Art the Barber

C. annuum. Hot. Fruits are wrinkled and squat, resembling a mushroom in shape. Green immature fruit ripen to a vibrant red. Thin walls and moderately seedy. A beautiful pepper that averages 2" long and wide. Plants are erect and reach 2.2-2.7' tall. Green leaves and stem with purple nodes. White flowers. Excellent flavor; pleasantly hot, juicy, and crunchy. High vigor and productivity when grown in 2023 at Heritage Farm. Art Barber of DeWitt, Iowa, has stewarded this variety since 1986 when he purchased it from Garden City USA in Davenport, IA. In 2008, Art walked into his eye doctor’s office in DeWitt, IA with a paper bag full of bright red, bonnet-shaped, hot peppers up for grabs. Cynthia Filides, who worked in the office, recognized the peppers. Her son had recently shared pictures of “an absolutely delicious hot pepper used in almost every local food dish he tried” from a recent trip to Jamaica. Seeing as nobody else showed any interest in them, she took the entire bag home. Her husband Phil was delighted, and this variety has become a favorite in their garden. Phil says “the peppers look fantastic with the Tam O’Shanter hat appearance”. Art and Phil plant this pepper year after year. In 2020, Phil Filides of Sabula, Iowa, donated this variety to SSE. SSE Accession # 133751