenos and Olive OilHere is a simple recipe for Spaghetti Verde, our version is pasta tossed with roasted tomatillos, jalapenos (or other spicy green peppers such as Hatch chiles) and cilantro. This is a pesto for those who like it spicy! Ingredients: 3-5+ Tomatillos, roasted and cooled 1-3+ Jalapenos, roasted and cooled (or use any green chiles for this recipe) 3+ Garlic Cloves, roasted 1 Bunch of cilantro 1/2 Cup Olive Oil Salt and pepper to taste Nuts - optional, add toasted No Shell Raw Pepitas, pine nuts...
Cowboy Candy and Cowgirl Candy RecipeCandied jalapeños, are also known as Cowboy Candy, and Cowgirl Candy refers to a variation that includes pineapple for a sweeter, making a more tropical flavor. This recipe makes a balance of sweet and spicy peppers that can be stored for months. There is no canning involved, just refrigerate your jars. This recipe makes half Cowboy Candy and half Cowgirl Candy (4 to 5 pint jars). Ingredients: 1 lb jalapeños (about 20 peppers), washed and sliced into ¼ inch slices. (wear gloves) 1 cup ap...
Biggest Selection of Green Chile Seeds - in all heat levels!If you love green chile, make sure to check out our huge selection at Sandia Seed! In 2008, we were founded on the idea that seeds for green chile peppers should be available for everyone. We were the first seed packet company to focus exclusively on pepper seeds from around the world. At that time large seed packet companies sold only one or two peppers alongside their vegetable seed selection and they were not green chile seeds! We decided something had to change, so Sandia Seed started...
Largest Jalapenos you can GrowGrow bigger jalapeños next season! You can do this by growing larger Jalapeño varieties such as Jalapeño Traveler and Jalmundo NuMex – they will reward you with pods that can get up to 4 inches to make the perfect poppers!Note that the size of jalapenos varies depending on the growing conditions. Weather, especially, can affect the size of peppers in general, some seasons result in much larger pods than other seasons. Sometimes pods will start out smaller and get larger as the season progress...
Heirloom Pepper Seeds: The Fish PepperFascinating heirloom Fish Pepper plants have variegated foliage and bear lots of delicious hot pods with stripes. The peppers start out green with white stripes and eventually turn to orange with brown stripes and then to red. They are hot and tasty with up to 30,000 Scovilles and are great for salsas, curries, chili and sauces. Easy to grow, great for containers, this is a pepper every chilehead will love to have in their garden! Fish Pepper plants often start out green – the mottled f...
Happy first day of Autumn!Happy first day of Autumn! Wow, where does the time go? May your harvests bring you joy! Did you know? The autumnal equinox marks the moment when day and night are approximately equal in length, signaling the transition from summer to autumn. Harvesting lots of peppers? Try our Chile Recipes to use your harvest »How to make a Ristra to dry your chiles »How to dry peppers without a dehydrator » Can you plant veggies in Autumn? Even if you live in an area with cold winters, You can ...
What did you think of our seeds? Submit a Review to win!THIS OCTOBER 2025 REVIEW CONTEST HAS ENDED.CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 3 WINNERS: Hottest pepper I grow - Kevin F.Just like the Lemon Spice Jalapeños, these pack quite a kick 80,000, considerably hotter than the 30,000 of the Lemon Spice. Beautiful orange color. My wife is not a huge pepper person but loves these smaller spicy peppers when I make poppers with cream cheese and bacon.View Kevin's Review on our Orange Spice Jalapeno Seeds » Chimayos in Oregon - Dale D.I've loved seeing the ...
Hot Pepper Relish Canning RecipeHot Pepper Relish Canning Recipe 5 cups minced/ground sweet peppers (such as Green Bell Peppers, Golden Bell Peppers, Purple Bell Peppers, Red Bell Peppers, Mini Bell Peppers, or you can also use other specialty sweet peppers like Corno Di Toro Giallo, Cubanelles, Fushimi, Marconis, Paprika peppers, or even Habanadas to give your relish some Habanero fruity flavor (roughly 3 to 4 pounds before mincing/grinding) 5 cups minced/ground jalapeño peppers (any variety) or any hot peppers of your ...
