I am very interseted in growing chile peppers. Last year I tried and they didn't do too well. But it was a learning experience, and this year will hopefully be different. I have tested my soil and it is more alkaline than acidic. I know that peppers like a more acidic soil.
I have heard that pine needles and sulfur will drop the ph. I cannot seem to find a major retailer(lowes, home depot) that carries either item. Are there any more easily accessible substances that can accomplish my goal? And I live in the central Florida area, do any of you know a store that sells such items?
Put epsome salt down epsome salt is accidic and its good for other things also like for your vergreens and such just buy a bag and it will tell you how much to use....
pleaseee... Betty Crocker aint got nothing on me =)
Lowe's should have a section indoors where the MiracleGro and such things are, you should be able to find Epsoma brand products there. Our local Lowe's stores all have Epsoma Garden Sulphur. Epsoma also has a product called Holly-Tone which is an evergreen fertilizer, but would be just fine as a general fertilizer and soil acidifier. Ammonium Sulphate under any brand name is acidifying as well. Pine needles, peat moss and oak leaves will break down slowly but will acidify soil over time.
I have been looking for the really hot chilli seeds. These chillies are green, thin and small. I checked a few places in Wayne NJ, zone 6, but no luck. I saw, a Burpee seed mix for habanero and others but not those extra hot chillies.
Asha, are you looking for Naga Morich or something like that? Something hotter than Habanero? I could poke through a few of my seed catalogues if I knew more about what you were looking for. One place that has a lot of chiles is Totally Tomatoes, I think you can read their catalogue online.
The Indian stores have different varieties of chillies. The hottest ones are thin, green and about 1" - 1.5". These are hotter than Habanero. I finally bought 600mg of Jalapeno seeds, packed by Livingston seed Co. There were grades of Jalapeno and this packet said, Hot! Hot! Hot!
I'll check out T Tomatoes. Please guide me on the seed catalogues that I should get and keep for future.
The jalapeno seeds might make some pretty hot peppers, but they'll still be in the range you're used to for jalapenos...Hot, yes, but remember that it's advertizing! There are hotter and milder jalapenos. It's hard to find anything hotter than habaneros. They were considered the hottest pepper until recently. ]What you need to do is Google Thai hot chile (or hot pepper) or Naga pepper (or chile) and see what pops up. I believe the Naga Morich is the hottest pepper known right now...I can't imagine anything being hotter than the habanero, but it is. I got seed for one this year called Lemon Drop that seems to fit the description you gave, but they're yellow...supposed to be extremely hot. Are you sure you're not looking for tabasco peppers or serrano? Those are hotter than jalapeno. Just a suggestion. I have seed for serrano if you need those...tabasco are about 1 and 1/2 inch, serrano about 2 1/2 inches, thin, green, hot.
Last edited by peppereater; Apr 3rd, 2008 at 02:58 PM.
Oh, yes...if you request a catalogue from Totally Tomatoes, you'll get numerous catalogues...they're part of a group that includes lots of seed companies. Check out some other sites, Baker Creek, Johnny's...and check out the ads that pop up here at the top of the page.
Last edited by peppereater; Apr 3rd, 2008 at 03:03 PM.
when we lived in asia (guam and philippines) they had peppers that were called peanut peppers on guam. i'm thinking they are similar to the tai peppers you are talking about dave. on guam, they rate how hot food dishes are by how many peppers are in it, one, two, three, etc. with peanut peppers, the hottest dish i've ever seen was 4 peppers. usually 2 or 3 sufficed.
my ex (he's filipino) said if the pepper didn't make you break out in a sweat, it wasn't worth eating. he ate pepper on everything, including pizza.
WOW! What an education this is for me. Thanks everyone. I will plan next year for the chillies you mentioned, Dave. You're right, I guess the 'Hot' ad got me. I saw serrano and went for the Jalapeno!
I came from Andhra Pradesh, India, where the hottest food in India is eaten. The hot pickles are a testament. After contemplating on why people eat such hot food (I can't eat that hot), I came up with a simple explanation.
