Nov 21, 2023
Broccoli, pepper awarded All-American Selections honor
North America’s most well-known and respected non-profit plant trialing organization, All-America Selections (AAS), has three new vegetable winners that will be available for 2024.
All AAS Winners are trialed throughout North America by professional, independent, volunteer judges who grow new, never-before-sold entries next to comparisons that are considered best-in-class. Only those entries that have superior garden performance are granted the AAS award designation.
Brokers, growers and retailers will want to add these proven garden performers to their assortments, according to an AAS news release
Each of these vegetables will soon be featured in videos on the AAS YouTube channel.
New AAS Winners — vegetables
F1 AAS Edible Winner — national winner
From its beautiful purple color, tight uniform heads and bright beads to its great broccoli flavor, this easy-to-grow broccoli is also stress and heat tolerant.
“Wicked good! Nicest purple broccoli we’ve ever seen,” according to one AAS judge.
Purple Magic is an excellent broccoli to try growing in cooler seasons, according to the release. It can be eaten raw, stir-fried, roasted, lightly blanched or steamed for the best texture. It is sweeter and more tender than traditional green broccoli. The broccoli is bred by Sakata Seed America.
Broccoli Skytree F1 Edible Winner — Regional-West/Northwest
Skytree broccoli is a towering AAS Winner that features upright stems, making it easy to harvest, with tender stems and florets.
Skytree is an “easy floret” variety with a segmented head allowing for easier preparation, according to its breeder, Bayer Vegetable Seeds. Skytree is part of Bayer’s ‘Easy Floret’ range which benefits both grower and consumer due to its easy harvest and easy preparation.
It matures approximately five days earlier than Ironman, has less yellow halo on the florets and has a sweeter stem than traditional broccoli varieties. Skytree has great potential to be mechanically harvested due to the reduced number of leaves and its excellent harvest uniformity.
Pepper Red Impact F1 AAS Edible Winner — National Winner
Lamuyo-type peppers are notoriously difficult to grow, but the new Red Impact variety is here to change that. This AAS Winning pepper is easy to grow and produces thick, sweet walls, even when green.
It is also much sweeter than other varieties and loaded with fruits for a high-yielding gem. Red Impact plants are upright and tidy, with a strong disease package that protects your investment. The fruit is dark red, highly uniform in shape and size, and if you are looking for a delicious and easy-to-grow pepper, Red Impact is the perfect choice for you. Bred by Bayer Vegetable Seeds.
