i need some pepper growing info

[mikefromolemiss]

so i bought a habanero pepper plant and an anaheim pepper plant from wally world. i have one HUGE anaheim pepper and about 7 habs...how do i know when they are ready to pick?

 

[bamafan]

I pull my habs right when they start to turn orange. But have used them before that . about the size of a quarter.

 

[abelman]

For me, its a taste test. but, if they get to the point that they don't look real healthy and start to shrival a little, they are getting ready to fall off. At that point, it's a little late.

As for the taste test comment, you get a feel as you get used to growing them. A young, imature pepper may look like it's ready but it won't have any heat or very little. A mature pepper may look look entirely different but carry a lot of heat. You just have to understand the type of pepper plant you're growing, climate, temps, etc.

Lastly, I grow Thai Dragons every year. Personally, I don't find any taste difference from a mature green Thai and a more mature red Thai. So, I pick them while they're green and mature and then I get bigger yields as they regenerate quicker.

 

[tn_bbq]

Pull 2 of those habaneros and take a couple big bites from each. If you're not crying in 2 minutes, they're not hot enough.

Peppers will grow to their full size and then change colors as they ripen...sorta the way a banana does. You can pull them when they are green or you can wait until they turn (red, orange, yellow, etc.). Most folks try to pick them just before they turn colors because at that point they aren't getting any bigger...others like the taste of a more rippened pepper and will wait for them to turn.

Let's make some salsa, pico de galo, etc. Good stuff, just don't use those tainted tomatos.

 

[coyote]

you will not go wrong with what all has told you so far..you can even leave them on the plant untill they dry. them crush them and use them in rubs..or set them in a cool place in the smoker and smoke them till they have a nice smoke flavor to them. hope it helps ya..

 

[richoso1]

I'm with Coyote on this one. I like them green, red, and orange. Different stages of maturity, and different taste. It's all good.

 

[chrome]

Here in KC my habs are never ripe until around mid October.
They seem to take FOREVER. But wait till they get to an orange color similar to the ad on the upper right for the rib rub and BBQ sauce recipes.... LOL
They'll be a bit darker than the one's you buy in the store that are a bright orange. If you don't let them ripen all the way you miss out on the unique flavor of the habanero, which is the reason I cook with them (well, gotta love the heat too).
I have a killer Habanero coconut cream pie recipe that I got out of Chili Pepper Magazine.

 

[carnuba]

Chili Pepper Magazine????????

there's a magazine for chili peppers????????

 

[chrome]

Yepper :)
http://www.chilepepper.com/html/

 

[teeotee]

We get the chilli pepper mag. Has some awesome recipes

 

[supervman]

They all got some fine recipes here:
http://www.chilepepper.com/html/recipies.htm

 

[chrome]

Mmmmmmmmm Habanero-Infused Tequila.

 

[shellbellc]

Here's another one from fiery foods!

https://www272.safesecureweb.com/dew.../subscribe.asp

Here's the fiery foods web site. Has a lot of great information!!!

http://www.fiery-foods.com/

 

[placebo]

I'm not sure if there is a corelation or not but our outside cats use the area we grow our peppers in, (habs, anaheim, and serranos) as a litterbox and every year we have an over-abundance of peppers. I'm not sure if it is the perfect amount of light they get, or the kitty fertilization, or both. But they sure are some good hot peppers!

 

[coyote]

I think you hit the nail on the head there. as they grow, I have always thought as the pepper transitioned to fully ripe there was taste differnces.
each being unique in it's self.

some of these peppers can be sooooooooo hot. lol.. we have a blender at the station..it can only be used to churn peppers. the heat will not come out of it for some reason.. the new guys come and blend something. and they complain at how HOT their milk shakes is..lol.

 

[richoso1]

Coyote is on the trail, I taste a big difference in a green jalapeno from a red one. Same with other types of NM chiles. I do like 'em both ways.