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Chillies - how hot?
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Message 1.Â
Posted by collperson (U13806187) on Tuesday, 7th September 2010
I have always been wary of chillies, never knowing quite how hot they are. Now I have a crop from some free seeds. They are currently about an inch long and bright green. Will they go red as time goes by, and will they get hotter then? Help and advice, please, from the chilli growers of this world.
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Message 2
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Tuesday, 7th September 2010
I'm hardly an experienced grower but chillies are hotter red. The green ones can also be hot depending on the variety and I've found even from the same plant some taste hotter than others.
The tips aren't as hot as the part nearer the stem either. -
Message 3
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Tuesday, 7th September 2010
3min rule...drums fingers...just to add it's coming to the end of the growing season for chillies. I harvested mine and hung them upside down in the GH to dry, the green ones go black then turn red even after picking if left.
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Message 4
Posted by mummyduckegg (U8437139) on Tuesday, 7th September 2010
There are so many varieties that it's hard to advise without a name. I agree that they get hotter as they redden, but some are green when ripe, or yellow, or black... Often the smaller chillies are hotter than the larger ones.
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Message 5
Posted by Paull2 (U14064177) on Wednesday, 8th September 2010
I grow quite a few varieties during the year, and as someone has said,it's really the end of the growing season, so what you've got mainly is what you'll get now. Our recent poor summers mean that you are lucky to end up with a GH full of ripe red chillis (some turn yellow when ripe, others almost black). The riper the hotter, also the seeds are hot so remove these if you don't want food too lively. With a lot of green chillis left at the end of summer, I find it quite acceptable to make a chilli sauce along with a few green or sweet yellow toms I also grow.
Important to wear plastic gloves when preparing hot chillis or scrub your hands thoroughly (very thoroughly) after handling. If you ever rub your eyes or go to the loo with fresh chilli on your fingers,prepare for the experience of a lifetime! -
Message 6
Posted by 4smilingcat6 (U14338727) on Wednesday, 8th September 2010
If they are in a greenhouse/polytunnel I don`t think it is the end of the season yet. If we get a decent early autumn you have around a month still for them to ripen.
Heat is such a personal thing-I used to laugh when `older` folk said they no longer like their chillies too hot.
I will be 57 next month and I now agree. Hot is OK but no longer the incendiary stuff I once played with -
Message 7
Posted by Paull2 (U14064177) on Wednesday, 8th September 2010
I agree that a few more sunny days this month will make a lot of difference. Also, yes, the extra hot chilli thing is a reckless route. Personally, I don't think garden centres and other outlets who sell packets of seed like Jolokia, labelled 'Hottest in the World',are being responsible without heavy warnings to inexperienced growers. I can't see the practical benefit of such overkill.
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Message 8
Posted by John L (U10162566) on Wednesday, 8th September 2010
I have grown Cayenne and Demon red
Cayenne have loads of red chillis on now, and frankly are quite hot, no need for the macho brands.
Just pop two in if needed.
Demon red - really slow to start, only one plant survived out of 6, and its got some small green chillies on, but is still in flower and has been for weeks. How do you suggest I manage this as I have worked hard with it all summer. Its in a plastic greenhouse -
Message 9
Posted by mummyduckegg (U8437139) on Wednesday, 8th September 2010
Any plants with chillies still growing can be brought in the house onto a sunny windowsill to finish off growing/ripening. Some people over-winter the plants like that. I prefer to try different varieties each year, apart from Joe's Long which I love!
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Message 10
Posted by martingodliman (U13761957) on Thursday, 9th September 2010
Most of my chillies have been ripening nicely for a few weeks now and the plants still have plenty of green ones on the way.
Except two plants I don't know what they are but the chillies are in tight upwardly pointing bunches at the end of each "branch" green and still the plant is bravely flowering away at the same time.
I don't have a green house but I'll try and keep them some where out of the frost to see what happens. -
Message 11
Posted by theweeshep (U13961168) on Thursday, 9th September 2010
It's impossible to tell without knowing which type you're growing. As a general rule though, the smaller the hotter. Also, most of the heat is in the white membrane lining the chilli. Removing this will bring the heat down significantly.
JohnL - if you think the cayenne's are hot, wait until you try your demon red... They're closer to habernaro hot, without the fruity initial taste. -
Message 12
Posted by collperson (U13806187) on Sunday, 12th September 2010
Thank you so much for all your good advice, fellow gardeners. I have taken your points about rubber gloves, not using the seeds or white pith. Now for the final bit of advice, what should I grow next year if I want max flavour and not a lot of heat?
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Message 13
Posted by margaretstar (U14415248) on Sunday, 12th September 2010
Hi,
I just grow a cayenne pepper use it and add some red bell pepper for more flavour.
I have however seen "annaheim" for sale and according to the list below this is a milder type of chilli.
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Message 14
Posted by Paull2 (U14064177) on Sunday, 12th September 2010
The nice thing about growing chillies is the enormous variety to try. I have a go at something new each year but the ones I tend not to be without are a little hot devil called Apache which has lovely blue flowers and grows vigorously on any window ledge and is great for drying, also Hungarian Wax, a moderately hot pepper which crops and cooks well without knocking your socks off. With a real old fashioned, sunny hot summer, I'd try a lot more than I do but feel that the plants I grow, even in the GH, need that added luxury of heat to really produce their best.
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