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GREENSBORO - The small green gems are hidden beneath a canopy of inedible leaves.

Rickie Holness pushes the leaves away to reveal clusters of Scotch Bonnets -- the world's third-hottest peppers. They are the same shade as a green bell pepper and about the size of a pingpong ball, though not as round.

Holness stands among the largest crop of Scotch Bonnets he has seen since he left his native Jamaica in 2001. He moved to Greensboro to pursue his master's degree at N.C. A&T. The Scotch Bonnet pepper, which can be found in the Caribbean, is a key ingredient to Jamaican jerk sauces.

Until now, Holness grew just a few plants at his home. Otherwise, the peppers are found mostly at Jamaican or African specialty stores in larger cities.

Holness, an agricultural extension associate at N.C. A&T, planted about 200 Scotch Bonnet plants at the university's farm off McConnell Road to see how well they would grow here. They are still green now, but Holness expects most of them to turn yellow and ripen in a couple of weeks. If the peppers thrive, it could be an alternative crop for local small farmers.

"If you are a small farmer, you can sell a lot of these at a market in New York or Florida," Holness says. "Even the demand here is getting better also. ... There are more Africans, Hispanics and Asians. And more and more Americans are eating hot sauces, too."

He will lead a presentation about Scotch Bonnets and amaranth greens -- another Jamaican specialty now growing on the farm -- at the university's Small Farms Field Day on Thursday. He will share growing and cooking tips for both.

Like the Scotch Bonnets, amaranth greens -- also called callaloo -- can't be found locally. Holness saw them just once at Super G Mart, Greensboro's largest international grocery store. Amaranth greens are also called African or Indian greens. Though similar to spinach, amaranth is best eaten cooked, not raw. Its flavor is described as "earthier" than spinach. It can be found canned at some local international stores, but Holness says its flavor differs greatly from freshly cooked greens.

Bottled Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce can be purchased at some supermarkets, and local Jamaican restaurants serve their own batches of jerk sauce. At Taste of the Caribbean in downtown Greensboro, each table has its own Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce, served in unlabeled, yellow squeeze bottles.

Da Reggae Cafe on West Lee Street sells bottled Scotch Bonnet sauce from Jamaica for $2.99.

Here are some more facts about these Caribbean staples:

Contact Tina Firesheets at 373-3498 or tina.firesheets@news-record.com

AMARANTH

2 pounds of shredded callaloo

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

1 medium-sized ripe tomato, chopped

1 large clove of chopped garlic

¹⁄₃ skin of a Scotch Bonnet pepper, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Remove any debris (old insect-damaged leaves and hard stalks, etc.) from callaloo. Rinse in cold running water. Chop callaloo in ¾-inch diagonal pieces.

In a large pot, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and ¹⁄₈ to ¼ cup water. Put chopped callaloo on top. Add the remaining seasonings on top of the callaloo. Put a lid on the pot. Cook on a medium setting for roughly 10 minutes or until pieces of the callaloo stalks are tender. The callaloo must stay green. Any discoloration towards brown means the callaloo is being overcooked.

Serves a family of 4.

Source: Rickie Holness, an extension associate for applied research at N.C. A&T.

For Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce recipes, visit www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/caribbean/bonpepper.html.