I recently planted four kinds of capsicum in a row in the garden: white ghost, shishito, mini bell, and some kind of eggplant-colored pepper the size and shape of a small cayenne.
Only the ghost peppers were seriously hot; the bell and shishito were not even a little spicy; and the eggplant-colored chilis had a bit of a bite, but mild enough to eat raw as an accompaniment to sandwiches and the like.
Well, that was on the FIRST round. I forgot, pepper plants are promiscuous and will happily interbreed with nearby capsicums.
Now ALL my peppers are coming out spicy, dammit. And I will say, the ghost peppers are kinda cute: instead of ripening to solid white, some of them are dusted with a pastel version of the eggplant hue. Except for the cayenne-shaped pepper plant, which so far is growing fruit only in that classic chili shape, the other plants are varying their shapes.
It’s fun to observe, but note to self for the next time I plant capsicum: if I want sweet peppers, I’m going to have to segregate them from everything else.
Interesting post. I had a look just because I found the thread title intriguing. Unfortunately, I have nothing to contribute as I don’t think I’ve ever even seen peppers on the vine, let alone the varieties you mention.
I’m posting to ask about this:
You sure about them turning white? I haven’t come across anything online about that. The references I’ve seen say they’re red when fully mature.
ETA: Never mind, I’ve just Googled “ghost pepper white” and there are plenty of references.
Interesting pic you have there to speak of mutant peppers.
Huy Fong, the one with the rooster on the jar, is going for $60 on Amazon. You might have something useful there.
Maybe a topic for another thread, but just this morning as I was cooking up a veggie omelet with a half of Jalapeno, it occurred to me that chiles are probably the most successful crop originating from the Americas (via the Columbian Exchange). Not to downplay the importance of other crops like potato, chocolate, tomato, corn/maize, etc., but chiles have found their way into just about every cuisine worldwide, often with local cultivars. Anyway, just some random thoughts - glad the pepper crop is going well!
Happy to have it here. To the extent that this thread has an anchor, it’s about peronsally or agriculturally growing “peppers” (aka capsicum, and if spicy, chilis). All good, IMHO.
I grow peppers in pots on my back deck, and I take care to “keep the hot side hot and the cold side cold,” as an old McDonald’s product ad said.
This year, I’m growing habaneros and some shishito hybrids. These shishito hybrids are not technically hot; certainly not like the habaneros, but they are said to have a little heat. The shishitos are new to me this year, but I’ve grown habaneros for years.
I’m finding that the habaneros are taking their own sweet (ha!) time producing flowers and fruit, but that’s normal. The shishitos, on the other hand, are going great guns, already producing fruit that in some cases, is as long as my pinky finger. I don’t know what to do with them, but I guess I’ll have to figure that out soon.
Peppers are fun plants to grow. Glad to know, @CairoCarol , that I’m not the only one who likes growing peppers.
Stir a little olive oil into the shishitos you want to eat. (Or conscientiously coat them with olive oil you’ve put on a kitchen cloth or paper towel, up to you). Sprinkle with a bit of salt (Kosher or sea salt if you want to be fancy, but whatever salt you have). Roast, on an old pan you are resigned to have coated with lots of old oily stuff, at anywhere from 375 to 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, then check and roast some more if they aren’t yet appealingly puffed and blistered.
When they look like a tasty thing to eat, remove and consume.
Sounds like something that would go well with autumn Sunday afternoon football. Getting a little tired of chips, cheese puffs, and other typical snack foods. Looking forward to trying them with your recipe.
@CairoCarol , just for fun, I tried one of my shishito peppers tonight. Just ate it raw, to see what it was like.
Whoa! A sneaky heat, indeed. Not a bad one, but it seemed to intensify after I ate it. However, very tasty. I wonder how a couple would do in a pot of chili. Pep it up a bit, I’d guess. I’ll have to try that.
I grow peppers chiefly for making pepper sauce and to use in recipes.
I have a habanero variety from seeds my sister brought me that will blow the top of your head off. They are Hot!!
My Daddy loved his raw hot pepper with nearly every meal. And whined all summer because his stomach ached. I cannot do that.
The mouth burn alone turns me off.
But we seem to use a fair amount of them in cooking.
Yes they are a bit slutty in their breeding practices. I now have habanero/bananas(well, I wasn’t on the date but I believe that’s who they were) on two plants. I’m letting them turn on the vine. I’m interested it what color they get to.
ETA, I had some squashy-cukes for awhile too. Those were interesting.
“Burning Bush” peppers, perhaps? That’s the variety I grow. They are indeed hot! Though they are said to be a bit sweeter than regular Habaneros. Regardless, you do not wipe your eyes after cutting them—trust me, I speak from experience. Simply saying “yeowch!” is putting it mildly.
It’s ironic that chile pepper plants evolved capsaicin in order for mammals to avoid eating the peppers, but not birds, because avian species have no capsaicin heat-detecting nerve sensors, so will happily eat the peppers and poop the seeds out, thus spreading the plants far and wide (apparently mammals are not desirable for this, either because they don’t range far enough to be an effective seed spreader, or their digestive systems may digest the seeds, I’m not sure).
Then a certain primate came along who was not only too dumb to get the ‘don’t eat’ message, it decided it liked the burn, and became a far better propagator of peppers than birds ever were. Peter primate propagated potent peppers from Peru to Persia!
A minority of Shishito and other Japanese-type peppers will turn out spicy, without any interbreeding necessary. I’ve had surprises on occasion - not super-heat, but definitely spicier than the usual sweet peppers.
