Hot
Peppers
A
system for rating the heat of chiles was developed by a fellow
named Wilbur Scoville in 1912 and it has been enhanced by
technology in recent years. The source of the heat is a chemical
called capsaicin which in concentrated form is used in defensive
pepper sprays. In its natural form it is found most concentrated
in the inner white spines and seeds of chiles. Despite this
more scientific approach to chiles, I will stand by my own
sense of mild, warm, hot and very hot.
What
I find more interesting than the simple heat of chiles is their
very distinctive flavors. Each of them imparts a unique taste which
enhances the flavors of other foods. All chiles are great sources
of vitamins A and C and good sources of folic acid, potassium and
vitamin E.
As
you can imagine for two people who have lived for years in Mexico,
chiles are one of our dear favorite foods. They add color and
a kick to many wonderful dishes. Not all of them are hot and
many have interesting layers of flavor. The manzano chile is
a good example. With its peppery heat comes a nuance of melon.
Benefits:
Most
chiles contain vitamin
B6 which is great for the skin, vitamin C which builds your immunity,
and vitamin A, but their capsaicin may be even more beneficial.
Many folks believe eating
chiles
can
boost
your
metabolism helping you to lose or maintain your weight more easily.
The fact that they taste great is a special bonus!
Capsaicin which gives peppers their heat,
is said to be similar to a common ingredient in decongestants.
Adding a sprinkle of cayenne or another hot pepper to a hot cup
of tea may help in beginning to drain clogged nasal passages helping
you to breathe more easily and maybe even work on getting rid of
that nasty sinus headache. This has worked reasonably well for
my husband so give it a try if you suffer as he does.
Peppers may also be good
for your heart and for your circulation as they may lower unwanted LDL
cholesterol while augmenting beneficial HDL cholesterol.
Recently
I read that hot peppers may reduce the risk of ulcers,
killing the very bacteria that is now known to cause this dreadful
stomach
disorder. Apparently, the hot peppers kill the ulcer causing bacteria!
I have always had a weak stomach, it being the place I'd always
first feel stressful situations. When I moved to Mexico, not
only did I leave the stressful situations behind for the most
part, I also began eating hot peppers on a daily basis and I
never had a stomach problem while doing so even under relatively
stressful situations.
Link: http://www.g6csy.net/chile/var-b.html
Warnings:
There
is some difference between hot green peppers and hot red peppers
that I don't well understand. But I do know that
I can eat lots of hot green peppers with no problem while just
one sprinkle of hot red peppers on a pizza will bring on all
the painful symptoms of a bladder infection. I avoid them like
the plague!
Another
cautionary note can be added regarding unfamiliar hot peppers
you may encounter while traveling. By all means give them a try,
but do so in the manner in which you have seen them prepared.
Are they eaten raw, raw with the skins burned off, cooked and
skinned? I don't think you will find yourself in dire straits
if you break a few rules, but we have had some pretty serious
digestive upsets eating some of the Mexican hot peppers not prepared
traditionally. In any case I would recommend asking how new peppers
are prepared before just jumping in with your own ideas of what
to do with them.
Text & Photograph
©KO 2006 and ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com
2013 |
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Cayenne
Peppers
Benefits: This is one of the hot peppers and not
everyone will find it appealing. If you do, you may reap the benefits
of clearer breathing, lower cholesterol and an increase in your
metablolism. |
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Chile
de Agua Capsicum
annuum
This
chile is very popular in Oaxaca for use in a salsa and as an
alternative to chile
poblanos for a more picante version of chile relleno or stuffed
chiles. It is normally available primarily in the fall as it is not as easy to
grow as other chiles.
Photographed: At the Benito Juárez market in Oaxaca,
Mexico. To see photographs
of the market click here.
Planting and Growth: These chiles like it
hot and relatively dry though they are more short lived than
other chiles.
Recipe: Toast two chiles on a metal comal or
over the direct flame of your stove until the skin blisters.
Place the hot chiles in a bag and let them steam for a few
minutes, then peal off the skin and remove the white pith,
veins and seeds. Toast two large plum tomatoes in the same
manner and remove the skin and seeds. Peel and mince one
clove of garlic. Place everything in a blender and pulse
a few times to mix the ingredients.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO
2009 |
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Chile
Ancho Capsicum
annuum
This is the dried version of chile poblano (see chile poblano below).
The chile ancho is reddish in color, mild in heat and has a fruity
sharp flavor.
