Each year, it seems as though our local garden centers are offering more varieties of chili peppers to choose from. How do you know what to buy? How can you use them or preserve them?
Hot peppers, or chili peppers, grow exceptionally well in Southern California’s hot, dry climate. Not only do they grow well, but they also develop more heat and flavor during the late summer. We’ve noticed that once daytime temperatures reach 100 degrees the peppers get especially angry (spicy). Whether you’d like just a bit of warmth, something to burn the inside of your ears, or something in between, there’s a hot pepper out there for you.
The heat level of a hot pepper is measured in Scoville Units (S.U.). The mildest chilis usually have less than 1000 S.U. and the hottest can reach over a million S.U. This unit was invented by Wilbur Scoville over 100 years ago. It’s based on how much a small amount of ground-up chili had to be diluted in sugar water for the heat to become undetectable. Of course, this method is highly subjective, since it depends on an individual’s sensitivity to capsaicin.
Today, we measure capsaicin content directly using chemical analysis. It’s not nearly as fun, but it is more precise.
The mildest varieties of chili peppers include Anaheim (500-2000 S.U.), Poblano (1000-2000 S.U.), Banana (0-500 S.U.), and Pasilla (250-4000 S.U.).
Fresno and Jalapeno (both 2500-10,000 S.U.) offer medium heat levels.
Bolivian Rainbow (10-30,000 S.U.), Cayenne (30-50,000 S.U.), and Serrano (10-23,000 S.U.) are considered medium-hot.
Habanero and Scotch Bonnet (both 100-350,000 S.U.) are pretty darn hot. Both have a citrusy flavor if you can get past the heat.
The hottest chilis are Ghost (a.k.a. Bhut Jolokia) and Carolina Reaper at over 2 million S.U.
In all hot peppers, the most heat is contained in the seeds and seed membrane, so if you remove these you can drastically reduce the burn. Always wear rubber gloves while handling chili peppers. If you handle chili peppers with your bare hands, you may not detect the heat right away on your fingers, but as soon as you rub your eyes or need to use the restroom, you will regret not gloving up.
Speaking of regret, if your mouth is on fire from eating a pepper above your tolerance level, a teaspoon or two of honey will calm the heat considerably.
Chili peppers can be frozen safely. Although they lose their crunchy texture and some of their flavor undertones, they will retain their heat. They can also be dried safely, either in the sun, oven, or dehydrator. Remove the stem and slice in half to hasten the drying process. Dried peppers can be ground into flakes or a fine powder using a blender or food processor and used like commercial hot pepper flakes.
Peppers can also be used to make jams or jellies, pickled, or canned. Always use a recipe from a trusted source like Ball/Kerr (the canning jar company), university-based cooperative extension websites, or the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Do not use random websites, Pinterest, or out-of-date canning cookbooks for recipe sources since these may be unsafe.
Los Angeles County
mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/
Orange County
ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; 949-809-9760; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/
Riverside County
anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu; 951-683-6491 ext. 231; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/
San Bernardino County
mgsanbern@ucanr.edu; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu
