Helix Nebula Pepper Review
The Helix Nebula is one of the “space chiles” that China sent into orbit a few years back – claiming that the cosmic radiation helped to increase productivity, germination, growth, etc. Well, sure, ok. The plant that I grew out this year (my first for this variety) stood just under three feet in height and barely half that in width. At the time of this review, I have harvested less than 15 fully ripened peppers.
As you can see the Helix Nebula produces some wild fruit. Most that I harvested reached a foot in length and some were so twisted that they spiraled in upon themselves. The skin on all was bright red in color with a good amount of wrinkling from tip to stem. Inside, the pepper had a surprising amount of placenta that also stretched from end to end with a few seeds throughout.
The aroma is grassy with a gentle smokiness and hint of heat, but overall, it smells fairly subdued. The flavor is much more dynamic. Crunching through the Helix Nebula produces a very juicy experience with a soft sweetness up front, grassy notes and a distant bitterness. A hint of the smokiness from the nose is present late. This is a very tasty pepper.
The heat range of this variety is typically mild to medium, but with this particular plant, “mild” would be giving this one too much credit. There is the tiniest bit of short-lived warmth that is concentrated within the placenta that is closer to the stem of the fruit. The light burn focuses on the tongue gently and fades so quickly that it barely registers. I am unsure if my plant was producing duds, or if this is the expectation.
Regardless of the lack of apparent heat, the Helix Nebula is a truly wonderful looking and tasting pepper. I am hopeful that the current second set of fruit ripen before the frost comes in the next week or so – these peppers are great on salads!