Re: [CH] Questions from a Novice Pepper Boy
Wilson Phillips (voodoo@telapex.com)
Wed, 17 Jun 1998 21:32:14 -0500
Dan writ
>
> I planted some pepper plants for the first time this year. I'm in
Northern
>Virginia and have some questions. I planted 8 Cayenne, 7 Jalapeno, 7
Yellow
>Wax, 3 Bannana and I hope, (more later), 2 Caribbean Red Hot. The
Cayenne,
>Yellow Wax and Bannana and already producing peppers. Now the
questions,
>When should I pick the peppers? With the Cayenne peppers, will they
turn
>red on the plant? Right now some are 5 - 6 inches long and a dark green
>color.
>
The cayennes will turn red on the plant. Most peppers won't snap off
easily till they are ripe. You will get the hang of this after picking a
few ripe ones.
>The Yellow Wax and Bannana are a light green almost yellow type color.
What
>is the size and color these guys get when they are ready to be plucked?
They will get almost yellow, maybe yellow, depending on the strain you
purchased.
>The Jalapeno plants are much smaller then the others, though they were
the
>same size as the others when I planted them. The Jalapenos haven't
flowered
>(right term?) yet either. They don't look sick or anything, What gives?
Nothing is wrong if they look healthy. Just give them time. You can pick
them when they snap off easily, or you can wait till they turn red. When
they get red, they get hotter, and the flavor gets better.
>
>Now for the Caribbean Red Hot. I picked up two plants that had a tag
saying
>Caribbean Red Hot Pepper at a parking lot nursery . I paid my buck took
>them home and put them in pots. Looking at the type of plants they are,
>compared to the way the other pepper plants look, they have big leaves
and
>don't have the same "look" as the others. The CRHs have lettuce looking
>leaves that are sorta rough while the other plants have smooth narrower
>leaves. Anyone have any ideas?
>
Just a different type of chile. Not all of them look the same. Some are
squat and bushy, some tall, some have wide leaves, some don't. Sit back
and enjoy the show. You are in for a lot of fun, and a lot of great
meals. You are going to have more peppers than you can eat, so get
yourself a dehydrator and get ready to dry some chiles. Get a coffee
grinder to grind the dried peppers in. The thin skinned peppers will dry
easily. They thick skinned ones will take longer. You may want to try
smoking some of the thick skinned ones before you dry them. It is a very
different taste.
Good luck with your babies. Give plenty of praise to El Grande, and your
garden will bless you with an abundant crop.
Voodoo