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Too Many Habeneros

16 years ago

I was gifted with 8 Habenero plants early this year. They all grew so well, untended, that now they are covered with lots of orange Habs. Too many to just dehydrate, as I can use just so many 1/4 tsp of flakes in a year.

What do you suggest I do with them? I have finished the tomato and cuke canning for the season and those plants are compost, so salsa and hot pickles are out. Thanks.

Nancy the nancedar

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Comments (6)

msafirstein
16 years ago
My plumber grew 130 Habenero plants this year! He told me he's had very good luck freezing the peppers whole in freezer bags.
Michelle
John__ShowMe__USA
16 years ago
The Nancedar,

Freeze whole in freezer bags is what most of us do. Since habs are especially prone to inside insect damage and molding it is not a bad idea to cut each one in half before freezing to cull out the bad ones. If after a few dozen pods and no evidence of damage then I would stop cutting in half and go back to freezing whole. If you can vac seal, so much the better.

jt
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Dale, if you are ever near Tahlequah, come late summer or fall, I could get you an "Habanero fix." I put put five or six plants every year. They produce like crazy and I end up hanging them in one of our out buildings during the winter ("picking" peppers until March). One thing I've done with excess Habaneros is to boil/steam them, seeds and all, with some vinegar, add salt and process them in a Vitamix. I add salt, to taste, and can the resulting hot sauce with the label Habanero Magma." I have used this hot sauce, and it's fine, if I only use a little at a time. But I've found the main thing I like it for is spicing up other hot sauces which aren't hot enough for my taste. My son, in his twenties, and his buddies, pride themselves on using the stuff like regular salsa and his buddies comment (brag) about sweating while they eat it :) Still, I always have some left over. My wife commented that I should consider not growing Habaneros for a year. But they are one of my great joys in the garden. They are so beautiful, productive and trouble free! Anyway, I'd be happy to help you out. "My favorite method to crush tomatoes for salsa is to use a meat grinder." - This is probably a "higher tech" method to accomplish the same thing folk in Mexico do with their stone mortar and pestle. Many down there comment with pride that they don't use a blender but rather their "metate" (pronounced met-awt-ay) because they don't want "to fill their salsa with air." Of course, the "air" will settle out in short order, if one uses a blender. Nevertheless, this does make for a different texture. I almost mentioned on my first post, about Jerreth's favorite salsa, which uses dried, smoked Chile Rayado peppers. But, though I grow this pepper, I have never smoked them, and don't know that I'll ever have time to try it. I bring them back from my yearly teaching stint in Hidalgo Mexico. Smoked peppers really add a different flavor to salsa. Probably, in the USA, the closest thing one could find, perhaps in a little Mexican grocery, would be chipotle, which is smoked JalapeÃ±o. George
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prairie_love
16 years ago
Once you have discovered Habanero Gold Jelly, there is no such thing as too many habaneros! I have six plants and will make as much of this as possible. It is the most popular gift from my pantry, partly because it is so tasty, partly because it is beautiful to look at. This is a wonderful recipe. I am linking to a previous discussion that has the recipe.

Ann

Here is a link that might be useful: Habanero Gold
nancyofnc
Original Author
16 years ago
Well, the first thing I need to do is spell habanero correctly.

I have a vacuum sealer so into the freezer some will go for heating up winter-time meals.

I've made JalapeÃ±o Jelly using an apple juice base and was not a bit pleased with it since there was no "heat", so I am hoping that you all are right that Habanero Gold is sweet and very hot. Off to the store to buy organic dried apricots (if there is such a thing) and red onions. Thanks for the advice.

Nancy the nancedar
bb
16 years ago
The problem with freezing whole, habs are suseptible to internal rot. you can't tell until you cut them open.

make hot sauce, it's easy, whirr 'em up in a food processor, add salt and vinegar to taste,

BETTER, make a pepper relish, whirr 'em, salt, vinegar to taste, put in can or freeze jars and freeze, when you want to make hot sauce, defrost, mix with a can of carrot juice in a quart jar, seal and keep in fridge till used up.

and don't forget to cut some in half and throw 'em in the smoker for a few hours on seraded foil. once dried and smoked, bag and freeze, it'll add a real nice hot and smoky flavour to your soups/stews/chili's this winter.

Lastly, pickle some sport peppers.
bluejean
16 years ago
LOL, you can send them to me! (I'm half serious)

My family fell in love with Habanero gold this year and we have to drive 1.5 hrs round trip to buy the peppers- I haven't found them locally.

I wish I had planted some this year! ahh- gardener's remorse- less cucmbers more peppers for our garden next year.

best wishes- let me know if you decide you want to get rid of any! hehe.
bluejean in ohio

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