Chile Pepper Plants: The Fruit that Keeps on GIving

By Karla Bingaman, Penn State Extension Franklin County Master Gardener Program

Peter Piper was on to something when he decided to pick a peck of (pickled) peppers. With all the different varieties and ranges of heat levels everyone should at least try them.

Based on Scoville Heat Units (SHU), here's a taste of a few of our planned offerings from hottest to our mildest and one that falls in between. With over a dozen varieties, we have a chile pepper plant to satisfy every hot head.

The hottest pepper plant we plan offer this year is the Bhut Jolokia (aka Ghost Pepper). With a Scoville range that can top over a million units this pepper isn’t for the faint of heart, but heat isn’t the only consideration. It has a fruity, slightly sweet flavor and when used in small quantities it can really enhance a dish. I recommend infusing it in butter that can be added to many of the dishes you already prepare. You get to enjoy the full breadth of this pepper when used judiciously. This plant can get quite large and does well in a tomato cage for containment and support.

The Brazilian Starfish is a medium heat pepper by most people’s standards. As with all chile peppers, the heat range can vary, but this maintains a medium heat often slightly spicier than a jalapeño pepper. The fruit is juicy and very sweet. It’s a great pepper to pickle and looks beautiful through a glass jar because of its unique shape. Use it in raw salads and salsa because it is delicious but also retains a lovely crunch. Due to its weeping shape with branches and leaves that droop downwards, this pepper does well when supported on a trellis or in a hanging basket - it’s the thrill, the fill, and the spill!

In the greenhouse, the Poblano Ancho Gigantea is the mildest of the hot peppers. It has just a hint of heat and a wonderful sweet, smoky flavor that lends itself well to roasting, and its large cavity is great for stuffing. If you let the peppers ripen to red then dry, you can use the ancho chiles in soups, sauces, and meat seasonings too. This plant has a short yield time and retains a bushy two and half foot height. It benefits from staking due to the pepper’s thick wall that makes the fruit heavier than most.

Is your mouth watering yet? Well, mark your calendar for the Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale, May 18 from 9 am to 1 pm at 425 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg. We will have a Scoville chart highlighting the thirteen hot peppers we are growing along with nine sweet peppers, including the favorite lunch box size.

Please note that plant availability is dependent on germination and growth in the greenhouse.

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HOW HOT IS IT?

 

Not the weather – that PEPPER! Although we are getting summer heat we speak here of peppers.

Your taste buds are craving salsa and it’s time to check the peppers growing in the back garden. There are several varieties of “hot” peppers, some turning red, but just how hot are they? We turn to the Scoville Scale for the answer.

Developed by chemist Wilbur Scoville, the scale is a way to measure and assign the hotness of peppers by measuring the capsaicin (cap-say-ah-sin). content. How do you measure a Scoville Heat Unit? To measure the concentration of capsaicin, a solution of the chili pepper’s extract is diluted in sugar water until the ‘heat’ is no longer detectable to a panel of tasters. A rating of 0 Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) means that there is no heat detectable. The test’s reliance on human testers and the fact that plants grown in different conditions may be hotter or sweeter makes the scale basically good for comparisons only.

Regardless of the rating, use caution
 when handling or eating hot peppers.

So here goes, a listing of some of the most popular types are below. Go to the Scoville Scale online for a more complete listing.

Counter-Attack for the Burn

Capsaicin is alkaline oil. Water and alcohol don’t help because they won’t dissolve the oil and only spread it around. Acidic food or drink helps neutralize the oil. Try lemon, lime or orange juice, cold lemonade, or tomato drinks (not a Bloody Mary - see above).

Dairy foods such as milk, yogurt, sour cream and ice cream are acidic and may help. Eating carbohydrate foods such as bread or tortillas may help by absorbing some of the oil. Chew these but don’t swallow. Did you know that most hot-chili eating contests provide bowls of powdered milk and water to participants?

For skin irritations (you weren’t careful?), wash off the oil with soap and warm water. Dry and repeat if needed. Remember, capsaicin is oil and can be spread to other parts of the body by touching. Also, wash all utensils and cutting surfaces with soap and water after use to avoid spreading the oil.

For an upset stomach after eating hot peppers (Yes, they make their way through.) try drinking milk, the more fat content the better or eating carbohydrate foods such as bread and crackers. Sleep or rest in an upright or slightly inclined position to prevent heartburn and acid reflux.

Benefits of Capsaicin

Paradoxically, capsaicin's knack to cause pain makes it helpful in alleviating pain. National Institute of Health research supports the topical use of capsaicin for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis by lowering sensitivity to pain. Capsaicin can be found in over-the-counter creams and plasters.

Research continues on many other possible benefits in cancer treatments, anti-inflammatory use, weight loss and lowering cholesterol.

Capsacin lowers the threshold at which your taste buds forward the burning sensation to your brain and causes actual pain, sweating and muscle contractions. The pain releases endorphins, the pleasure chemicals.

Here are a few more links with interesting information

The Gut-Wrenching Science Behind the World's Hottest Peppers by Mary Roach (always an entertaining writer) for Smithsonian Magazine   

U.S. Hot Stuff: How hot are my chiles?  http://ushotstuff.com/Heat.Scale.htm

Chili World Scoville Scale (many sauce brands)

CKagan, Master Gardener

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Carol Kagan