1. It will kill bad bugs. 2. We can eat only a little, which means less calories. The poor in India would use more chilli powder. This cuts the appetite.
I miss 'gongora' (sorrel) pickle from A Pradesh. Bought a small jar here but..mild almost like a vege dish....probably prepared by non A Pradesh people. I want to see if I can prepare that pickle with home grown chillies. If I do ...I'll let you know. Perhaps we can market it to cover costs!
I heard something about the less water you give a pepper the hotter it will be???
I've heard that. Any kind of stress is supposed to make them hotter, but I haven't tried it. Some people say really poor soil, very little water, gives you the hottest peppers.
The black pearl seeds I have say that the pepper is "Extremely Hot (above 30,000 Scoville Units)". Says it can be eaten but "is usually to hot." Peppereater are you familiar with scoville units? What's the hottest?
If memory serves, (it usually doesn't!), 30,000 is about what habanero is. They usually sell black pearl as an ornamental, probably because of the heat! I think all ornamental peppers are edible, if you like 'em hot. The thing about habaneros and some incredibly hot peppers is that they have a delicious flavor. I sometimes use 1/2 of a habanero in stir fry...it makes it really hot, but not so hot you can't eat it, and the flavor is great. I'll offer seed for next year for the Lemon Drop pepper, after I grow it out. It will make you cry, but it is so tasty. Actually has a lemony taste...I've only had it as a dried pepper, ground up into powder. Warning...when you process really hot peppers, you may need to wear kitchen gloves. If you remove seeds and the white, connective tissue, you remove a lot of the heat and get all the flavor.
If memory serves, (it usually doesn't!), 30,000 is about what habanero is. They usually sell black pearl as an ornamental, probably because of the heat! I think all ornamental peppers are edible, if you like 'em hot. The thing about habaneros and some incredibly hot peppers is that they have a delicious flavor. I sometimes use 1/2 of a habanero in stir fry...it makes it really hot, but not so hot you can't eat it, and the flavor is great. I'll offer seed for next year for the Lemon Drop pepper, after I grow it out. It will make you cry, but it is so tasty. Actually has a lemony taste...I've only had it as a dried pepper, ground up into powder. Warning...when you process really hot peppers, you may need to wear kitchen gloves. If you remove seeds and the white, connective tissue, you remove a lot of the heat and get all the flavor.
dave, you couldn't have said it better.
when we made gramma's hot pepper relish, we all wore gloves and glasses (when you feed the food grinder, the juice will splatter) and she always put ornamentals in her relish both for the color and the heat. her relish would make you break out in a sweat just smelling it, but those (NOT ME) who like it swear by it.
Just holding the plants make my fingers burn.. I cant eat any hot peppers.. Some folks are more sensitive than others on that .. I am one of those.
Well now. Us peppereaters are not picky...sweet peppers are incredibly good, too, I often use them in almost everything, from roastbeef to salads to...just about everything. There is some flavor to hot peppers that yu can't get from anything else, but I don't crave the heat so much as the taste. I used to think that sweet banana peppers were blah, until I grew them myself...excellent! My all time fave's are poblanos, the heat can vary, and anaheims or New Mexico green chile's. There is nothing better than a grilled green chile on a hamburger, or even ones from a can, unless it's a stuffed chile relleno with either poblano or anaheim/ new mex...(Ithink they're the same pepper, just different strains of one type.) I am getting so hungry! Oh yeah, as for salsa, I like it mild, mostly...easier to pile it on without the pain!
We eat the bullnose ones stuffing peppers. I make stew tomatoes with that an love it . I use them with peppers , onions,cabbage, zucchini, fried in butter. Or on pizza , sausage.
Dave, Is lemon drop pepper hotter than the Thai chilli or is black pearl hotter than both? I found out that the green Indian chillies are the Thai you mentioned.
I wrote for the catalogues. I asked my mother to send me the sorrel seeds from India with my brothers who are coming to visit me ...for next yr planting.