Text
Copyrighted ©KO 2008
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Chile
Arbol
Japones
These are skinny red dried chiles used in making salsa roja
or red salsa. They are hot, as is the salsa.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2006 |
Chiles
Caballos
These little chiles (about 3" top to bottom) look much like those that I
loved
in
Mexico, the twice larger chiles
manzanos, but they are different, lacking the fruity taste that made manzanos
so exquisite.
Benefits:
From: Guatemala is where we found them.
Photographed: In our kitchen in Panajachel at Lake Atitilan
in Guatemala.
Planting and Care:
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com
2013 |
Chile
Cascabel Capsicum
annuum
This dried chile is used in making a terrific salsa. Its name, cascabel,
means little rattle in Spanish. They are small, almost round and from about 1
to 2" in length. The color is almost the same as an eggplant, a dark brownish
black.
Photographed: We
bought these chiles in the market and took them home to photograph them at our
apartment in Taxco, Mexico. To see some of the foods available in Taxco's market
and some of our favorite people click
here.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2006 |
**Chile
Chilaca Capsicum
This is a long relatively thin deep green fresh chile with moderate heat. When
dried it is called a chile pasilla. The chilaca is intriguing because it has
overtones of a regular green bell pepper with a unique warm spicy heat. In Mexico,
it is used most frequently in salads sliced fresh with tomatoes, onions and a
bit of garlic. We love it sliced
and fried with onions and served with fried steak.
Photographed: We
bought these chiles in the market and took them home to photograph them at our
apartment in Taxco, Mexico. To see some of the foods available in Taxco's market
and some of our favorite people click
here.
Text & Photo Copyrighted ©KO 2006 |
**Chile
Chiltepe
These are tiny chiles that grow well here at a mile high and in a climate that
is relatively moist because of Lake Atitlan. They are known locally to be very
hot. When local folks come to visit they always take a meandering walk through
the garden to see if any of these chiles are ready to pick.
Benefits:
From: Guatemala is where we found them in our garden.
Photographed: In our garden at our home in Panajachel, Solala,
Guatemala.
Planting and Care:
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com
2013 |
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Chile
Chipotle Capsicum
This is a dried smoked jalapeno and it smells divine. The jalapeno does not lose
its piquancy when smoked.
Photographed: In the Benito Juárez Market
in Oaxaca, Mexico.
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RECIPE
-- SALSA CHIPOTLE
Put
1/4 kilo (about ½ pound) of chipotles in a pot and cover
them with water. Simmer gently until the chiles soften, but not
long enough for them to break apart. In a separate pan, soften
a cone of piloncillo in a small amount of water, add ½ cup
of vinegar and ½ of a small stick of cinnamon. If you
don’t have access to piloncillo, use about 1/2 cup of molasses.
Cook these together till it smells wonderful. Drain the chipotles
and add to the other mixture. Stir gently over low heat to blend
the flavors. Serve with meats as a side dish.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO
2006/2010 |
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Chile
Guajillo Ancho Capsicum
Wider in shape and less piquant than its cousin guajillo pulla.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2006 |
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**Chile
Guajillo Pulla Capsicum
This
is a narrow long hot chile normally dried when it has turned red.
These chiles grow plentifully on plants reaching to about two feet
in height. The chiles have a wonderful mild flavor when first appearing,
but heat up as the season gets longer.
Photographed: Growing in our mahogany garden at
our former home in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: We had good luck with this
chile in Montserrat.The plant is prolific and hardier than some
other chiles we’ve planted. |
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RECIPE
-- TOMATO JUICE COCKTAIL
Chop
some guajillo pullas finely and add a tablespoon or so to a tall
glass. Squeeze 1/2 key lime into the glass, add tomato juice
and vodka to taste leaving room for the ice. Stir the mixture,
add a stick of celery with nice green leaves and finally some
ice. Delicious!
Text & Photographs Copyrighted ©KO
2006/2010
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**Chile
Habanero, Chile Macho Capsicum chinense
These are small 2" green, yellow or red fresh chiles. A bit misshapen, the
habanero is also extremely hot.
Photographed: We bought chiles in
the market and took them home to photograph them
at our apartment in Taxco, Mexico (on the right). To see
some
of
the foods available in Taxco's market and some of our favorite
people click
here. On the left is a fresh
green habanero growing in our mahogany garden at our former
home in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: The habanero plant is not
distinctive from other chile plants, growing at its best to over
three feet tall, but bearing even when smaller in about 85 days.
