Capsaicin _ode to Wilbur Scoville_

[WadePatton]

Whereas I've inundated myownself with peppers and tomatoes for a garden and possibly cash-crops this year; Whereas I've always enjoyed the hot peppers and tangy tomatoes from home gardens all my life and shall continue to do so and; Whereas this _is_ the age of the collective and I'm packing my head with new information (as i am wont to do) as well as new access to old information: I must start with a rant.

Consider this, taken from the most comprehensive Scoville chart* I've ever seen:

Cayenne: 30,000- 50,000 su
Charleston (Cayenne): 70,000-100,000 su
Carolina Cayenne: 100,000-125,000 su

Cut and le dried eh?. Sure it is-until you go to purchase the seeds. Then you find marketing monkeys have taken liberties with the numbers--(self edit) as they do in _every_ market of course. Such that the "Charleston" is reported to be 20x(twenty times) hotter than the Cayenne whilst the "Carolina Cayenne" is only promoted as being 2x as hot as the good ole, here when Columbus showed up, regular unleaded Cayenne. To which my first response is of course, WTF?

Here's the whole chart: Capsaicin Scoville Units

Let's just say that some Cayennes are TWICE as hot as others...end. And open season on marketing monkeys.

Well, not really the end. I will be growing _all three_ of the above next year to see how's they do with my dirt and diligence. If Toots is real nice I'll send him a box full.

As it is, I have some really pathetic Cayenne plants this year and whole host of otherlings. Hottest thing out there (on my plantation) this time is the Caribbean Red Habenero (120,000-400,000). But I'm not into "hottest". I got those for free and when someone just won't shut up about how big a chili head he is--I'll poke one of those up his nose. And or I may make some jams/jellies with 'em. yo.

I'm not into "hottest". I'm into hottest i can eat today and also the other flavors and what the smoke does and how the sweet and sour and tart and cheesy things go with.

Some of you brothers in chiles may have seen or have posters or copies of older Scoville charts. I find lots of "questionable" ratings and inconsistencies in some. But this one appears to be spot-on with modern testing methods and complete with spicy fruits of the nightshade from far and wide. Enjoy.

Also, show us what you're growing-and share how you prep it. I'm taking on canning and pickling this season.

so sick of "hot" pickled okra/u-name-it that's about as hot as yellow mustard.

CHEERS!

[WadePatton]

Tabasco or Cayenne? (Cat 5 pepper sauce discussion)

Too many folks any red and hot sauce in a small bottle is generically called "Tabasco". Whereas "Tabasco" is a particular pepper developed and grown by the McIlhenny family down there in the Gulf at LA.

Then they ferment the peppers for three years in wooden bbls. The product of that process is screened then stirred for a few weeks (and probably blended) to get the consistent color and heat Tabaso Hot Sauce is known for. It is generally hotter than the traditional Louisiana-style Cayenne sauce. It also has a very distinctive and sometimes overpowering flavor (probably from the wood) and _isn't_ the best source of zing for many dishes.

You know how A1 makes a potato taste like a steak?...same dealio.

So look twice next time you wimp away from a bottle of red and presumably hot stuff in a small bottle. It might not be so hot you tink it is*. word for the day: getsome!

"Louisiana" and "Frank's Red Hot Durkee" brands are go-to cayenne sauces for me.

[Too Tall]

I'll post up some pickled green tomatoes soon brotherman. My plants are about one month behind your growing season and it is only this past week safe to plant hot peppers!!!

Agreed, I'm not into the hottest peppers I can find. What I LOVE are very hot peppers that have flavor and I can actually eat without breaking into an cold sweat ;)

Dewd, if you make pickled hot peppers that would go over really well. Personally I think the cherry hot peppers are best pickled. We used to eat those right out of the jar from the Wimpy Burger joint on Dizengoff street. < obscure foreign name dropping reference.

[WadePatton]

Had to water (by hand) the whole mess yesterday. Pretty excited about the possibilities of pickling and making hot jams. And am just nutz thinking about fresh salsa! (i gotta get a tortilla press, but do make them by hand). Tomatillas looking good and blooming, come on pepperz!

Hot Peppers are a performance food as well. While a great general health item, peppers are also good for the vascular system and increasing pain thresholds...more later.

[maunahaole]

I'm currently cultivating Waialua hots and Hawaiian hots. Still waiting on the hawaiian hots to ripen, some fruit, but they are still yellow. I need to get them before the birds come down to eat them.

Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center - Seed Program

[rydesteel]

Mmm, I like hot peppers my faves are the little Thai birds eye's my Laotian friends Mom brought with her from Laos. Plenty of heat but a very nice almost sweet flavor. I can eat most of the hot ones but I enjoy the little thai ones.

