Here at Dee Roo we grow between 30 and 40 different varieties of peppers each year.  One plant that we have grown every year since first discovering it in the early aughts is the Fish Pepper.

Its gorgeous variegated leaves and great tasting pods make it perfect for hot sauces and also a stand out in the garden.  The peppers themselves start out creamy white, then they develop the characteristic green striping that’s displayed on the leaves, finally ripening to a deep red.  Tasty at every stage, we use the ripe pods in several of our signature hot sauces.

 The Fish Pepper has a very unique and unusual backstory as well.  This heirloom pepper was first used in the Chesapeake Bay area fish and crab houses back in the late 1800s where it’s early creamy white colored fruits were added to chowders and sauces used on seafood.  It was kept as a closely guarded secret in many recipes, and its use was handed down orally over the years. 

Later on a black WW1 infantry veteran named Horace Pippin from the famous “Harlem Hellfighters” was wounded during the war and developed arthritis as a result.  He had heard of an old folk remedy for arthritis that called for bee stings, so he befriended a local beekeeper named H Ralph Weaver.  Over the years Mr Pippin began sharing seeds from his friends and extended family with Mr Weaver, many different and rare varieties.  Mr Weaver saved these seeds in his private collection until his grandson William Weaver released them to the public in 1995. 

Every plant that is grown today can be traced back to that fateful exchange between friends back in the 1940s.  At around 2 feet tall with a nice bushy habit, the Fish Pepper does well in beds or can be grown in pots.  The eye catching beauty of this plant and its unique history are a wonderful addition to any garden.