The harvest of Registered Castle Pepper has begun

The pride of the Kale district, one of the 3 pepper varieties in Turkey with a geographical indication certificate, Kale Pepper, has started to be harvested. Grown in the Kale district of Denizli and highly demanded, the registered Kale Pepper harvest has begun. Certified by the Turkish Standards Institution and given a geographical indication, Kale pepper is being dried to take its place among winter foods. Due to the fertility of the soils in the region, Kale pepper has a unique taste with its distinctive aroma and is being individually harvested. After the harvest, it is collected from the fields by the local people, strung up on strings, and hung on the balconies of houses. Various winter products such as sauce, paste, chili flakes, powder, and ingredients for tarhana are obtained from Kale pepper. The production of Kale pepper, produced in about 900 hectares in the Kale district of Denizli, continues without slowing down. Approximately 3,000 tons of fresh peppers are produced from this area. The headman of Kale mentioned the production, ‘We grow Kale peppers in our Kale district. It covers an area of 900 hectares. Last year, we produced approximately 3 tons annually. The seeds are inherited from our ancestors,’ he said. The District Agriculture and Forestry Director of Kale, Fatih Muhammed Eren, stated that they are always with the farmers and in dialogue with Agricultural Engineers throughout the production process of Kale Pepper until the harvest. He said, ‘We are always with our farmers during the harvest. Our Agricultural Engineer friends always provide information. Our products are organic. No chemicals are used. Spraying is done by the producers with licensed pesticides as advised by our Agricultural Engineers according to the diseases observed through our periodic monitoring. We are with the farmers at every stage.’