[cody.wms]

"Louisiana" and "Frank's Red Hot Durkee" brands are go-to cayenne sauces for me.

I'm into this:


The first time I had Crystal's was when this stripper in Baton Rouge made us a pot full of jambalaya. Good times.

[WadePatton]

oui, I didn't meat to slight the Crystal sauce...or pretty cooks.

off the top of my head-what I've planted: Texas Bird, Thai Red, Thai Barapa, Hinkelhatz, Hot Portugal, and the previously mentioned Caribbean Red- with a couple pathetic little cayennes* and a host of sweet peppers.

*this shall not ever happen again...will have my own seedlings next go 'round-and have a new ally with a greenhouse. that's where i got all the above (and more)

[WadePatton]

Here is a Scoville chart for those who like to quantify things. This a very very short list of reported peppers, but gives a rough idea of where things fall. The most accurate charts are those that indicate a range for each species-as actual hotness will vary by growing conditions.

The "chart" I listed way up top is a very _complete_ listing, but the scale in not in an image format-and thus not easily shared. It lists ~100 peppers with SEVEN hotter than the Caribbean Red Habenero and over 40 specimens hotter than the (gold) standard Cayenne.

Got a little rain last night so it looks like my peppers will make it. I grew a few Scotch Bonnet peppers some dozen years ago when i lived in town with a small backyard garden. The were certainly hot, but i was put off by the citrusy flavor. The super hots are great for adding heat w/o changing the flavor (of your concoction) by using trace amounts. This is useful when you don't have enough peppers of the right pungency to bring the heat up to where you want it.

And for anyone interested but tender-mouthed, it should be noted that a tolerance for capsaicin is very quickly built up. IOW, if pickled jalapenos put you on edge right now...enjoy that. If you want to move up the scale, increase your volume of those and you'll soon find that the pickled chips lose their zing and that it now takes fresh jalapenos and cayennes will bring the sweat on. The whole point of chili eating is to be a _bit_ uncomfortable with it. There are health benefits and there is no way to do physical damage with the capsaicin--only discomfort. But do be careful any time you are preparing fresh peppers-it only takes a tiny bit to "light up" sensitive areas.






here's another one:




Wilbur hisdangself:

[WadePatton]

Tomatoes and Peppers are in progress. Many tomatoes set and one lil' Thai red pepper is tempting me (the rest are in bloom)...i've got a few more weeks of mainlining store-bought jalapenos.

[WadePatton]

Gordon Ramsay's Great Escape: Woman sets record with bhut jolokia. She fails to upset the 2-minute eating record (by scarfing only 49)--but takes the opportunity to beat the "rub it in your eyes" record.

those are rated 1,000,000 scoville-or 3x-5x hotter than habanero.

i'm getting a few early ones and tomatoes are about to turn.

[WadePatton]

Herb/Kitchen garden pepper report:

top producers: thai red, thai burapa, serrano (not sure which one), hinkelhatz

top heat: both thai peppers, texas bird, habenero caribbean red (yet to actually taste but have picked a few, ain't skeerd-saving them for jelly).

what i learned: hinkelhatz (chicken heart auf deutsche) has a delightful bit of heat (better than serrano). thai is hot enough-burapa is killer, but tiny-both are prolific and many will find themselves in baths of vinegar. texas bird, just dang explosive heat from the pea-sized fruit-super delighted and plan to bring the plant indoors before frost. caribbean red-mos respectful, and seriously saving for jelly.

note that i lost most of the sweet pepper crop to my neglect and poor soil conditions in their plot. but that lipstick and jimmy nardello appear to be good choices for a non-bell sweet. mom had a killer bell pepper crop this year, but i've yet to find one that likes my dirt/wx. the Justin Wilson in me won't let me stop searching though.

[WadePatton]

soooo sometime last last night i had consumed enough liquid courage to sample the caribbean red habenero (a hot-rodded habanero). i took a small slice off the bottom corner, started to cut that but then said effit- and took a nip of the bit of that corner.

whooeee wham it's got a big hit and a lot of staying power. if the seeds add more punch (as they should), well let's just see how hot this jelly will go!

i ate a couple more slivers and they did nothing to change the heat already established at tongue zero-still hanging on.

sustained heat unlike the tx bird with the big POW up front but a quickly fading punch.

not so ready i'm sure to try this sober. and at this level of heat, i am quite careful with the handling-might even don gloves if i was doing a lot of handling. keeping hands away from face and crotch is the real key to safety.