Jalapeno Conspiracy

Thank you. I have been reading this thread (which I started) for a week and tasting jalapenos from the garden and the supermarket.

They are everything that has been said about them.... about the nicest pepper on earth but they are not hot anymore.

They, like everything else, have been dumbed down for the mushbrained masses.

If I come across a hot one, I will save the seeds and try to re-culture them.

We have been screwed again by those who "know" what we should like.... Wonder bread, Bud, chicken breast and now sweet jalapenos

js

Is there such a thing as an heirlooom pepper seed exchange? Like for tomatoes?

Yes, several of them, Google will show the way. In addition several seedsmen rate their jalapeno's as to heat. I don't grow jalapeno's but the local nurseries carry both the TAMU (Texas A&M University) mild and the hotter versions. Keep it in mind though that jalapeno's are one of the mildest chiles out there.

George

There are lots of places that sell seeds. I bought from this place earlier in the year:

Jalapenos never were hot IMHO. They're usually listed around 3000 Skoville Units whereas red and yellow habs run up to 300,000 Skoville units. Even chili peppers for hot dogs are an order of magnitude hotter than jalapenos. I gave up growing jalapenos years ago. Habs produce more per plant and you can make a salsa with them that will make everyone who eats it run to the bathroom to clear their bowels. It's nothing but fun when habenero harvest time comes which should be in a couple of weeks here.

i've never thought that they were that hot either........now my tabasco and cayenne this year have been outstanding. brings you to tears. ate a cayenne with lunch yesterday, it pure made the inside of my nose burn. hot peppers are a great way to open the sinuses!

am surprised to learn that it should be hotter than Cayenne.

However, I have also lost faith in Penseys. Their Cayenne varies all over the map. The same type will be very mild in one order and very hot in the next.

This can not be a function of age as we have compared two different lots at the same time and in general terms, it takes twice as much of one to get the same heat. Or a wet finger tip full varies from very mild to very hot.

js

I don't think I would accept their assessment of dried jalapenos. I dried them and powdered them for several years to use as an additive for "Southwestern" bread. Never found them to be even close to as hot as cayenne. YMMV

George

i agree with george, cayenne is definitely better to me too.