Q: Hello Dave,We just bought an ’ornamental chilli’ but were told that the chillis are not to be eaten. Is this true? They look so yummy. They are three different colors–red, orange and creamy white. Kind regards, Janet A: Hello Janet:All chillis, chiles, or chilis of any kind, including ornamentals, are edible. I don’t where the rumor started that the ornamental …
Artificial Light for Chiles
Q: Dave,I have 3 potted jalapeño plants that are producing pretty well. I plan on keeping them indoors over the winter to see if I can sustain a year-round supply of peppers. What type of light bulb is required and at what wattage? I have been told that a black light will provide the UV rays but they are generally …
Spider Mites
Q: Hi DaveI have noticed what looks like small spiders’ webs on parts of one of my plants. I can’t see any bugs near them and was wondering what this is. Also, I contacted Seed Savers in search of Congo seeds, but no luck there. They say that they don’t and won’t have any. I did, however, find out that …
Big Jims Too Small
Q: Dear Dave,I just had my first Big Jim harvest this year and to my surprise, the peppers were only 3 to 5 inches long. The peppers were starting to change from green to red so I’m calling them ripe. Is this due to a lack of water?History: I live in California; plants get sun from 10:00am to 6:00pm (I …
Preserving Cherry Peppers for Xmas
Q: Dear Dave,We have grown some hot cherry peppers. We plan on using them around Christmas in a cheese recipe we like to make. (We usually buy bottled peppers in the store.) How do we preserve the peppers so we can use them at Christmas?Thanks, Carl and Sandy A: Hello Carl and Sandy:Either freeze them or pickle them. See:http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/fresh_chiles.asphttp://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/pickle.html–Dave