Green Habaneros and Cold Weather

13 years ago

Ok I planted my Habaneros about a month later than I should have. I now know to plant them earlier next Winter/Spring. The Problem I am having is it is starting to get colder outside and I am afraid my Habaneros might not make it. I have about a dozen Habaneros on the plant but they are all green. I picked one off and was trying a few tricks I have read and heard about, but the tricks do not seem to work. I have tried putting the Habanero next to a over ripe tomato and it doesn't seem to work. I have several questions. First, Do Green habaneros taste as bitter as some people claim? Also Is their a way to get them to change to that familiar Orange color? My Jalapeno pepper plants are doing good. I have probably harvested over 2 to 2 1/2 dozen jalapenos. Not as much as I would have like but enough for what my wife uses them for. I am worried My Habbies might not make it and that I will have to cut them off green and use them that way. Any Advice would be very much appreciated. I am hoping someone will answer in the next day or two as I believe it is supposed to be cold either tomorrow night or friday night.

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Comments (7)

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
Peppers are not like tomatoes.
Peppers must have already begun the ripening process, or they won't continue ripening when pulled from the plant.
Just give them long enough to develop a hint of color around the shoulders of the pods, then pull them.

Secondly, I do find green Habs to taste like bitter bell peppers....and I loathe bell peppers.
Green Habs can be mixed into recipes and you'll hardly notice them, however.

Josh
spiced_ham
13 years ago
I have had a good proportion of green habs turn color in storage. Like tomatoes it depends on how mature green they are, but the flavor doesn't develop, mainly because they were growing in the cold. I would dig up the plant and bring it inside to get an early start on next year and go buy some good tasting habs at the store. There are lots of threads on overwintering pepper plants here.

Ripe apples produce more ethlene gas than even bananas. Tomatos don't produce much AFAIK.
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I grow the orange variety of habaneros, and I cannot tell the difference between heat levels when they are fully mature and green or when they change over to orange. Like bmoser said, who's going to argue a few SHU's here and there. There is however a huge taste difference between green mature and ripe. The sugar content in ripe is higher and the other flavor overtones come to bear, whereas it seems a green is refreshing and crisp tasting. I like them both ways, for a quick and easy salsa i use an onion, lime juice and a green habby. Put in the blender and let it go till its chunky and enjoy. The green seems to capture more of the crisp fresh taste for salsas, whereas the fully ripened pod seems to go better with meats, or powdered and on everything.
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shoontok
13 years ago
Yep, if they are just starting to turn color or close to turning color, they just might turn that orange color if ya leave em out at room temp in the kitchen for a few days.

I had a bunch of immature and small hab pods that i just made a nice hot sauce just an hour ago.

20 Greenish Habs (cut the stems off)
6 ounces distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon ground sea salt

I put these ingredients in a food proccessor and blended the heck out of it for a minute or two. Then i poured this mix into a small saucepan and boiled and stirred it for a few minutes. Then i put it back in the food proccessor and blended it up for another minute or so and put it in a jar.

Tastes damn good to me, and hot too!

Jim
shoontok
13 years ago
After i wrote this i tasted it again after chilling in the fridge and i did notice a slight "bitter" taste but nothing overwhelming. I think i found the solution.

Add a 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar

That should cancel the bitter out.

Ouch my mouth was on fire for a good 5 minutes and i had to dance around the kitchen for a minute and walk it off, lol. Cold beer, ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

Jim
muskymojo
13 years ago
Lots of my habs ripened sitting on the countertop. Some are still ripening and I picked them 2 weeks ago (none rotted). Going to cut them in half and put them in the dehydrator tonight. Last of the season. I've heard of some people cutting off branches and putting them in a bucket of water indoors (like flowers in a vase) to buy some extra time. Can't hurt to try, especially if you are going to overwinter anyway. Maybe remove some foliage so the plant's focus is on ripening the pods. Works for me with tomatoes. Good luck!
willardb3
13 years ago
Make salsa verde.
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
Now there's a novel idea!

Josh