An acquaintance gave me some hot peppers from his garden. Can anyone identify their varieties?
as well they should be.
off hand I would say Thai, Jalapeno, Fresno, Hab. maybe a rocotto/ manzano but the first and last could be several type, need a bit more info. So is this a test or do you need to look them up?
The very dark one could be an immature ancho. The red one with the little tan striations is a ripe jalopeno (the lines and leathery skin mean it's ripe). The orange one would likely be a habanero (there are many types of habanero). The small reds could be tien tsin. There are hundreds and hundres of pepper variations, and they are prone to cross pollinate, so it's difficult to say with great accuracy exactly what pepper comes from a home garden.
Tabasco, jalapeño, ripe jalapeño, and the last one might be a scotch bonnet.
On 25 Sep 2011, Nil wrote in rec.gardens:
OK, thanks everybody for the hints. Sounds like there are too many varieties to be sure, but it looks like the little read ones are Thai chiles and the orange one is a Habanero. The bigger red one may be a ripe Jalapeno (I didn't know they got red) but if it is, I bet it's a slightly different variety than the green one, as it was from a different plant and the fruit was a little smaller.
And thanks for the pointers to those pepper ID web pages. Very interesting.
I got these last week from a B&B in Niagara Falls, NY. The owner has a small patch of pepper plants that were doing really well, and he invited me to take some with me, so I just grabbed a few of each kind. I have to say that I don't think the Habaneros will be very useful - they're just too damn hot to put in many things. I made chili last night and put a tiny bit in there, and even that small amount made it borderline too spicy for me. And its essence seems to have soaked into my fingers, I can still taste it. I can see why I saw some advice to wear rubber gloves and safety glasses when working with them. Those things could be dangerous!
The little ones look too blunt to be Thai peppers. I'm pretty sure they are tabasco peppers. (I have a tabasco plant and those look just like them) Are they unusually juicy?
-Bob
On 25 Sep 2011, zxcvbob wrote in rec.gardens:
I don't know about "unusually", but they are rather juicy. I carefully nibbled on the end of one and was surprised when juice squirted into my mouth. More than I wanted, really. So, if Thai peppers are dry inside and Tabascos are juicy, you could be right.
I like it when people handle the insides of habaneros with their hands. I really got into it a couple years ago. My hands gradually started to burn. I pick them up and take bites. Small at first. The good ones have a great smell and taste that hits before the hot hits. When you use the habanero, discard the seeds and white parts, and use small slices of the shell, if you can't stand the hot.
Most of the peppers have different flavors. My garden didn't do well, but my two yellow habanero pots did great. My ghost peppers ran out of sun and heat, but got a couple of outstanding pieces. What smell! The ghost and jalepino peppers got hit hard with stink bugs. Going to start making dry pepper.
It does require several washing hands to get rid of the burning and don't rub your eyes. Knifes and ceramic dishes just require hot water to get the sting off.
The typical scotch bonnet habanero is around 300k units, the red ones 500k, and the ghost 1000k
Greg
Probably Thai, jalapeños, serrano, and habañero, or Scotch bonnet. I've never seen a recipe that called for more than 1/2 of a habañero.
Serrano is a distinct possibility for #3.
-Bob
If you have a batch of the Jalapeno try your hand at smoke drying these to a chipotle or a chile ahumado. Its easier to control your heat in dishes with the powder. If not familiar with this spice I recommend you try it in a pot of beans. I believe it lends a better taste than the Chipotle en adobo.
I usually cook to taste and then let the individual adjust to their comfort level with other sauces. Nothing worse than swallowing a hot coal and not being able to taste the rest of the dinner. For the Habs/ SB w/o the heat...DO NOT cut them, use them whole to get the flavor and them fish out of the dish, the die-hards can then show their bravado by biting into them.
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