Surprisingly we found worms in some of our first habaneros and
couldn’t imagine how anything could live in one of these
chiles! After the initial worm problem, we had good luck with
this chile in Montserrat giving it the same care as all of our
other
chiles
and sweet
peppers
-- sun and routine rainfall or watering. Before planting, we
prepared the soil well adding compost and lime and then waiting
a week before
transplanting
the habanero seedlings I had grown with seeds brought from Mexico.
Text & Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2006/2010
and GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com 2013 |
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**Chile
Jalapeño Capsicum
annuum
These are a great standby, whether fresh or pickled, and are used almost every
day in Mexican cuisine. Their heat can vary greatly according to where and how
they are grown, but the heat is clear and sharp and their flavor is wonderful.
When pickled with onions and carrots, we use them chopped or sliced on nachos
most commonly or on cold pureed black beans as a dip served with totopos which
are homemade fried tortilla chips (much better than anything that comes in a
bag).
Photographed: In our mahogany garden at our former
home in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: The jalapeno is a pendant
chile growing on a plant that will be about three feet tall. In
warm climates, plant seeds in trays and transplant to the garden
for best results. Give them full sun and a reasonable amount of
water
and
fertilizer
and you won't be disappointed. In the Caribbean, they don't seem
affected much by insects, though we have had problems with some
sort of wilt. The chiles will mature in only about 70 days and
the plant will produce for months.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO
2006/2010 and GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com 2013 |
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**Chile
Manzano (Mexico) Capsicum
pubescens
This is a medium sized brilliant yellow, green or red fresh chile. They are not
large, being only about 3 to 4" top to bottom and they are shaped much like
a bell pepper. Inside are large black seeds which should be discarded. When freshly
cut, take a sniff. They have a melon overtone, but are quite hot. This
is one of my all time very favorites -- just imagine tasting a melon with heat
-- wonderful!
From: These
chiles originated in Peru.
Photographed: We
bought these chiles in the market and took them home to photograph
them at our apartment in Taxco, Mexico. To see some of the foods
available in Taxco's market and some of our favorite people there click
here.
Planting
and Care: I
was told that in tropical climates the plant is best grown in
the shade where it
may eventually grow to be ten feet tall, bearing its first chiles
after about 120 days and living to be about 10 years old. I was
never able to get seeds I brought from Mexico to sprout in the
Caribbean, but I was later told that this is a high altitude chile
and that may have been the reason.
Text & Photograph
Copyrighted ©KO 2006/2010 and GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com
2013 |
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RECIPE
#1: CHILE MANZANO SALAD
Slice
the chiles manzanos, removing the pith and seeds, and mix them
with about 1/3 as many very thinly sliced mild white or Bermuda
onions by volume. Add a bit of salt and squeeze fresh key lime
juice over them to taste.
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RECIPE
#2: CHILES CAPONES
Core
the manzanos leaving the pepper in tact. Cook them in water with
key lime juice, salt, onion, and a bit of bicarbonate of soda
(to reduce the heat if you wish). When softened and cool enough
to touch, stuff the chiles with cooked freshly ground beef made
from an organically raised cut of sirloin. Salt as desired and
then give them a topping of dry white cheddar cheese. Bake at
375° F. for about 1/2 hour or until the cheese is bubbly.
Serve with a puree of black beans, small (not grape) round cherry
tomatoes, and fresh tortillas or the best tortilla chips you
can find if you can't make them yourself.
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**Chile
Mira el Cielo, Chile Parado Capsicum frutescens
This is the hot chile used in making Tabasco. When growing, the peppers stand
up on the plant, hence the apodo or Mexican nickname “chile
parado.” Parado technically means stopped, but the nickname
amusingly refers to an aroused male. Mira el Cielo means looking toward the sky
so that too is a very appropriate, though less amusing, name.The plant itself
is very attractive, a deeper green than most peppers.
Photographed: We bought these chiles in the market and took
them home to photograph them at our apartment in Taxco, Mexico (on the left).
To see some of the foods available in Taxco's market and some of our favorite
people click here. On
the right and below are fresh green chiles mira el cielo growing in our mahogany
garden
at
our
former
home in Montserrat.
Planting
and Care: The leaves on these bushy deep green plants are puckered and
distinctive from those on other pepper plants. We had good luck with this chile
in Montserrat |
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RECIPE:
HUEVOS DIVORCIADOS
Dried
or fresh these chiles are used in making a salsa picante or
hot sauce. The salsa is used in making huevos divorciados or
divorced eggs. In this dish, two fried eggs are served, one with
salsa picante and one with a mild tomato salsa. You'll find
this on breakfast menus all over Mexico.
