The ornamental peppers: The hot zone

Last year I used “Some Like it Hot” (Marilyn Monroe’s movie) to introduce our hot peppers; this year I got an idea from Richard Preston’s bio-thriller (based on the true story), “The Hot Zone”—so far we have only four ornamental peppers: 2 tall black pearls (which may turn scarlet-red when ripen), one medusa and one colorful sangria.  Some say ornamental peppers are not edible; this is a misconception.  Ornamental peppers are developed for its exotic beauty of the fruits at the expense of the flavor; they are not as tasty as those grown for the table.