Several Macedonian grilling peppers on a green cutting board
Finally, the last plant review for my 2025 vegetable garden! Here I review the last two vegetables that I grew in my garden last summer: scorzonera, and Macedonian grilling peppers. I will give them a rating out of 5 in ease of growing, harvest yield, and harvest quality, and use this to calculate an overall score. I then explain why I ranked them the way I did, and decide if I will grow them again or not. In previous reviews, I covered:
Review 1: Carwile’s Virginia Peanut, Thai red roselle, Stewart Zeebest okra, moon and stars yellow watermelon
Review 2: Painted Lady runner beans, Suyo long cucumber
Macedonian Grilling Pepper Review
Macedonian grilling peppers growing on the plant
Garden Vegetable Review Score
Overall: 4.5/5
Ease of growing: 4/5
Harvest yield: 4/5
Harvest quality: 5/5
Would I grow it again? YES!
Explanation
These peppers are forgiving, if you can keep the young plants away from the deer. Deer ate up most of my baby peppers. The one that survived was basically a tree. It had a thick, sturdy stalk which bore many elongated, red, scarred peppers.
Slivered, pan-seared, and dried Macedonian grilling pepper
Spicy Exchange describes these as about jalapeno heat, at the hottest. This was NOT accurate, to my opinion! It could be that this one plant was unusual, or didn’t like my fertilizer regime. It is also likely that I am personally more sensitive to spice than the author. It was far, far hotter than I expected!
It made the best paprika I’ve ever had when pan seared and dried. It was something between smoked paprika and hot red pepper powder. It’s easy to make.
Cut the peppers lengthwise in half, and seed them. Pan-sear them until you think they look done. Dry them in the oven or air fryer at about 175 degrees for about 6 hours, checking frequently for moisture level. Take them out when they look done and grind them up.
Smoky red paprika powder made from Macedonian grilling peppers
It took every dish I put it in to the next level. If it was savory, it was getting the paprika treatment! I especially enjoyed making grits with this paprika, salt, pepper, and butter. I demolished the whole supply of hot-and-smoky red powder in no time!
Scorzonera Review
Scorzonera growing in a 10 gallon cloth pot
Garden Vegetable Review Score
Overall: 3.7/5
Ease of growing: 5/5
Harvest yield: 3/5
Harvest quality: 3/5
Would I grow it again? Maybe? Probably not.
Explanation
Scorzonera was very easy to grow. It does not ask for anything. Just give it a large enough pot to make roots, at least 10 gallons.
I’m not sure how I feel about it. The roots have a black skin that needs peeling, and it is laborious to do. The interior is very thin. There is a woody core in the center of the root so you have to “de-bone” it. If you do not cook it first, it will leak latex. It tastes like artichokes or maybe mild seafood. The flavor is faint.
It’s a novelty to me, and unbelievably easy to grow. But, I don’t really know if it’s worth the effort of cooking, or what to do with it. Its flavor is mild and pleasant. But, it’s not good enough to be worth dealing with the peeling. Oyster mushrooms taste much better and are also easy to grow. I don’t know if I could prepare it better than I did this time. I’m uncertain about growing it again, but leaning towards no.
Scorzonera roots cut from the plant and in a strainer after being washed