Coming to a Garden Near You: Philadelphia Pepper Project

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Hot peppers may not be in season right now (unless you’ve got a greenhouse), but there are plans afoot for an exciting pepper project in Philadelphia. Called the Philadelphia Pepper Project, it aims to grow heirloom peppers with Philly history and make them available in public gardens and byways in the city. The idea is to reintroduce the heritage of these peppers to gardeners and others and help preserve the history.

Anita McKelvey, a semi-retired chef and director of Authentic Philadelphia, is behind the project. Be sure to check out the blog to see what projects she’s participating in each month. The blog is also full of useful information on pepper varieties, seed houses, pepper history, interviews, and advice on seed saving.

Keep an eye out for heirloom varieties of peppers available through the Philadelphia Pepper Project this summer. We’ll definitely be waiting to see what kind of peppers pop up throughout the city!