Lundin: Did you fall victim to the Peppergate of 2023?

Published 5:00 am Sunday, December 29, 2024

Many people purchased pepper plants in 2023 and were very surprised when they didn’t produce as anticipated. I was one of those!

What I expected to purchase were three bell peppers, one jalapeño and one habanero pepper. However, when they started producing, I was astounded to discover that I had three habanero pepper plants. Oh my!

It seems that somewhere along the line, many of the pepper plants were mislabeled last year.

Habanero peppers grow extremely well in Texas, according to AgriLife research scientists. The plants grow to 3 to 5 feet tall in full sun, requiring evenly moist soil with good drainage. The ideal temperature is 75-85 degrees; however mine continued to produce prolifically in the over 100 degree temperatures of last summer.

Their fruit color includes orange, red, brown, yellow and mustard. They are ready to pick when they are orange or red. They have a fruity aroma and a round, ruffled shape. These are prolific plants, often producing hundreds of peppers on a single plant in a single growing season. They will be ready to pick around 80 to 90 days after transplanting outdoors.

Their heat level is said to be “scorching” and are some of the spiciest peppers found in the world. Their heat level ranges from 200,000 to 500,000 SHUs. Ghost peppers, Trinidad Morunga scorpions and Carolina reapers are all types of habanero pepper and their heat level rivals the pepper spray used in law enforcement. Obviously, that means they are very hot and a single pepper can make a dish very hot.

Well, what to do with all these unexpected peppers? I thought one way would be to dehydrate them. I knew enough to wear gloves when dicing them and to remove the seeds and inside membrane to modify the heat.

However, that wasn’t enough for me as I found myself vehemently coughing and my chest burned when I took a breath.

I quickly realized I should have worn a mask and done the work outside. My chest and nasal passages burned for a few days! I also moved the dehydrator outdoors.

That said, we have a jar of dried habanero peppers which can be used sparingly in many of our spicy foods and chilis. I also made habanero pepper jelly which is fantastic served with cream cheese on crackers. That is my favorite way to fix these peppers, but you don’t need many to make a whole batch!

Maybe some of you were fooled last year also in Peppergate! Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again this year, but I did discover the beauty of habaneros.