Pueblo Mirasol

Pueblo Mirasol is the heirloom variety developed over generations by Pueblo farmers. It has been around since at least the early 1900s. This tough plant is adapted to Pueblo’s high altitude, cool nights and hot days. The flavor is exceptional – fruity and sweet with a nice heat. The thin skin makes Mirasol well suited for fire roasting, but the flesh is less meaty than newer varieties. The peppers are a bit harder to harvest than Mosco or Giadone.

Pueblo Mirasol (Spanish for looking at the sun) is named for way the peppers grow on the plant – straight up toward the sky. Pueblo Mirasol is the ancestor of all the Pueblo Chile varieties and all the new varieties still grow toward the sun, at least until the peppers get too heavy.

Mosco

Mosco is the most common Pueblo Chile variety today. It is a selection from the heirloom Pueblo Mirasol made by Dr. Mike Bartolo in the 1990s. Mosco has meatier flesh than Mirasol and thin skin, making it ideal for fire roasting.

Mosco is named after Dr. Bartolo’s uncle, Harry Mosco who was a chile farmer and from whose seeds Mosco was selected.

Giadone

Alongside Mosco, Dr. Bartolo also selected the spicier Giadone. This variety is often called Hot Pueblo Chile or Xtra Hot Pueblo Chile at the farm stands. Giadone is named after Pete Giadone, who helped create the Chile & Frijoles Festival in Pueblo, CO.

Like Mosco, Giadone has thicker flesh, larger peppers and is easier to harvest than Mirasol. Mosco, Giadone and Mirasol all have similar flavor.

Mosco Improved

Mosco Improved is a selection from Mosco that has better yield and is easier to harvest. The peppers are longer and more slender than Mosco, and a bit spicier. It has the same great flavor and roastability.

Pueblo Popper

One of the newest Pueblo Chile varieties from Dr. Bartolo is the Pueblo Popper. This variety is a descendant of Pueblo Mirasol, but with a rounded pepper shape and lots of air space making it perfectly suited for stuffing. The veins are spicy but once the seeds are removed the flesh is sweet and fruity, and not at all hot. The mildness makes this chile perfect for family dinner – and if you need the heat then adding some roasted chiles to the stuffing is a perfect way to get it.

Mesa Rose

Mesa Rose is an ornamental selection of the Pueblo Chile. The plant is compact and tidy with a bouquet of 2-3″ upright green to red peppers that last from June until frost. Mesa Rose is especially lovely because it shows off the beautiful Mirasol (looking at the sun) habit of the Pueblo Chile, but in miniature. The peppers are juicy and fruity with only a tingle of heat. They’re great for fresh snacking or serving blistered with ranch.

Pueblo Primrose

Pueblo Primrose is another ornamental selection of the Pueblo Chile. The plants are medium sized and vase shaped. The perfectly round 2″ peppers ripen from yellow to orange to red and all three colors will be present together with the orange giving way to red as a gradual blush.

What are those flowers?

Planted between the chiles are dwarf zinnia flowers. Zinnias are excellent companion flowers because their abundant, nectar-rich blooms attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that benefit nearby vegetable crops. They also attract beneficial predatory insects, such as hoverflies and parasitic wasps, which can help suppress aphids, caterpillars, and other pests. Their long flowering season provides a steady food source throughout much of the growing season. And, as a bonus, zinnias are heat and drought tolerant, making them particularly well suited to a sunny vegetable garden in Colorado.