If you want hot sauce that doesn't burn you to a crisp, you can do one or two things:

1) grow peppers that are lower on the Scoville scale. Jalapenos and Serranos are between 10,000-25,000 and most people can handle that in their hot sauce;
2) cut out all membranes and discard. you'll want to get rid of the seeds anyway so go the extra mile and get rid of the structure where most capsaicin is. They will still be plenty hot.
3) combine 1 & 2

I do think they mellow a bit over time and with the lacto-ferment, but maybe that's a figment of my imagination.
one other thing - some peppers are apparently (and according to Rick Bayless) inconsistent in their hotness (e.g., Jalapenos) and others pretty even (Serranos).

They generally like a sunny spot and people have had good luck with them as container plants if that makes life easier. They do like nutrient rich soil in my experience so I mix some cow manure into the planting soil. You'll only need a few plants as they're quite productive once they're going. Stake them so they don't fall over.

Last thing, they will continue ripen when off the plant. So if they're not fully red and you're worried about your first frost, pick them, bring them inside, cover with a cloth and let them turn red.

Happy to help with the lactofermenting part when the time comes!



Quote Originally Posted by gt6267a View Post
We have some flower beds in the back and I could give this a try. A few questions ...

1) What peppers are interesting without getting into crazy hot peppers? We like spice but nothing like what is posted in this thread. A nice flavorful pepper for regular people.
2) How much sunlight do they require? We get some light but there is a lot of shade.
3) Any tips you might offer for trying out some backyard growing.