Alright, I made a disaster with the seeds I have planted. Gave them Miracle Gro everyday instead of once in 7 days. About half a dozen sprouts in beefsteak tomatoes and spinach. But the other tray with chillies...I think are for the dogs....will wait for a couple of weeks with fingers crossed.
I just saw the other topic, 'Chili peppers slow to germinate'. Gosh, I haven't been following the rules! They need heat! I did keep mine near the radiator (zone 6 North NJ) but looks like they need more heat. Most often I just get through the problems right at the beginning and then it seems like a 'knowledge spurt'.
I flushed out one tray (72 pockets) with water to get rid of the excess seed starter and reseeded the various stuff: chillies, eggplant, cukes, basil, rosemary, cilantro (kothimeera), lavender, spinach
The few plants of beefsteak tomatoes & spinach (2 - 3") in the first tray are really leggy due to excess seed starter.
I'm growing 'Caribbean Red' habaneros which are supposed to be hotter than regular habaneros.I'm also growing'Jalapeno M' and some seeds from a dry pepper that my dad gave to me.Hey peppereater,have you eaten serrano chiles??My dad loves 'em.
You can just about use them at any size you want.. Depending on the types. I raise stuffing peppers......And wait till they are about the size of a baseball.
you can absolutely eat them at any stage! experiment. most peppers can achive different taste at different levels of maturity and everyone has their own preferences. some types you might find have too many seeds or are too tough if they are still maturing, but they are all still good eating. some are not as hot, or with sweet peppers not as sweet is picked early. But, they are really 'ready' when they come off the vine very easily, sometimes just by lifting up on them!
Cricket
Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker
Im a big chili pepper head here- I am growing about 250 chili plants in the garden this year. Lemon Drop pepper (called Lemon Drop Aji, or AJi Amarillo), is about hot as a cayenne pepper- not overly hot. They need a little longer growing days than most peppers the plants get huge! They have somewhat a lemony taste to them.
Habeneros are among the hottest peppers- they usally need the most growing time often 120 days. The Orange Habeneros rate from 100,000 scoville units to 180,000- trust me they are immensly hot. The Carribean Red, is a red Habanero, that rates twice as hot as the oranges. The Current hottest pepper in the world hails from India- Jhut Bolakia which means "Ghost pepper" I believe its close to a million scoville units! Depending on what peppers you are growing they are ready to pick when they reach there final colors, or have some of there final colors to them. You can pick them when they are partially colored, it will turn to full color in a few days. You can use chilis when they are green, but they will not develop there full flavor, and usally will mold if you try to air dry them. Also heat levels can vary. Chilis grown in dryer conditions are usally hotter. Some people wait until they get a good run of dry rain free days, where the plant is not uptaking alot of water, and the peppers are full colored- to obtain a hotter pepper.
This year I am growing some Chiltepins, which are small round peppers, and are supposed to among the hottest. They are very difficult to germinate- so if you plan on trying those be prepared for low germination numbers.
My Pretty Purple peppers are fruiting well now, they are really cool looking- first time I grew those, if I get a chance I will post some pictures.
Heres whats in my Chili crops this year:
Bolivian Rainbow Pretty Purple pepper Orange Thai (awesome looking pepper plant- they load up!!) Numex Twilight Tobago Seasoning Pasilla Bajio Serrano Early Jalapeno Cascabella Hungarian Yellow Wax Santa Fe Super Chili Golden Cayennes Red Cayennes Chiltepin Kung Pao Bulgarian Carrot Lemon Drop Aji Yellow Mushroom (Squash peppers) Hot Paper Lantern (Habanero type)
Last edited by DeepCreekLake; Jul 10th, 2008 at 07:27 PM.
Dang! that lemon drop pepper sounds pretty good! most dishes that I use peppers in I end up adding lime.....hmmm...is there a lime drop pepper? J.K. lemon is close enough.
Cricket
Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker
Im a big chili pepper head here- I am growing about 250 chili plants in the garden this year. Lemon Drop pepper (called Lemon Drop Aji, or AJi Amarillo), is about hot as a cayenne pepper- not overly hot. They need a little longer growing days than most peppers the plants get huge! They have somewhat a lemony taste to them.
