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 Don’t worry about your hot peppers heating up your sweet peppers.
Peppers are normally self-pollinated. If an insect happens to move
the pollen from a hot to sweet pepper, it will not affect the flavor
or heat of this year’s harvest. If you save the seeds from a
cross-pollinated pepper and plant them in next year’s garden, the
plants they produce may have hot or sweet fruit (or a little of
both), but only time will tell.
And don’t assume all green peppers are sweet or you will be in for a
surprise. Jalapenos are typically harvested when green and others,
like habanero, Anaheim and Poblano are hot, whether harvested when
green or red. You'll also find that hot peppers can be yellow,
orange, brown and of course red.
 You can turn down the heat when preparing your favorite recipes,
too. Contrary to popular belief, all the heat in hot peppers does
not come from the seeds. While partially true, the majority of the
capsaicin that gives hot peppers their heat is in the white membrane
that houses the seeds. When the seeds are growing they may also be
coated with extra capsaicin from the membrane. So remove the white
membrane and the seeds, just to be safe, if you want to turn down
the heat.
The spicy heat of hot peppers is measured in Scoville Heat Units.
The ratings are based on the amount of sugar water needed to
neutralize the spicy heat in the extracted capsaicin that has been
diluted in an alcohol-based extract. A panel of five taste testers
decides when the spicy heat has been neutralized and then assigns
the rating. Today many companies use a chemical process (liquid
chromatography) but translate their results into the popular
Scoville heat units.
The Scoville heat unit ratings vary from one type of hot pepper to
another, with Poblano rating between 1000 to 2000, jalapenos 2500 to
6000, habaneros at 100,000 to 300,000 and one of the hottest, the
ghost pepper, at 1,000,000 to 2,200,000 Scoville heat units. Check
online or the Homegrown with Bonnie Plants mobile app (for iOs and
Android) for the Scoville ratings, growing tips and a Pepper Chooser
to help you pick the best varieties to grow. Ratings may also vary
from individual plants within a specific type based on individual
plant differences and the growing conditions. [to top of second
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Whatever kind you grow, be sure to label hot peppers when planting, harvesting
and storing to avoid any mix-ups. The sweet banana pepper, for example, can
easily be confused with hot banana. This could make for an unwelcome surprise
when preparing, serving and eating.
Also, consider wearing rubber gloves and avoid touching your face and eyes when
working with hot peppers, as they can burn. Wash your hands, utensils and
cutting boards when finished to avoid any future issues.
And don’t worry if you are having a bad day when planting your hot peppers.
Contrary to some old adages, planting hot peppers when you’re angry won’t make
the peppers hotter, but unknowingly taking a bite of a hot pepper may very well
change your mood.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Melinda
Myers has over 30 years of gardening experience has written over 20
gardening books, including Small Space Gardening and the Midwest
Gardener’s Handbook. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow
Anything: Food Gardening For Everyone” DVD set and the nationally
syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio segments. Myers is a
columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and
was commissioned by Bonnie Plants for her expertise to write this
article. Myers’ website is
www.melindamyers.com.
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