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 Growing both hot and sweet peppers in the garden
will not add spicy heat to the sweet varieties. 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
for next year’s garden there is no guarantee on the results. The
offspring from this cross may be hot or sweet, only time will tell.
Label hot peppers when growing, harvesting, and storing to avoid any
mix-ups. The sweet banana pepper, for example, can easily be
confused with hot banana. This makes for an unwelcome surprise when
preparing, serving, and eating.
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.
Never assume all green peppers are sweet or you will be in for a
surprise. Jalapenos are typically harvested when green and others
like habanero and Anaheim are hot, whether harvested when green or
red. You will 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.
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. Remove the white membrane and the
seeds, just to be safe, if you want to turn down the heat.
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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 alcohol. 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 rankings vary from one type of hot pepper to
another with Poblano-Ancho rating between 1,000 to 2,000, jalapenos
2,500 to 6,000, 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. Ratings may also vary from individual plants within a
specific type based on individual plant differences and the growing
conditions.
Finally, do not worry if you had a bad day when planting your hot
peppers. Contrary to some old adages, planting hot peppers when
angry will not make the peppers hotter, but unknowingly taking a
bite of a hot pepper may very well change your mood.
Melinda Myers is the author of more than 20 gardening books,
including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to
Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s
Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and
contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and her web site is
www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo credit: All-America Selections] |
