Ancho Poblano peppers bring classic Mexican flavor to your garden and kitchen. The fresh pepper is called a poblano: broad-shouldered, tapered, and dark green before ripening red. When ripe red poblanos are dried, they become ancho chiles, prized for their rich, fruity, earthy flavor. Poblanos generally have mild heat, though individual peppers can be hotter. Grow them for roasted pepper strips, stuffed peppers, sauces, and your own dried ancho harvest. Each packet contains 100 non-GMO, heirloom seeds for planting.

Growing a Doomsday Garden by David Schulze

Germination Rate: 85%. Test Date: 7/26. OSI.

Texas Minimum Germination Rate: 55%

Why Choose Ancho Poblano?

• Two culinary stages: Enjoy fresh green poblanos or let the fruit ripen red and dry it for ancho chiles.
• Generally mild heat: Add gentle warmth and rich pepper flavor to meals. Heat varies, so taste cooked peppers before seasoning an entire dish.
• Excellent for stuffing: Broad fruit offers useful room for cheese, beans, rice, and other fillings.
• Rich roasted flavor: Roasting brings out the savory character of fresh poblanos for soups, tacos, and creamy pepper strips.
• Versatile dried harvest: Dried ripe fruit adds fruity, earthy depth to mole, enchilada sauces, and seasoning blends.
• Non-GMO heirloom seeds: Grow a traditional pepper type and enjoy a garden-to-table harvest.

Planting Tips for Success

• Start indoors: Sow about 8 to 10 weeks before your last expected frost, approximately ¼ inch deep in moist seed-starting mix.
• Keep seeds warm: Aim for a warm seed-starting environment, approximately 75 to 85°F. Keep the mix moist but not soggy; emergence may be uneven in cool conditions.
• Provide strong light: Give seedlings bright light after emergence. Harden them off gradually before moving outdoors.
• Transplant after frost: Wait for warm soil and reliably mild nights. Choose full sun, with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct light daily.
• Soil and spacing: Use fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost. Space plants about 18 to 24 inches apart, leaving room for airflow and harvesting.
• Water consistently: Water at soil level and keep moisture even during flowering and fruit development. Mulch after soil warms to reduce moisture loss.
• Fertilize thoughtfully: Follow soil-test guidance and fertilizer label directions. Excess nitrogen can favor leaves rather than fruit.
• Support plants: A stake or small cage helps support branches as peppers develop.
• Harvest for your intended use: Cut firm, full-size green poblanos for fresh cooking. Leave fruit on the plant until fully red when growing peppers for drying into anchos. Avoid pulling fruit from branches.
• Container growing: Use a roomy container with drainage holes and quality potting mix. Check moisture frequently during hot weather.

Why Choose David's Garden Seeds®?

• Veteran-Owned: Supplying premium seeds since 2009.
• GO TEXAN Certified: Supporting local agriculture and communities.
• Integrity Pledge: David's Garden Seeds has taken the Seed Integrity Pledge.
• Vegetable Seed License: David's Garden Seeds has been granted a Vegetable Seed License for the State of Texas.

Cooking Methods

• Roasting: Roast fresh green poblanos until the skins blister, then peel as desired and add to tacos, soups, or sauces.
• Stuffing: Fill prepared poblanos with cheese, beans, grains, or cooked meat for baked stuffed peppers or chile relleno-style dishes.
• Rajas: Slice roasted poblanos into strips and cook with onion for a flavorful side or filling.
• Soups and stews: Add chopped fresh or roasted peppers for savory depth and gentle heat.
• Drying into ancho chiles: Use fully ripe red fruit and a tested drying method. Dry thoroughly before storage to prevent spoilage.
• Ancho sauces: Remove stems and seeds from dried anchos as desired, rehydrate, and blend into mole or enchilada sauces. Dried ancho flavor is different from fresh green poblano flavor.

Order Ancho Poblano Pepper Seeds Today

Grow fresh poblanos for roasting and stuffing, and ripe red peppers for your own dried ancho chiles.

Nutritional Information

• Harvested produce: Nutrition applies to edible harvested peppers, not the planting seeds in this packet.
• Preparation matters: Fresh green poblanos and dried ripe ancho chiles have different moisture levels and serving sizes; their nutrition should not be treated as interchangeable.
• Numeric values: A verified Ancho Poblano nutrient analysis is not available for this listing. Banana pepper nutrition figures have been removed rather than presented as Ancho Poblano data.

Nutrition varies with serving size, maturity, growing conditions, and preparation. Fillings, oils, and sauces change the nutritional content of finished dishes.

Important Disclosures

• Variety Disclaimer: Fruit size, shape, color, heat, maturity, and yield vary with climate, soil, moisture, temperature, and care.
• Seed Storage: Store unused planting seeds in a cool, dry place away from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight.
• Planting Zones: Peppers are warm-season plants. Follow local planting dates and protect plants from frost and cold soil.
• Food Safety: Wash harvested peppers before cooking. Use tested preservation procedures for drying, pickling, or canning. Wear gloves when handling hot peppers and avoid touching your eyes.

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Garden Recipe: Rajas con Crema with Ancho Poblano Peppers

Turn freshly harvested green poblanos into tender roasted pepper strips with onion and a creamy sauce. Serve as a side dish or tuck into warm tortillas. This recipe uses harvested peppers, not the planting seeds in this packet.

Serves: 4 as a side. Prep: 15 minutes. Cooking and resting: About 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 4 medium fresh green poblano peppers, washed and dried
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
• ¼ cup milk, plus a splash more if needed
• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup crumbled queso fresco, optional
• Warm corn or flour tortillas, for serving

Directions

1. Place the peppers on a broiler-safe metal tray and broil about 4 to 6 inches from the heat, turning with tongs until the skins are blistered on all sides, about 8 to 12 minutes. Watch closely to prevent burning.
2. Transfer peppers to a heat-safe bowl, cover, and rest for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, wear gloves to peel away the loosened skin. Remove stems, seeds, and inner membranes, then cut the peppers into strips about ¼ to ½ inch wide. Avoid touching your eyes.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 6 to 8 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Add the roasted poblano strips and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the crema and milk. Warm gently for 3 to 5 minutes until hot and creamy without boiling vigorously. Add a splash of milk if the sauce is too thick, then season with salt and pepper.
6. Sprinkle with optional queso fresco and serve warm with tortillas.

Options and Storage

• Garden variation: Add ½ cup cooked sweet corn with the pepper strips for a sweeter version.
• Adjust the heat: Poblanos vary in heat. Removing membranes can reduce some heat; taste a small cooked piece before serving.
• Fresh versus dried: Use fresh green poblanos for this recipe. Dried ancho chiles are not a direct substitute.
• Leftovers: Refrigerate in a shallow covered container within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F. Use within 3 to 4 days and reheat to 165°F, stirring gently.

Growing a Doomsday Garden by David Schulze