[CH] Re: Comment for Uncle Steve

Uncle Steve (UncleSteve@ushotstuff.com)
Mon, 9 Oct 2000 09:40:01 -0400 

At  8:21 AM -0400  10/9/2000,  Delia Bullock  wrote:

** Comments: As my jalepenos ripen, they turn from green to red.  Do they get
** hotter with the color change?

Depends on what stage you pick the green ones. Immature green Chiles that are
not developed and will not be as hot and some times will not have any heat at
all. Any Chile that is harvested when fully mature will be at the peak of its
heat. You may not notice any deference in a ripe red Jalapeno and a mature
green one.

Plant stress (to much water, drought, cold weather, etc.) will cause the plant
to produce more heat. The Capsaicin glands produce more "juice" to protect the
seeds. It is possible to have several different heat levels on the same plant
if it was stressed during different stages of fruit development.

A tip on the Jalapeno; The ones with a pointed tip (Apex) tend to be a little
hotter then the blunt ended ones. This is only true with the Jalapeno Chiles.

Many people think the most heat is in the seeds and by removing them the Chile
will not be as hot. This is incorrect. The heat (Capsaicinoids) are most
concentrated in the placenta which holds the seeds. By removing, scraping out
the seeds, most of the placenta is also removed. This has given the false
impression that the seeds are the hottest pare of a Chile.

The largest part of the placenta is near the top end (Caylx) of a Chile. As a
result there is a lot more heat in the top half of a Chile (40%-70% more). A
little trick one can do when armed with this knowledge is to pick a hot Chile
of some kind, bite off the bottom half then hand it to a friend saying "Try it,
see there not so hot".

For more information on what makes Chiles hot, go to:
http://usHOTstuff.com/Heat.Scale.htm

Enjoy the heat,
Steve

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