Ausilio Thin Skin Italian Pepper
Heirloom
All-Time Favorite
- Staff Favorite
- Organic
- Italian-style thin skin frying pepper
- Red fruits grow to 5 inches long
- Moderate to high heat
- ±4,200 seeds/oz
Item Details
This gorgeous, versatile, and delicious blocky pepper originates from Italy and is ideal for stuffing, frying, and canning, with a heat level that ranges from mild to hot. Pendant fruits measure 4 to 5 inches long by 2 to 2.5 inches wide. Its medium-thick flesh matures from green to red, and plants measure 18 to 24 inches tall. (70-80 days).
This Italian family heirloom pepper was donated to Seed Savers Exchange in 2015 by Chad and Michele Ogle-Riccelli of Des Moines, Iowa. Chad's great-grandparents, Giovanni "John" Ausilio and Rachel P. Scarcello, immigrated from Italy in the early 1900s. Their daughter Theresa continues to grow the pepper, which today is at the center of the family's culinary traditions. It is used for drying, frying, stuffing, canning and making sardas (savory rolls flavored with dried peppers and sardines). ±4,200 seeds/oz
When asked why the family chose to preserve this pepper and save seeds form year to year, Chad says, "As Grandma (Theresa Ausilio Riccelli) would tell you, they are her family seeds. Something that special, you love and pass on for generations to come...These peppers are part of our heritage."
Learn to Grow Ausilio Thin Skin Italian Pepper
Start Indoors: 8 weeks before last frost
Germination: 14 Days
Plant Outdoors: 12-24” Apart
Light: Full Sun
Instructions - Sow seeds indoors ¼” deep. Peppers germinate best in warm soil, so gentle bottom heat may be helpful until seedlings emerge. Wait to transplant outdoors until soil is warm.
Ratings & Reviews
8 reviews
Outstanding Pepper.
by STEVE
This is one of my favorite peppers. Sprouted and grew very easily. It's got a little kick, but not nearly as hot as a Jalepeno or Serrano. Very good flavor. And it's got a great history.
A new favorite for my garden every year
by SC
Amazing pepper that sprouted easily and was a steady producer in zone 7. Nice heat, milder than a jalapeno but still makes my hands tingle if I handle the seeds. Great raw and cooked. This is my favorite new pepper to grow every year now.
My new favorite Seed Savers pepper!
by Alex
I first grew these in 2019 and they will continue to be a part of my garden. Easy to grow and very productive. Just the right amount of heat and great flavor. Can't recommend highly enough! Zone 5A.
Delicious and versatile pepper.
by Dan
Wonderful peppers and so easy to grow and maintain. Our family loves them. These are great stuffed for appetizers, sautéed and tossed with pasta and fresh herbs and also diced raw on salads.
Italian Thin Skin Pepper
by JCA
The thin skin Italian pepper has been an Italian family's choice of stuffing and frying peppers for century's and migrated to the southside of Des Moines since Italians from Terraveccia Italy settled here. What's unique about them is the heat, some time there hot sometime there not. I knew Mrs. Ausilio and my hat is off to the Ausilio family for doing their best to preserve the Pepper.
Sweet and Mildly Spicy
by David
I planted these first time this year! Wow! Sweet and mild spicy what a combo. Absolutely love these will plant more next year. So good fried and added to many dishes. Love these!
Sturdy Plants - Bug Resistant
by Linda
I haven't tasted these yet, but WOW, what a little firecracker of a pepper! The plants are sturdy, the pepper neat as it appears to grow upwards, and the bugs don't bother it. I can't wait to taste these. Has anyone canned these?
Outstanding!
by LR
Grow these peppers. They are medium-hot, thin-skinned, and simply delicious. They are great in sauce, fresh on salads, grilled, sautéed, or prepared any way you like peppers. My new favorite.