Why are bell peppers so hard to grow?Do you have luck growing bell peppers? Or do you struggle growing them? Do they only produce a couple peppers for the season? Growing Bell peppers can be challenging for some growing regions. Bell peppers are tropical natives that enjoy warm temperatures between 65-85˚F, and they generally prefer high humidity with fertile soil. In some regions, like the arid West with it's intense high altitude sun, bell peppers can be more challenging to grow. Bell peppers are especially prone to sunbur...
Hot Sauce QuotesDo you love hot sauce like we do? Here are some fun quotes about Hot Sauce, our favorite condiment: "If peppers are a fruit, then hot sauce is a smoothie." “Everything’s better with Hot Sauce” “The secret ingredient is always Hot Sauce” “Spice up your life” (with Sandia Seed) “Hot sauce is my spirit condiment” “When life gives you peppers, make hot sauce” “Hot sauce: turning bland into grand since forever” “Keep calm and put hot sauce on everything!” “Hot sauce: the real MVP of eve...
When to Harvest Green ChileKnowing when to harvest Green Chile is important for the best flavors. When to pick your chiles all depends on when you planted, the variety of chile, plus weather and soil conditions. In Hatch, New Mexico, for example, the harvest season typically begins in August and goes through September, with some seasons getting late harvests in October – it all depends on the weather! Depending on where you are growing your green chile will affect when you'll be able to start harvesting pods. Here ...
Vegetables You Can Plant in SeptemberJust because it's September, gardening season isn't over yet! There are still plenty of veggies you can plant now. Here are some of our top recommendations: Here are some veggies you can still plant in September: Lettuce - Little Gem is a great variety to start in September! It also can tolerate light frosts. Spinach - Bloomsdale Spinach, a cold-hardy beloved heirloom variety known for its thick, crinkly dark green leaves and rich, nutty flavor. Bunching Onions - a hardy, fas...
2026 Seed Catalog - Peppers of the WorldWe are so excited for our new 2026 Seed Catalog, packed with peppers, tomatoes, veggies and lots of recipes, growing tips and pepper growing info. Check out what we have coming in our newest Seed Catalog! Our seed catalog has 36 pages of colorful photos and info that is a great coffee or dinner table companion, and can be used in the kitchen, too! Dream up next season's vegetable garden with over 100 peppers and tons of tomatoes and vegetables to grow to have a variety of delicious harve...
Tomato spotted wilt virus - mottled tomatoesThe above photo of some wild looking mottled tomatoes is damage most likely caused by the Tomato spotted wilt virus. Plants infected with Tomato spotted wilt virus exhibit bronzing of the upper sides of young leaves, which later develop distinct, necrotic mottled spots. It looks wild, but it usually results in a less tasty tomato though it is still safe to eat if it doesn't taste too bad. This viral disease is infectious to many other plants including peppers, so it's best to remove ...
How to get Tomatoes to Ripen on the VineWondering how to get tomatoes to ripen on the vine? Did you know that picking ripe (or near ripe) tomatoes on your plants can speed up ripening of the the remaining tomatoes on the plant? It's true. Picking tomatoes (and peppers for that matter) can encourage the plant to ripen the remaining fruits faster. With tomatoes (and most peppers, too), you can pick them when they are partially ripe, so as the tomatoes turn halfway to their final color but aren't the full ripe color yet. If y...
How to store cucumbers until you have enough to pickle?Customer question: I finally have cucumbers coming in, with lots more to come this week. What is the best way to store them until Sunday (over 4 days away) when I can pickle them so they stay as crisp/fresh as possible? Thanks for any advice! Here's our advice for storing cucumbers for a few days so they are as fresh as possible when you pickle them: Wash and dry: After you harvest your cucumbers, rinse them gently under cold water and remove any dirt. Pat them dry with a clean towel. M...
Pickle RecipesWe love pickles and make them out of a lot of our cucumbers and hot peppers.like Cascabellas and Jalapenos and other Wax Peppers. Pickled peppers are delicious, we like to leave out the sugar and use hot peppers for a nice vinegary punch of heat and flavor anytime we feel like a snack. And spicy cucumber pickles are another perfect snack or side or topper for a sandwich or burger! If you don't have a huge harvest, make refrigerator pickles which are crunchier and they keep in the fridge f...
