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Rocky Mountain Gardening

Small and Early-Ripening Peppers

13 years ago

The smallest size (nearest the cellphone camera) is Thai Hot. I have a new variety this year (black from the get-go) but will go only with the regular little guys in the future.

Super Chili is in the next bucket. (Those are 3 gallon buckets, by the way, not 5 gallon size.) Super Chili is often grown as an ornamental . . . okay, that's appropriate - they are cute. But, I have little trouble from these guys. As a hot pepper, they are consistently productive.

Jalapeno M is on the top. Ripening is, of course, a little different for jalapenos. I pick them just as they start to show that "veining," or just a little before. They seem to "bulk up" a little and that's the time to grab them.

To the left is Fushimi Sweet. Not a hot even if they look like they might be. I don't know what they'd be like after a color change. Why wait? They are great green!

And . . . the rest of the peppers are coming off green but, that's okay. The Giant Marconi may ripen if there's another week of warmth but actually turning red will have to happen indoors.

Steve :o)

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Comments (5)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
13 years ago
I used to grow 'Thai Dragon' in CA, and I could overwinter it. Doesn't seem to like it here, so using Serrano as a replacement.

What is the var name of your black one, Steve? For that color I'll give 'er a whirl...

Dan
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digit
Original Author
13 years ago
I think that they are actually a Thai ornamental variety, Dan.

They came thru a friend from her daughter-in-law who may have had it in for her MIL! The things have nothing but heat! That is, they are so hot, I can't begin to taste them!

The plants are pretty and I just had a few here at home last year. This time, they were put in with the regular Thai Hots. They may have crossed but I have no intention of growing them for "food" again.

My peperoncini are turning red! Rather seedy things! And, wrinkled. Somehow, I thought the wrinkling was from the vinegar when they were pickled. . .

Steve
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You can let them grow larger. If you want maximum size and flesh thickness wait til one starts to go to a dark red color like farmerdill's picture shows....you wanted to pick it a few days earlier, so gauge your future harvests off of that. In your variety, the tiny peppers are usually green when they first develop, soon change to purple, grow for several weeks as purple, and then ripen to a deep red/burgandy. If I recall correctly, they do not have solid purple flesh through and through but a purple surface and green underneath. Only after ripening to the dark red will the flesh lose the greenish color. Why only one color per plant? Each plant's genetics determine its fruit color. Some are advertised as multicolor because the fruit(peppers) go through dramatically different colors as they mature. Your pack is multicolor in that way, but the plants are also different varieties of peppers with genetics to produce a variety of fully mature colors as well as intermediate colors as they grow. It may be hard to decide just when to harvest, but all stages are safe to eat. I think waiting until they are well along but not quite to final color gives the best taste and good yield. Others may give up some yield to get the sweeter taste of fully mature peppers.....but you won't have any that are purple at that stage in your mix.
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Dee, Are there countless peppers on your plants, and were they flowering before you transplanted them? Sometimes when peppers are in pots they are stressed and begin flowering, and produce so many flowers that the plant can't support all of the peppers, and they ripen before reaching full size. I had something similar happen when I had a pepper I started VERY EARLY, and eventually had in a 10" pot - plenty large, but I had it under a HPS light, which I LATER found out is used for triggering flowering in many plants. This plant had so many blooms that I picked at least 3/4 of them off, and it still had over 200 peppers by the end, most of which were somewhat small. It recovered, and the later flowering was what they were supposed to be. That said, I grow superchilis (one of the peppers you mentioned) every season, and I am amazed how many peppers are on such small plants. They usually ripen at about 1 1/2-2" - how big are your's getting? They are also one of the most useful peppers - great green, red, or dried, and not excessively hot, but hot enough for most people! Dave
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digit
Original Author
13 years ago

Probably should have tossed an onion in rather than that green Tigerella to suggest salsa ingredients. Or, a tomatillo - if'n I had one.

Littlest guys are Thai Hots. Little larger ones are Super Chili.

We also ran some thru the small food processor as soon as they came off the plants. That made a "mash" (there's probably a better term) that went in a sandwich bag and into the freezer. The plan is to scrape the frozen contents whenever a spoonful is needed thru the winter. I don't know how well this will work.

Avoiding the milling of the dry peppers was the reason for trying the freezing process. Things can get kind of dangerous working with this dynamite, dry!

Steve
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david52 Zone 6
13 years ago
Steve, sometime, with that amount of peppers, you might try making your own fermented 'tabasco' sauce - its exactly like making sauerkraut, except you do it with peppers.

It's pretty good stuff, heads and tails above anything you can buy.
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digit
Original Author
13 years ago
Oh Gosh, David.

I've never succeeded at making sauerkraut, pickles, pastrami, or wine. Half the beer I've made, didn't turn out right! Even my last gallon of apple cider was a flop.

Pepper processing would take someone more cultured . . .

digitS'
0

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