Shishitos are trendy, have made their rounds on "hipster" and upscale restaurants the past couple years, and are occasionally overpriced in markets because of their desirability.

There's nothing exceedingly special about them and it reminds me of the Padron pepper craze many years ago. For similar reasons they're popular...you occasionally get a hot one amongst the sweet + mild, though part of the Padron's contribution to that imbalance (unlike the Shishito) is because Padrons are picked when very immature to skew the no-heat/mild vs hot balance whereas Shishitos can grow a bit longer on the plant without skewing heat vs no/low heat balance. If left on the plant too long, almost all Padrons become mostly-hot.

Fwiw, Shishitos do taste good, especially grilled...worth growing if you're into it. They're a nice 1 or 2 bite pepper.

This post was edited by nc-crn on Wed, Sep 25, 13 at 5:57

The disparity of pricing on peppers is something that will always confuse me.. especially with these trendy types and super hots. Good thing for you is that the shishitos don't weight that much.

Agreed, your best bet is to grow them yourself. I'm planning on doing the same in 2014 for the same reason.. but making sure to plant a few of each to make sure there are enough on hand for larger gatherings.

I like shishitos and padrons because they are so snackable.. quickly thrown on a really hot fire, or chopped in a fresh salad.

nc-crn is right, padrons and shishitos have been popping up on a bunch of menus out here in LA the last few years.. I think the restaurants like them because they charge $7 to $10 for an appetizer with ~10 to 15 peppers in them, and a few bits of shaved ham and/or dry cheese.. talk about margin.

last note.. if you are into the snackable not-so-spicy pepper, consider nepalese peppers and the brazilian starfish (hotter). different looking ones that I think are in a similar ballpark for uses. They look cool too :)

anyways, nice grow list. good luck next year! -E