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Dave:
We have a bumper crop of chile peppers this year. But the problem is the jalapenos. I picked some 50 big juicy green jalapenos yesterday. My beautiful green fleshy examples have no heat whatsoever. There is no point in making pepper jelly with them. My question is whether they will ripen/acquire some heat after they’ve been picked from the bush?
–Andrea
Andrea:
Environment and genetics both play a role in determining heat. There has been a trend for seed producers to develop milder and milder jalapenos. Maybe you got one of those varieties. They will not acquire more heat after they have been picked. Allow them to turn red, as the more mature a pod is, the more capsaicin it has, generally speaking. Also, stressed plants have more capsaicin, so withold water until the plants start to wilt. Do this a few times before the end of the season and see if the pods get hotter. Next year, check your seed or plant source and get the older, smaller, hotter varieties like ’Early Jalapeno’ or ’Mitla’.
–Dave
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