End of growing season jalepenõs...

I can't even regulate the heat from mine early in the season. This year I bought a nine-pack from Home Depot, and planted all of them. Some of the plants were WAY hotter than others. I like a little heat - not a lot of heat - and I just don't find the super-hot ones to be enjoyable. :flame:

A few years ago I planted a variety called (I think) "Fooled You" jalapenos. They had NO heat at all - and no flavor either. They were pretty disappointing. :sad:

I cut my garden a few weeks ago with the weed eater, mater plants and japs are coming back. The japs, like you said are little. Now you have me thinking they are gonna be HOT!

Still pluckin em off the plants, slicen em in half, grillin em, MMM good and fires me up:flame:

Thats weird? I'm in Indiana...and my end of the year japs are not hot at ALL!! They are small and VERY mild? I don't get it CD?

Ghost peppers, eat 'em like M&Ms. No, really...

I don't know! It is a crap shoot (so to speak ) I just pulled off some Chiles de Arboles that are always pretty darn hot but dang. Thought I was gonna die. Took the seeds out of one of then and put it in a baked fish thingy and it was overpowering... Go figure!

My mouth is watering just reading about peppers.

NOHENS said:

Thats weird? I'm in Indiana...and my end of the year japs are not hot at ALL!! They are small and VERY mild? I don't get it CD?

Click to expand...

I was under the impression it involves the amount of rain you get...supposedly more rain = milder peppers. Hot and dry will give you hotter peppers.

Midwest has been really wet lately...might explain why yours are mild?

I have an entire 4'x18' bed of peppers (chiltepins, large red sweet from MX, jalapenos, Aji Limon, Ho Chi Minh, Santaka, "Casper"/mutated Bhut Jalokia w/o heat, Poblanos, Bell Pepper, and Habeneros). I start them all from seed. Dad killed off his starts and so I gave him some of mine. He lives across from a dairy farm, so he gets all the fertilizer he wants. My Jalapenos were small and had some heat to them. Dad's were large, but much less heat. Climate, water, and nutrients play a big part...as well as genetics.

Years ago, we had a strain we had for about 4 years. They were the hottest Jalapenos I've ever experienced. The fun part was, we'd mix in some mild jalapeno from another garden. We'd make poppers with them. It was like playing russian roulette. All of a sudden one year, all the heat left them and we lost the strain.

Our Casper strain has been a favorite for the past few years. Originally bought as a joke from university of new mexico, we were going to buy dad some bhut jalokia seeds. he grew them and we were chuckling about what was going to happen. The joke was on us, there was no heat. The university finally admitted there was a mutation in their field and some customers got seeds that produced pods with little to no heat. It actually turned out great because they have the most amazing flavor when turned into a powder. So we call them Casper peppers...the friendly ghost. It is a staple in my rubs.

Santaka peppers are also wonderful as powders. I use them mostly in creamy soups to give it a great taste and an awesome rolling heat.

I was just thinking the other day of starting a small garden just for some peppers. I haven't ever grown a garden so thus would be new to me.

Reminds me of the Jalapeno plant I had a couple years back. Turned out to be TWO plants when I finally looked close enough. Peppers from one "side" were delightfully tasty and HOT, the other side of the plant grew HUGE yet very mild peppers. Those two lasted 5 years until just last year they pooped out after a cold snap. The new one in the ground grows large, sweet and tasty "warm" peppers.

Lately have been saute'n these chopped up with the leeks from the garden. Then place that over a cooked burger then a slice of cheese OVER that..........

Hmmmmmm.... I should take a pic (or it did not happen eh?).

Water plays a big part. The more water the less hot. When you buy seed or a started plant it's a crap shoot. Sample a pepper half way thru the growth and if you like it mark that one plant. End of season save the seed for next year. Also keep peppers separated because they will cross pollinate.

Cdog, if you let your Japs get red ripe, make your own homemade Sriracha sauce. It will make you gag on "Rooster Sauce"(Huy Fong). I used the recipe that leaves the calyx(?) on the pepper, and you allow the pepper mash to ferment for a few days. Really really good.

Jalapeños-end of season-last pick

Bonnie Texas A&M variety. Honest.

x- pollination is definitely a problem. They need to be separated if you want a consistent crop. Casper peppers sounds more fun for the small garden.

Most pepper plants can be dug in the fall before frost and moved indoors for keeping until next year. Just be sure that you cut the limbs back to match the root pruning you are also doing when digging them.

I allow my Jalapenos to ripen in the fall. They seem to loose some heat and gain flavor. I make a fire roasted, lacto-fermented pepper sauce from them and garlic.

If you Google TAM Bonnie jalapeño there is a lot of information