Text & Photographs
Copyrighted ©KO 2006/2010 |
Chile
Morita Capsicum
Shaped like a dried jalapeno, or chipotle, the morita is about 3 to 4" long.
It is almost always used dried, most often in making salsa.
Photographed: We
bought these chiles in the market and took them home to
photograph them at our apartment in Taxco, Mexico. To see
some of the foods available in Taxco's market and some
of our favorite people click
here.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO
2006/2010 |
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Chile
Mulato Capsicum
Photographed: We
bought these chiles in the market and took them home to photograph
them at our apartment in Taxco, Mexico. To see some of the foods
available in Taxco's market and some of our favorite people click
here.
Text & Photographs Copyrighted ©KO
2006/2010
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Chile
Pasilla Capsicum
Not very hot, the flavorful pasilla is often used in making a salsa to accompany
roasted goat. This is the dried version of the chile chilaca pictured above.
Photographed: We
bought these chiles in the market and took them home to photograph
them at our apartment in Taxco, Mexico. To see some of the foods
available in Taxco's market and some of our favorite people click
here.
Text & Photos
Copyrighted ©KO 2006/2010 |
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**Chile
Piquin Capsicum
These are tiny very hot peppers, reaching only to a size of about ½ inch.
The fresh ones are real killers, but dried they become almost edible.
Photographed: We
bought these chiles in the market and took them home to photograph
them at our apartment in Taxco, Mexico. To see some of the foods
available in Taxco's market and some of our favorite people click
here.
Planting
and Care: The plants are bushy and about three feet tall
bearing chiles in about 120 days, but most prolifically in the second
year. We had good luck growing this chile in Montserrat. I'm not
sure why I didn't take a photograph of the plant.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2006/2010 |
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Chile
Poblano Capsicum
annuum
This is a fresh green chile as large as a green pepper, but narrower and elongated.
In Mexico it is considered mildly hot or medio picante, though we find
it quite mild. This is the most popular chile for making the famous dish called chile
relleno though we've heard in Oaxaca that a more spicy version of the dish
is made with chile de agua pictured above. When dried the poblano is called chile
ancho which are a major ingredient in making puerco adobado.
Photographed: We
bought these chiles in the market and took them home to photograph
them at our apartment in Taxco, Mexico To see some of the foods
available in Taxco's market and some of our favorite people click
here.
Planting and Care: We did plant these peppers
in Montserrat, but they didn't thrive as did many other chile varieties. The
plant is about three feet tall, bushy and ever bearing at its best.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO
2006/2010 |
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**Chile
Serano Capsicum
annuum
The serano is a relatively small chile, narrow and only 2 to 4" in length.
It is a standard item in any Mexican kitchen, used to add a spike to many dishes
while not affecting the flavor much. While it is often rated as hotter than the
jalapeno, I would have to say the heat is the same – hot, but not fiery.
Photographed: Below in the middle and on the right
in
our kitchen and
in the mahogany garden at our former home
in Montserrat. On the lower left we
bought the chiles in the market and took them home to photograph
them at our apartment in Taxco, Mexico To see some of the foods
available in Taxco's market and some of our favorite people click
here.
Planting
and Care: The serano grows on a plant that is about
three feet tall. Plant seeds in trays and transplant to the garden
for best results. Give them full sun and a reasonable amount of
water and fertilizer and you won't be disappointed. They don't
seem affected much by insects, though we have had problems with
some sort of wilt. Mature chiles can be harvested in about 80 days.
Text & Photographs
Copyrighted ©KO 2006/2010 and GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com
2013 |
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Guyana
Wiri Wiri Pepper, Guyana Pepper, Hot Cherry Pepper, Bird Cherry
Pepper Capsicum Frutescens
As you can see in the photograph below these peppers resemble cherry tomatoes
and they do carry a little of the tomato taste along with a fruitiness in a tiny
pepper that packs a wallop. They are as hot as habaneros and scotch bonnets.
They are said to be a staple of Guyanese cuisine.
Benefits: Wiri wiri peppers probably carry many of the benefits of hot
pepper, but I have not yet found any specific reference to wiri wiri peppers.
From: Guyana
Photographed: At the Latour Farm in Tobago in
January, 2018.
Planting and Care: The wiri wiri grows at most to be under 5
feet. It will do well in full sun or in semi shade as long as it receives good
rainfall or watering. This is a sub-tropical plant that is tolerant of infrequent
occurences of cold weather down to about 30 F.