Habeneros are among the hottest peppers- they usally need the most growing time often 120 days. The Orange Habeneros rate from 100,000 scoville units to 180,000- trust me they are immensly hot. The Carribean Red, is a red Habanero, that rates twice as hot as the oranges. The Current hottest pepper in the world hails from India- Jhut Bolakia which means "Ghost pepper" I believe its close to a million scoville units! Depending on what peppers you are growing they are ready to pick when they reach there final colors, or have some of there final colors to them. You can pick them when they are partially colored, it will turn to full color in a few days. You can use chilis when they are green, but they will not develop there full flavor, and usally will mold if you try to air dry them. Also heat levels can vary. Chilis grown in dryer conditions are usally hotter. Some people wait until they get a good run of dry rain free days, where the plant is not uptaking alot of water, and the peppers are full colored- to obtain a hotter pepper.
This year I am growing some Chiltepins, which are small round peppers, and are supposed to among the hottest. They are very difficult to germinate- so if you plan on trying those be prepared for low germination numbers.
My Pretty Purple peppers are fruiting well now, they are really cool looking- first time I grew those, if I get a chance I will post some pictures.
Are your purple peppers by any chance hot? I want seeds from a regular hot pepper, not chili.. My nephew loves them and my seeds are all gone.. Would you have any to spare?
Thanks Cascabella Hungarian Yellow Wax Santa Fe Super Chili Golden Cayennes Red Cayennes Chiltepin Kung Pao Bulgarian Carrot Lemon Drop Aji Yellow Mushroom (Squash peppers) Hot Paper Lantern (Habanero type)
Just for info- Chili peppers do not prefer acidic soil. A PH of 7.0 (Neutral) to slightly sweet is better. Chili peppers are not at all hard to grow.
What do I do with all the peppers- some are grown for ornamentals, I dry most of it, and make different chili powders, hot pepper oil, hot pepper vinagers, some are crushed for stir frys, alot of it gets used to season beef jerkys. Pickle some, and going to to do some Salas this year. I use some fresh for various cooking as well. Also make Ristras with some (sting of dried chilis- mostly ornamental) The cool thing about chili peppers, is that no 2 types taste the same, and the heat levels do vary.
The Pretty Purple pepper are hot... They start out Purple, and evently the peppers turn red. I dont have anymore seeds left that I bought- but I do save pepperseeds at the end of the season- so I should have plenty for next season.
Ive ordered seeds from Totally Tomatoes- they do have a good selection- but Tomato Growers supply totally rocks! Lots of pepper, and of course tomatoes.
I have posted a pic of the Pretty Purple peppers in a thread I am starting for Chili peppers. Here is the Link to the thread: //www.agardenersforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/221357#Post221357
Dodge- the decorations you speak of are called Ristras. I do make some but they are not fancy like some people make. Some make wreaths and shapes with them. I cheat- I use fishing line, and a sewing needle, and thread through the stem. Postion the way you want the pepper to point, and thread the line through. You start off by tying a small washer on the bottom, to keep the peppers from sliding off. Real Ristra makers, tie them on the string, but its an art, and diffcult for me. This year Im going to try to make one using Cayennes, Im trying a golden version with the red, and may try alternating colors on the same Ristra.
Here is a link on Ristras ,including how to make them from Fiery -Foods.com. Some pretty cool looking ones on there!
I save alot of pepperseeds- at the end of season, I take fully ripened pods, and seperate, and air dry the seeds, of peppers I want. I store them in reclosable condiment containers, with lids, and label them. I definetly will save the Pretty Purple pepperseeds. But be forwarned- The seeds are coming from open pollinated plants, which means they can crossbreed with other peppers. Some of my saved seeds have grown into peppers that have crossbred. Its kinda neat to see what they will become- who knows maybe come out with my own new breed of pepper. I cant make any guarantee they will be exact.
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