I'm starting a search for old school "real" jalapenos.

[Chasdev]

Like @Hockeydudde and chef k-dude suggest, adding heat is probably easier than finding jalapeños with the heat built in.


Did a serrano farmer write this article? (j/k) I like serranos, but there are so many varieties of pepper out there to try. The way some people keep an atlas on their bookshelf as inspiration for places they want to one day visit, I have a book on pepper varieties that I want to someday try!

I have no idea who wrote it but I found it doing a search on why jalapenos at the store are no hotter than mild these days.
I've bought them at all the major grocery stores in Austin and they are ALL mild, AND I had already switched to serranos in my cooking so, I believe the writer knew his subject matter.

 

[chef k-dude]

It doesn't surprise me that they would tone down the peppers at the major grocers. They probably get more complaints about "too hot" than not hot enough. Most people cant handle heat or at least much heat. There may be some stores that sell actually hot peppers, like maybe whole foods, etc.

If you are in a produce department with an actual produce manager or employee (can be elusive in a Walmart), you can usually ask to taste some produce before you buy. Obviously iceberg lettuce, etc. would be exceptions, but I have asked to taste fruit, like oranges sold in bulk, not bags of course. The manager cut one in half then cut me a wedge to taste then wrapped the rest in plastic in case someone else wanted a taste. I always taste a grape before I buy the bunch, I just wipe it off on my shirt or pants first! You could try that with peppers. Take out your pocket knife (we all carry them dont we?) and cut the stem end off and touch the cut stem end to your tongue to gauge the heat before you buy a bunch. And if there is no one around to ask, remember it is easier to beg forgiveness than ask for permission sometimes!

I've had to buy serranos when Walmart was out of Jalapenos. Didn't find those to be very hot either.

I grow a wide variety of peppers every year.
I get my seed from specialty sources such as

True Leaf Market | True Leaf Market Seed Company

Over half a million customers have chosen True Leaf Market seed company for non-GMO, heirloom & organic garden seeds since 1974. Vegetable Gardening, Sp...

trueleafmarket.com

Intermixing pepper varieties and cross pollinating doesn't show up until the next generation.
The random hot peppers are from last season's cross pollinating


I've found this to be very true

Peppers don't like to set fruit if the temps are too hot.

Interesting. So in my case when I grew, I just won the lucky/unlucky lottery from the green house I bought the starts from. I've had jalapenos and Hungarian wax that were so hot I could barely stand them, and I like spicy food.

Here in Virginia, pepper plants dont even want to flower and set fruit until the intense heat of the summer, usually in July through august. They dont get going till the temps are in the mid 80's as I recall and grow fine pushing 100 degrees, which we can get. Are you talking about "Texas heat"? Like 100-110 degrees? We can get 105 here but its not normal.

 

[Fueling Around]

...
Interesting. So in my case when I grew, I just won the lucky/unlucky lottery from the green house I bought the starts from. I've had jalapenos and Hungarian wax that were so hot I could barely stand them, and I like spicy food.

Here in Virginia, pepper plants dont even want to flower and set fruit until the intense heat of the summer, usually in July through august. They dont get going till the temps are in the mid 80's as I recall and grow fine pushing 100 degrees, which we can get. Are you talking about "Texas heat"? Like 100-110 degrees? We can get 105 here but its not normal.

Greenhouse / nurseries are at the mercy of their seed supplier.
I've had the same luck of the draw

Yes, the plants need sunshine and heat to grow.
If temps get too hot and stay hot the pollen dies.

 

[Chasdev]

In Austin we use the term "Africa hot" to describe the furnace that awaits us outside.
We had a very little rain this year too, so too hot, too dry,
I did water with treated city water when the roots got dry.
Perhaps the newish chems they use to treat our water is part of the problem.
I saw a local organic gardening show two or three years ago and the expert explained how a new bleach type chem was introduced into our drinking water and that is was effective at stunting plants, so there's that...

 

[Fueling Around]

In Austin we use the term "Africa hot" to describe the furnace that awaits us outside.
We had a very little rain this year too, so too hot, too dry,
I did water with treated city water when the roots got dry.
Perhaps the newish chems they use to treat our water is part of the problem.
I saw a local organic gardening show two or three years ago and the expert explained how a new bleach type chem was introduced into our drinking water and that is was effective at stunting plants, so there's that...

You're referring to chloramines. Chloramines never go away.
Call your water department and ask them what they use to treat your water..
Our city water in MN is treated with chlorine, but a natural amount of ammonia in the water converts it to chloramines.
I have a 550 gallon rain water collection system.

 

[okie sawbones]

Jalafuego Jalapeños​

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

Stuff the jalapenos with some ghost peppers and that should solve the hotness issue. Lol.

 

[nlife]

I went pretty deep into growing peppers about 10 years ago. I picked up around 75 different varieties of peppers from all over the world through seed trading forums. In that time, I also did a bunch of research into growing them. I live in the north, central British Columbia, and we simply don't get the long season required to grow the superhots (Jolokia, Reapers etc.)

In my search to grow peppers, I read some studies on the effects of drought on hot peppers that was conducted by the NMSU Chile Pepper Institute. Seems kinda odd that they'd conduct studies like this, but in reality chili peppers can account for large portion of many countries exports and people want consistent results. It's a bit tough to get a mild batch, then have the next batch near rip your face off.

Their studies showed that limiting the amount water drastically increased the heat felt in the mild peppers like jalapeno's, but had very little effect on the super hots like the Jolokia.

Like the others have mentioned, when you're growing jalapeno's it's best to let the plant wilt a little before watering. Granted that's a lot easier to do in a place like Texas, compared to my climate and is the reason why I switched over to hydro-like growing.

We're still working our way through a batch of Jolokia's I grew back in 2016. It was a hot, dry summer for us and it arrived early. What a year. Unfortunately 2017 was filled with record breaking wildfires.

​

 

[chopsaw]

I stopped growing them , because of the high temps we get . They won't set any flowers in that heat . Then around September , it cools down and they go crazy , but not enough time in the season to really do any good .

I started some seeds in an Aero Garden 2 years ago . It produced peppers for about 18 months .
Might do that again this year .

 

[Chasdev]

I decided to order three lbs of organic jalapenos off Amazon.
$40 delivered.
Too much money but I'm willing to pay for organic.
Now to see if they are HOT!