Text and Photograph ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com 2018 |
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Scotch
Bonnet Peppers, Bonney peppers, Caribbean Red Peppers Capsicum
chinense 'Scotch Bonnet'
Scotch bonnets are among the hottest known peppers. They are used extensively
in Caribbean and southern Latin American cuisine as well as being popular in
Guyana. They are said to have a slightly sweet taste along with the heat.
Benefits: Capsicum peppers are known to have all sorts of health benefits,
but I couldn't find anything specific to the Scotch bonnet variety.
From: I saw one reference saying this plant variety originated in Jamaica,
but I can't be certain of that.
Photographed: At
the Johnston Apartments in Crown Point, Tobago, in 2018.
Planting and Care: These pepper plants produce prolific quantities
of peppers growing in full sun with routine rainfall or watering.
Text and Photographs ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com
2018 |
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SWEET
PEPPERS |
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Black
Pepper Piper nigrum
Black pepper is obtained from dried unripe fruits. White pepper results when
ripe fruits are fermented to remove their skins and then dried. What surprised
me when I received a pepper plant as a gift, is it turned out to be a tree not
a bush as I had imagined. The tree is beautiful and yields after about five years.
This is one of our trees that lives in Taxco. I haven’t been able to get
one in Montserrat.
Text ©KO 2004 |
**Green
Peppers, Bell Peppers Capsicum spp.
One of the delightful things about growing sweet peppers in a tropical climate
is that the plants truly are perennial. Once planted, they will grow and produce
lots of peppers for as long as the plants are well cared for. Then they will
take a turn for the worse, leaves looking sad and diseased as if the plant were
on its last legs. But, within a few weeks you will begin to see new leaves and
then new peppers and so on and so on. What a delight!
Benefits: When these green peppers turn red
they are loaded with Vitamin C, more even than an orange.
Photographed: In our mahogany garden at our former home
in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: Peppers in the tropics will do just
fine with a little shade, but they do need very regular watering. You can
also leave the peppers on the plants a little longer than you might in
a northern climate. Unless it is very hot and dry the peppers will continue
growing until they almost resemble those "store bought" peppers
-- big, deep green and crunchy. Fertilize them the same as you do your
tomatoes.
Tropical Climate Varieties: Yolo Wonder, Keystone Resistant
Giant
Text and Photograph ©KO 2009/2010 and ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com
2014
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**Italianelle
Pepper, Friariello Pepper, Sweet Frying Pepper, Sweet Italian
Frying Pepper
This
is a pepper that is not as attractive as many others, but is very popular in
Italy as a sweet frying pepper. I bought a packet of seeds with a photograph
of long light green bumpy peppers when we were traveling in Italy. I had in mind
the hot Italian dried peppers my husband loves, planning to surprise him when
we were back in Montserrat. It was me that got the surprise. On the first harvest
I thought I was picking chile chilacas a true medium hot pepper favorite
from Mexico. It was a week or so later that all came together and I figured out
what was what in the pepper garden.
From: Probably Italy as the names imply
Photographed: In our mahogany garden at our
former home in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: Like all peppers the
Italianelle prefers sunny weather and routine rainfall or
watering. In the Caribbean they will tolerate a bit of shade
and do just fine.
Text and Photograph ©Krika.com
2009 and ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com 2013/2014
**Pepperoncini
These are the peppers that you find in those specialty food isles in the supermarket.
They are packed in glass jars prepared either in Italy or Greece. I made
them at our former home in Montserrat and my Greek husband went wild. No
additives,
no preservatives and the freshest taste ever!
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Trinidad
Pimento Peppers, Trinidad Seasoning Peppers Capsicum
chinense
This is perhaps the most popular pepper in Trinidad and Tobago. It is said to
pack all the flavor of a hot pepper without the heat. They are sometimes used
interchangeably with green bell peppers.
Benefits: Capsicum peppers are known to have all sorts of health benefits,
but I couldn't find anything specific to the Trinidad Pimento variety.
From: I did not find this information.
Photographed: At
the Johnston Apartments in Crown Point, Tobago, in 2018.
Planting and Care: When mature these plants will be about 4
feet high and will be covered in peppers as you see in the photograph. We have
seen them growing in gardens, in pots by the door, and just about anywhere else
you look. Treat them like green peppers with a fertile rich soil and regular
rainfall or watering and they will do just fine. They also seem immune to the
Caribbean's very hot direct sun so I wouldn't bother with giving them any shade.
Text and Photograph ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com
2018 |
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MYSTERY
PEPPERS |
If
you know what this chile is, please Contact
Me
Hot Pepper Mystery #1
Photographed: In the Carlos Thays Botanical Garden in Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
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