Garden question??????

[ericbx1500]

I planted some jalapeno peppers (first time for me) on memorial day weekend and now have a bunch that are about 3 to 4 inches long. I went and picked one and it just tasted like a bell pepper (no heat at all). Am I to early? Do they have to mature longer? What’s the trick?

 

[RalphVa]

Did your bite include some of the seeds? Your plants will start to look like small trees and bear gobs of peppers. Yeah, they'll look like bell peppers but aren't!

Ralph

 

[ericbx1500]

No they don't look like bell peppers just tasted like one. I guess I pick one to early in its stage. Been doing some reading and it seems that they start off as very very mild peppers and as they mature longer to the point of a dark green pepper and the shoulders start to show little cracks its picking time. Buy the way my bite included the whole pepper.

Thanks

 

[dooleysm]

I've always found that fresh peppers are not as hot as pickled peppers of the same variety. I've even noticed alot of variance in heat between different jars of the same kind of pickled peppers.

Be careful when processing your peppers. I learned the hard way that the heat can transfer to your hands if you cut up alot of peppers. I cut up a big batch of cayennes, red chilis, and habenaros for some salsa one night. Shortly after I was eating some corn on the cob. The pepper juice on my hands transferred to the corn and into my mouth. That was without a doubt the HOTTEST food I've ever eaten. No exaggeration, I stood with my mouth under the kitchen faucet for a good 10 minutes. Nose was running, eyes were watering, face was beet red. It was a sight. For a good week after that anytime my hands got wet I could feel the heat in them.

 

[Farwell]

Several years ago I purchased several bell pepper plants from a nursery, planted them, watered them and waited for them to produce. All of the plants produced great looking bell peppers except for one. The one that didn't produce bell peppers had long, green and skinny peppers that I had never seen before. I waited until the long skinny peppers reached a stage that I thought would be ready to pick. I picked one, rinsed it off and took a big bite of it. For the first few seconds it tasted great, then all of a sudden my mouth telegraphed a message to my brain that all was not well. My mouth was on fire and nothing I could do would put that fire out. I had heard that eating bread would dilute the burn, didn't work. Lots of water didn't help much either. After about 5 minutes the burn reached a tolerable level. Lesson learned: I am a wimp when it comes to hot food, do not put things in your mouth that you are not familiar with (remembering things my Mother taught me), and now I know what jalapeño peppers look like.
Farwell

 

[HappyCPE]

I was told that the emergency remedy for pepper-burn was sour cream or milk.
I am also told that the peppers need to mature under dry conditions [withold water] to get really hot.
Maybe someone from New Mexico can share some pepper tips?

 

[dmccarty]

A couple of months ago I got onto a Indian/Thai food cooking kick so I was cutting up lots of hot peppers. Now I took out all of the seeds and pith. I wanted the flavor but not the heat. Even the wife liked the food.

I saved all of the seeds. Eventually, late in the season, I went out and planted the now dry seeds that had been out of the peppers for 4-6 weeks. Since the seeds where mainly still in the pith it was easy to kinda grind the seeds out with my fingers. It was HOT out the day I did this and even though I went out to just plant the seeds I was sweating pretty good. After planting about half the row, I figured I had better to remember to wash my hands real good after I was finished planting. Course without thinking I wiped the sweat from my face a few times....

Just as I finished, no more than 5-10 minutes, my face started to feel real hot. Not hot because its 95 degrees out but Rah Roh Scuby hot from the peppers!

I had to go wash off my face real quick and that only took off a bit of the burn.

Diary products are what you are supposed to eat to nulify the casasium heat.

I worked with a guy hears ago who was cutting up hot peppers for hours so they could be canned. He then went to the bathroom..... He was not a happy camper.



Later,
Dan

 

[FrogLick]

I too find the immature peppers taste more like a bell pepper without much in the way of heat. Jalapeno peppers will increase in heat as they mature; often mine will develop a little bit of red on their shoulder when they're really ready and will turn red if left on the plant longer. They should like the hot weather we've been having lately and mature fairly quickly now. The pith & seeds contain a lot of capsicum when mature and the heat can be moderated by removing and using only the outer pepper. They're great used fresh in Thia food and salsa. I pack a big jar with fresh peppers, cover them with vinegar, and just keep it in the refrig for use over the winter.

 

[rickmacheske]

I used to live in NM. The trick was to water them only enough to keep the plant alive after the peppers were formed. The thing that I miss the most about NM is the chili roasters in the parking lots during harvest time. You could get a whole sack of freshly roasted green chilis for a very low price...mmmmm.

 

[PineRidge]

If you fill a sink with cold water & put on a pair of latex gloves. Then clean your peppers while holding them underwater. The gloves will protect your hands and the water will keep the pepper oil from assaulting your sinuses & eyes.

Thus comes from a family that stuffs lots of medium hot block peppers every year.