Kitchen Pepper
Grow Ajvarski for sweet, thick-fleshed peppers to roast, peel and turn into ajvar. The large pods ripen red and also suit sauces and fresh eating.
CASA VERDE · HEAT PROFILE
Sweet
- Sweet — this variety
- Mild
- Medium
- Hot
- Super hot
Understanding the heat
A diamond marks the midpoint of a listed range, or the listed value when only one number is given. An arrow marks a stated limit. These are variety guides, not measurements of our seed lot. This guide uses unequal numerical bands: sweet 0; mild up to 10,000; medium 10,000–50,000; hot 50,000–800,000; super hot from 800,000 SHU (display capped at 3 million). Heat varies between fruits and with growing conditions.
Shop all pepper seeds in Canada
- Packet
- 10+ seeds per packet
- Maturity
- Let the green pods turn fully red for roasting and ajvar
- Heat
- 0–0 SHU
- Plant habit
- Stocky plants; support branches carrying large pods
- Origin
- Macedonia
FROM GARDEN TO KITCHEN
From the roasting tray to a bowl of ajvar.
Ajvarski’s red, thick-fleshed pods lend themselves to roasting and spreads. Keep some fresh for a crisp salad, too.
01 / MAKE AJVAR
A roasted pepper spread worth growing for.
Roast, peel and deseed the peppers, then grind and cook down into ajvar. Spread on bread and serve with white cheese.
02 / ROAST & PEEL
Let the skins blister.
Roast ripe red pods until the skins blister and the flesh softens. Peel and remove the stems and seeds, then use the flesh in spreads, sauces or a warm side dish.
03 / SERVE FRESH
Keep some crunch on the plate.
Slice fresh red peppers with cucumber and a little red onion. Dress simply with oil and vinegar so the sweet pepper stays at the centre of the salad.
AI-generated culinary illustrations. Serving inspiration, not photographs of our harvest. Select a photo to enlarge.
CASA VERDE · GROWER’S NOTES
Get to know your pepper.
- Heat: Very mild to no heat, typically 0 Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
- Origin: A traditional sweet pepper associated with North Macedonia and the preparation of ajvar. This describes culinary and varietal history, not the source of this seed lot.
- Appearance: Large, wedge-shaped pods that grow 6–7 inches long. They ripen from green to a deep, rich crimson red.
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Culinary Uses:
- Ajvar: Its most famous use is in the traditional relish Ajvar, made by roasting, peeling, and grinding the peppers.
- Roasting and Grilling: Its thick flesh and sweet flavor make it an excellent choice for roasting or grilling.
- Sauces and Spreads: Used to make sauces, dips, and spreads, either alone or combined with other roasted vegetables.
- Fresh Eating: Can be enjoyed raw in salads for a sweet, crunchy addition.
- Seasoning: When dried, it can be ground into a sweet, flavorful paprika.
Growing and harvest: Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before your last expected frost. Harden plants off gradually, then plant outside after frost risk has passed and soil is warm. Keep soil evenly moist and well drained. Support fruiting branches. For roasting and ajvar, allow the green pods to turn fully red on the plant.
Cook your harvest
Use your harvest in these recipes. Check the variety notes and substitutions in each recipe.
Start indoors 8–10 weeks before last frost. Germinate at 26–30 °C on a heat mat; peppers stall below 22 °C. Pot up to 10–15 cm before hardening off outside after nights stay above 12 °C.
Feed balanced through bloom, then bump potassium for fruiting. Stake taller varieties. More detail in our full Canadian growing guide.
Match the pepper to the technique: thin-walled varieties blister fast in a hot pan; thick-walled ones roast or stuff beautifully; fruit-forward ones make balanced sauces and pickles. The variety's flavour profile is your shortcut — see Choosing the right pepper for a use-case guide.