Pesto RecipeSimple Pesto Recipe: 2 Cups of Basil – or more, who measures Basil? We usually just use all that we have on hand, you can make larger or smaller batches depending on how much basil you have. You can use both the leaves and any non-woody stems. 1/2 Cup of Nuts - we like to use hulled pumpkin seeds, pine nuts are traditional, but people also use walnuts, almonds, pistacios or even peanuts for pestos, they all bring their own flavor profile to the table. Vary quantity as desired 1/4 cup of ...
So, as a life long BOC fan and an avid gardener who loves the quality of seeds I’ve always received from Sandia Seeds. I just had to have this shirt. It rocks! I ordered a couple more for some fellow BOC fans as well. Great quality and the graphic is outstanding!
I'm going to grow these every year, they are HOT!! They make great poppers and salsa. Very productive, easy to grow, quick germination and fast growing plants. Thank you for the stellar seeds.
I planted several cultivars from wholesale seed. These were prolific. See all that RED (and green)?!? Looking forward to harvesting in a few days. Thank You Sandia Seed!
I pretty much use Sandia seeds exclusively! A few years ago I just happened to order your Jalapeño M. To me it's the perfect Jalapeño! Really nice size! Perfect heat for what we like! Wonderful flavor with a meatyness that's perfect for many different uses! I make my own Sriracha so I wait for them to turn red. They're one of my base peppers for my sauce! I praise them to all my personal friends and to members of groups that I belong to!
Serrano Hidalgo Seeds fromSandia Seed produce even in the HOT drought of central Illinois this year! I love adding a little Mexican kick to my salsa but also tossing these on the grill! They have great flavor and produce all summer long!
I had looked high & low, and searched the web with many word combinations ‘looking’ specifically for my favorite chili, the Dynamite xx Hot… so I could grow my own. The peppers were sold in Colorado at select places during roasting season, but you couldn’t buy seeds for them… anywhere!
Finally, as luck and persistence would have it, I discovered Sandia Seed Company.
Thank you Sandia! I planted them and had a great crop this year. I plan on growing them every year as well as trying some of their other seeds,
There's just something fun about growing a jalapeno that is light enough in color that some people think it's a banana pepper. LOL! I picked these just for color variety, and I'm very pleased that my plants have been loaded with them all season! We donated about 50 lbs of mixed peppers this year from our garden and I still had enough to freeze some and can more jars of recipes than we'll probably be able to use before next season. All my peppers were from Sandia Seed Company. I've never had such great pepper production before using these seeds!!
This spinach germinated well, and produced way more spinach than I'd initially expected. It grew really well, was slow to bolt in the summer, and has a really nice mild flavor for salads or steamed.
This was my first time growing these and I will definitely be growing them from now on. Great germination and very sturdy plants that have withstood some really high winds. Huge long peppers that are excellent green or red, very easy to peel skin.
Growing these in Florida, (Recent transplant of NM).
Lovely peppers. Took a couple weeks is all and wow! I have several budding; 2 large enough to nickname. They're still in their infancy, but I can tell they are going to be great! Love the seeds!
What to do with a lot of Peppers? 28+ Ideas
Wondering what to do with a lot of peppers? This list above and below includes our favorite ways to use your pepper harvest from our latest Seed Catalog, which is packed with recipes and growing tips.Too Many Peppers? If you find yourself with an abundance of peppers, there are several effective strategies for making use of them immediately or preserving them for enjoyment throughout the winter months. Learn how to make many of these ideas below with our Chile Recipes » Right now: Grill th...
Jalapenos Turning Black?
Don't worry if your jalapenos are turning black! Jalapeños turn black often during their to natural ripening process. Most Jalapeño varieties mature from green to red, and during this time they often turn partially black or deep purple – this is totally normal. You may be worried that there is something wrong with your Jalapeño peppers, but often they will turn partially dark or black as they starting to turn red. Green to black to red is how they ripen!Jalapeños peppers can be harvested ...
Recipe for Spaghetti Verde – Pasta with Cilantro, Tomatillos, Jalapenos and Olive Oil
Here is a simple recipe for Spaghetti Verde, our version is pasta tossed with roasted tomatillos, jalapenos (or other spicy green peppers such as Hatch chiles) and cilantro. This is a pesto for those who like it spicy! Ingredients: 3-5+ Tomatillos, roasted and cooled 1-3+ Jalapenos, roasted and cooled (or use any green chiles for this recipe) 3+ Garlic Cloves, roasted 1 Bunch of cilantro 1/2 Cup Olive Oil Salt and pepper to taste Nuts - optional, add toasted No Shell Raw Pepitas, pine nuts...
