All American Selections of 2023 winners are judged on toughness, disease resistance, and uniqueness from many varieties. Here are the vegetable winners:
Starting with Pepper Cayenne Wildcat F1 a cayenne pepper with thicker walls than other varieties. Produces a sweet, smoky flavor with mild heat (around 1000 Scoville units) for those who do not like a truly hot pepper.
Pepper Jalapeno San Joaquin F1 on determinate plants making for a high yield at the same time. They do last a long time on the plant. 50 plus fruits per plant. Thick-walled fruits with 2500 to 6000 Scoville units (a hint of heat). The flesh is dry, sweet, and without fibers.
My favorite winter squash is a kabocha-type, now a new variety came out called Sweet Jade Kabocha Squash. The fruits are a little smaller than the regular type being single servings of 1-2 pounds fruits. Has dry, stringless texture.
Tomato Zenzei F1 is an early maturing Roma-type of tomato. An indeterminate plant that keeps produces a crop to frost. Fewer spotting and blossom end rot compared to other Roma tomatoes.
Watermelon Rubyfirm F1 is a small single-serving fruit the size of a cantaloupe. Very sweet, crisp flesh with few seeds. 2 to 3 fruits per plant.
F1 means first filial generation which is obtained by crossing two different parents to produce a hybrid. Seeds from the fruit can not be replanted because they will revert to the original parents.