Alma paprika is one of the best paprikas for drying, grinding, or picking straight from the plants and eating fresh. Paprika is a kitchen staple that is easy to make with homegrown peppers. Cut open, remove seeds, and dry the pepper flesh. Then use a spice grinder to make it into a powder. Store tightly in a jar.
This popular heirloom produces 2” round, thick-walled peppers with a sweet flavor and a hint of warmth. Turns from creamy white to orange, then to red at maturity. The very productive plants are 24” tall and easy to grow.
In early spring, start seeds indoors 8 weeks prior to warm nightly temperatures. Place the seeds in sterile media and cover 1/4” deep. Provide 85°F bottom heat, bright light, and keep moist at all times. Seeds will germinate in 7 - 14 days. Transplant seedlings into pots and grow until there are 6 true leaves on the plant. Plant them directly into rich soil, 30” apart or into large 5-gallon containers. Harvest peppers when they are red.
I started the seeds on March 20. Only three of twelve seeds have germinated. They are in a covered, heated container. The rest of the tomato and pepper seedlings (except the Red Ghost peppers) are doing well with excellent germination rates.
L
Luane Evans
Sandia Seeds
Love this company. Got everything I ordered in a very timely manner.
C
Celeste
Great flavor but poor germination
Zone: 6b
Germination rate: ~50%
This year I was trying several different types of paprika types to pick my favorites. The Alma makes a much sweeter paprika than what I would normally use (half sharp, half sweet) when making Hungarian dishes. Its lovely and lighter flavored, but I did struggle with germination and the plant was not very productive. If I grow again, will be important to have a robust fertilizing schedule. The Numex was more productive even with a 2x / season fertilizer application. Sandia Seed customer support did provide tips on germination so will use those next year too, though their germination was also relatively low (~70%). Recommend considering this for number of seed packets needed. If you like a paprika with no sharpness would pick this over the Numex.
B
Becky
Best smoked paprika!
These wee peppers make the absolute best smoked paprika! Their thick walls soak up the smoke flavor. They also make a delicious roasted sweet!
Pickling is a great way to preserve your pepper harvest!Pickled peppers are delicious for snacking, or as a topping for sandwiches, soups, chile stews, frittatas, pizza, you name it! Here...
Pickling is a great way to preserve your pepper harvest!Pickled peppers are delicious for snacking, or as a topping for sandwiches, soups, chile stews, frittatas, pizza, you name it! Here...
What makes a culinary pepper? We just watched a Seed to Fork episode on YouTube, and Meg mentioned that she likes to grow "culinary peppers" – specifically that she likes...
What makes a culinary pepper? We just watched a Seed to Fork episode on YouTube, and Meg mentioned that she likes to grow "culinary peppers" – specifically that she likes...