Cowboy Candy and Cowgirl Candy Recipe
Candied jalapeños, are also known as Cowboy Candy, and Cowgirl Candy refers to a variation that includes pineapple for a sweeter, making a more tropical flavor. This recipe makes a balance of sweet and spicy peppers that can be stored for months. There is no canning involved, just refrigerate your jars. This recipe makes half Cowboy Candy and half Cowgirl Candy (4 to 5 pint jars). Ingredients: 1 lb jalapeños (about 20 peppers), washed and sliced into ¼ inch slices. (wear gloves) 1 cup ap...
Biggest Selection of Green Chile Seeds - in all heat levels!
If you love green chile, make sure to check out our huge selection at Sandia Seed! In 2008, we were founded on the idea that seeds for green chile peppers should be available for everyone. We were the first seed packet company to focus exclusively on pepper seeds from around the world. At that time large seed packet companies sold only one or two peppers alongside their vegetable seed selection and they were not green chile seeds! We decided something had to change, so Sandia Seed started...
Largest Jalapenos you can Grow
Grow bigger jalapeños next season! You can do this by growing larger Jalapeño varieties such as Jalapeño Traveler and Jalmundo NuMex – they will reward you with pods that can get up to 4 inches to make the perfect poppers!Note that the size of jalapenos varies depending on the growing conditions. Weather, especially, can affect the size of peppers in general, some seasons result in much larger pods than other seasons. Sometimes pods will start out smaller and get larger as the season progress...
Heirloom Pepper Seeds: The Fish Pepper
Fascinating heirloom Fish Pepper plants have variegated foliage and bear lots of delicious hot pods with stripes. The peppers start out green with white stripes and eventually turn to orange with brown stripes and then to red. They are hot and tasty with up to 30,000 Scovilles and are great for salsas, curries, chili and sauces. Easy to grow, great for containers, this is a pepper every chilehead will love to have in their garden! Fish Pepper plants often start out green – the mottled f...
Happy first day of Autumn!
Happy first day of Autumn! Wow, where does the time go? May your harvests bring you joy! Did you know? The autumnal equinox marks the moment when day and night are approximately equal in length, signaling the transition from summer to autumn. Harvesting lots of peppers? Try our Chile Recipes to use your harvest »How to make a Ristra to dry your chiles »How to dry peppers without a dehydrator » Can you plant veggies in Autumn? Even if you live in an area with cold winters, You can ...
What did you think of our seeds? Submit a Review to win!
THIS OCTOBER 2025 REVIEW CONTEST HAS ENDED.CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 3 WINNERS: Hottest pepper I grow - Kevin F.Just like the Lemon Spice Jalapeños, these pack quite a kick 80,000, considerably hotter than the 30,000 of the Lemon Spice. Beautiful orange color. My wife is not a huge pepper person but loves these smaller spicy peppers when I make poppers with cream cheese and bacon.View Kevin's Review on our Orange Spice Jalapeno Seeds » Chimayos in Oregon - Dale D.I've loved seeing the ...
Hot Pepper Relish Canning Recipe
Hot Pepper Relish Canning Recipe 5 cups minced/ground sweet peppers (such as Green Bell Peppers, Golden Bell Peppers, Purple Bell Peppers, Red Bell Peppers, Mini Bell Peppers, or you can also use other specialty sweet peppers like Corno Di Toro Giallo, Cubanelles, Fushimi, Marconis, Paprika peppers, or even Habanadas to give your relish some Habanero fruity flavor (roughly 3 to 4 pounds before mincing/grinding) 5 cups minced/ground jalapeño peppers (any variety) or any hot peppers of your ...
Why are bell peppers so hard to grow?
Do you have luck growing bell peppers? Or do you struggle growing them? Do they only produce a couple peppers for the season? Growing Bell peppers can be challenging for some growing regions. Bell peppers are tropical natives that enjoy warm temperatures between 65-85˚F, and they generally prefer high humidity with fertile soil. In some regions, like the arid West with it's intense high altitude sun, bell peppers can be more challenging to grow. Bell peppers are especially prone to sunbur...
