@Ginger2778 kindly gave me seeds for Coral Bell land Canary Bell. We really like them, this year. Very nice flavor.

I've personally assessed Canary Bell the most (and a relative has assessed Coral Bell more), and I really like its texture. It turns deep orange after turning yellow (so, I thought it was Coral Bell until today when I checked to be sure). It's a very high quality pepper, and I'm honestly pleased that it turns orange, since orange peppers is kind of what I'm going for.

Anyway, I definitely plan to grow these next year. My relative explicitly requested that we grow Coral bell again next year, and she raved about the flavor. She liked Canary Bell a lot, too (we had it in frittatas along with an Amana Orange tomato when she ate it; she ate Coral Bell fresh).

They're not as big as the orange version of Golden California Wonder, but that doesn't seem to be a problem. They produce decently, too, and at least Canary Bell (if not Coral Bell, too) has a nicer texture, and firmer flesh.

My relative likes to let them ripen a lot (not just as soon as they turn orange) before she considers them ripe.

Canary Bell (to me) tastes great whether it's orange or yellow.

Here's a picture of a couple that we haven't eaten yet (the yellow one is Canary Bell; the orange one is Coral Bell):

Both of them are very thick walled, sweet, and a good largish size.

Huh. For yesterday's dinner, I cut up an orange Canary Bell pepper for inclusion in my burritos (from the same plant as at least some of the ones I had previously eaten). It smelled fruity like a Habanero. It tasted excellent, too, but guess what? It was very slightly (and pleasantly) hot (not enough to activate my sun sensitivity, as far as I can tell, though). I'm guessing it has to ripen a lot to get the heat. It's possible it was a cross, but it was a full bell pepper shape; so, I'm guessing it wasn't a cross.

I plan to grow it next year from another source (I had already ordered more seeds before I found this out--because mine might cross with our hot Hungarian Sweet Wax pepper cross). So, I can find out if it's supposed to be slightly hot then.

I've evaluated Coral Bell some more. Here's my analysis compared to Canary Bell:

* Somewhat smaller fruits, with somewhat more irregular shapes, than Canary Bell.
* Very tasty, like a good C. chinense hot pepper without any heat whatsoever (it's not even extremely mildly hot like Canary Bell seems to be, but the potent taste makes you think it might be hot at first). This flavor profile is extremely rare for a C. annuum pepper. Most C. annuum peppers I've had taste about the same as each other, but Coral Bell and Canary Bell are some of the exceptions.
* Thick walls (but not as juicy/succulent as Canary Bell)
* I definitely want to grow it again next year.

I'm a bit confused. So Canary Bell and Coral Bell are both orange? I guess I'm confused because I usually equate the word canary with something yellow.

A friend of mine is looking for a good orange-when-ripe (large, not lunch box or elongated one) sweet pepper. These would be grown about two hours west of Madison, WI.

Does anybody have experience with the Orange version of California Wonder?

GoDawgs wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 10:24 am I'm a bit confused. So Canary Bell and Coral Bell are both orange? I guess I'm confused because I usually equate the word canary with something yellow.

A friend of mine is looking for a good orange-when-ripe (large, not lunch box or elongated one) sweet pepper. These would be grown about two hours west of Madison, WI.

Does anybody have experience with the Orange version of California Wonder?

Well, I'm not 100% sure my Canary Bell last year was true-to-type, but it did turn yellow before it turned orange. I'm growing it again this year from another source, and it seems kind of different; maybe more yellow than last year (but it's taking longer for the peppers to ripen this year, so I'm not sure). I'm planning to try another source next year, because this year's source has plants with different phenotypes (like fruit shape and plant size).

I've wanted to grow the California Wonder Orange, but I haven't, yet. However, I have grown the orange version of Golden California Wonder, which was a nice pepper, which I want to grow again. It's not advertised as orange, but the picture is orange, and the fruit it produces is orange, too, in my experience: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Everwilde-Fa ... /278883423

I did prefer Canary Bell's flavor, though, but the flavor of the pepper in the link above was reasonable. Both varieties have large fruit.

Coral Bell does not have a yellow phase before turning orange. Neither does the orange version of Golden California Wonder that I mentioned above.

I wouldn't doubt if Canary bell was crossed, especially since you experienced some heat with them. Personally, I do not bag my flowers, and my peppers are fairly close together. Stuff happens!

@Ginger2778
No worries. I think you gave me store-bought seeds that you had left. Either way, they were delicious, prolific, and inspiring.