Hot Sauce Quotes
Do you love hot sauce like we do? Here are some fun quotes about Hot Sauce, our favorite condiment: "If peppers are a fruit, then hot sauce is a smoothie." “Everything’s better with Hot Sauce” “The secret ingredient is always Hot Sauce” “Spice up your life” (with Sandia Seed) “Hot sauce is my spirit condiment” “When life gives you peppers, make hot sauce” “Hot sauce: turning bland into grand since forever” “Keep calm and put hot sauce on everything!” “Hot sauce: the real MVP of eve...
When to Harvest Green Chile
Knowing when to harvest Green Chile is important for the best flavors. When to pick your chiles all depends on when you planted, the variety of chile, plus weather and soil conditions. In Hatch, New Mexico, for example, the harvest season typically begins in August and goes through September, with some seasons getting late harvests in October – it all depends on the weather! Depending on where you are growing your green chile will affect when you'll be able to start harvesting pods. Here ...
Vegetables You Can Plant in September
Just because it's September, gardening season isn't over yet! There are still plenty of veggies you can plant now. Here are some of our top recommendations: Here are some veggies you can still plant in September: Lettuce - Little Gem is a great variety to start in September! It also can tolerate light frosts. Spinach - Bloomsdale Spinach, a cold-hardy beloved heirloom variety known for its thick, crinkly dark green leaves and rich, nutty flavor. Bunching Onions - a hardy, fas...
2026 Seed Catalog - Peppers of the World
We are so excited for our new 2026 Seed Catalog, packed with peppers, tomatoes, veggies and lots of recipes, growing tips and pepper growing info. Check out what we have coming in our newest Seed Catalog! Our seed catalog has 36 pages of colorful photos and info that is a great coffee or dinner table companion, and can be used in the kitchen, too! Dream up next season's vegetable garden with over 100 peppers and tons of tomatoes and vegetables to grow to have a variety of delicious harve...
Tomato spotted wilt virus - mottled tomatoes
The above photo of some wild looking mottled tomatoes is damage most likely caused by the Tomato spotted wilt virus. Plants infected with Tomato spotted wilt virus exhibit bronzing of the upper sides of young leaves, which later develop distinct, necrotic mottled spots. It looks wild, but it usually results in a less tasty tomato though it is still safe to eat if it doesn't taste too bad. This viral disease is infectious to many other plants including peppers, so it's best to remove ...
How to get Tomatoes to Ripen on the Vine
Wondering how to get tomatoes to ripen on the vine? Did you know that picking ripe (or near ripe) tomatoes on your plants can speed up ripening of the the remaining tomatoes on the plant? It's true. Picking tomatoes (and peppers for that matter) can encourage the plant to ripen the remaining fruits faster. With tomatoes (and most peppers, too), you can pick them when they are partially ripe, so as the tomatoes turn halfway to their final color but aren't the full ripe color yet. If y...
How to store cucumbers until you have enough to pickle?
Customer question: I finally have cucumbers coming in, with lots more to come this week. What is the best way to store them until Sunday (over 4 days away) when I can pickle them so they stay as crisp/fresh as possible? Thanks for any advice! Here's our advice for storing cucumbers for a few days so they are as fresh as possible when you pickle them: Wash and dry: After you harvest your cucumbers, rinse them gently under cold water and remove any dirt. Pat them dry with a clean towel. M...
Pickle Recipes
We love pickles and make them out of a lot of our cucumbers and hot peppers.like Cascabellas and Jalapenos and other Wax Peppers. Pickled peppers are delicious, we like to leave out the sugar and use hot peppers for a nice vinegary punch of heat and flavor anytime we feel like a snack. And spicy cucumber pickles are another perfect snack or side or topper for a sandwich or burger! If you don't have a huge harvest, make refrigerator pickles which are crunchier and they keep in the fridge f...
Pesto Recipe
Simple Pesto Recipe: 2 Cups of Basil – or more, who measures Basil? We usually just use all that we have on hand, you can make larger or smaller batches depending on how much basil you have. You can use both the leaves and any non-woody stems. 1/2 Cup of Nuts - we like to use hulled pumpkin seeds, pine nuts are traditional, but people also use walnuts, almonds, pistacios or even peanuts for pestos, they all bring their own flavor profile to the table. Vary quantity as desired 1/4 cup of ...
