I dry much of mine to crush into powder or flakes. I also jar some in vinegar and smoke some into chipotle. We eat them fresh and in stir fry.

I actually eat very few of them. Though I can some as pickles, dry some and freeze some, I give most of them away. Makes my wife very popular at work. I'm facinated by the huge variety of shapes and colors of the pods and the flowers. It is hard not to want to grow them all. I admit I became addicted and grow between 100 and 200 varieties each year ( cutting back this year). I especially like the wild varieties and finding local chiles from various countries. Here is a link to my pictures. I used to keep written notes ( and still do) but now try to document what I grow with pictures. I am getting more organized about this and managed to ecord most this year.

John

Here is a link that might be useful: My pictures

I actually grow them to eat and give away. It's also fun to watch them grow.

WOW John what beautiful pictures on your site. The owl pic is awesome.
Luckly co workers of hers. ahhh where does she work? LOL..
kidding.
mich

I do the same as "Rhody" got 25 different flavors to use before next harvest..

I was raised in Louisiana, there was ALWAYS peppers around
in one form or another, my intial reason was culinary and
still is, but has expanded to almost everything except
homemade pepper sprays for self defense(hmmmmmm!) I'm always looking for not only the hottest, but the tastiest too!

ButchT

I started last year and really enjoy the diversity of peppers like John F said (shapes, sizes, colors, growth habits, etc). I can think of no other veggie that has so many different types and also I really like them for culinary uses (i.e. powders, fresh).

Chris

My DH was brought up on a farm in Ohio. His mother and grandmother were the experts in canning. Myself, a city girl was clueless. So we would get canned peppers, tomatoes, etc... through the mail for any holiday and the joy he got was pretty cool to see. His brother would fight for the last jar so i thought ok i need to find these peppers and start having this for my family. So my children would someday have that special connection with homegrown hometown memories. Of course my MIL had to can this pepper that doesnt exist only in Ohio and I have had a hard time finding them. She can bearly find them anymore. So I am growing about 20 plants of Hungarian Semi Hots and starting to venture out to different kinds. Some are so beautiful that I cant resist.
Thanks so much for sharing all of this.
Michelle

I am addicted to the heat and the suddle flavors of peppers. Kind of wierd because my parents can't stand anything much hotter than a pablano. My brother use to be that way too but ive since converted him :). I love hot cuisine like thai food and i make it at home. I can take it almost as hot as it comes. A lot of people can't get through the heat to taste the flavor but if you can you will taste a plura of flavors. I make just about everything with my hot peppers: Dried Whole peppers, Dried pepper flakes/powder, smoked peppers, hot sauce, pickled peppers, pepper oil, pepper vinegar.

ncage we are hot sauce addicts ourselves. Do you have a good recipe you could share? My DH and my father say if it doesnt make your eyes roll in the back your head it's not hot enough. lol
michelle

I've tasted a few hit sauces that will make your eyes roll back in your head!

Chris

I grew my first pepper plant when I was at third grade. My elementary school teacher gave me a bell pepper plant at spring. We lived downtown of a small city, so I kept the plant in a container whole summer. In August, when school started again, I had three peppers in the plant. I told my teacher that the plant had set fruit and she did not believe me. Her plants must not have fruited and she could not believe that a 9 years old had better green thumb. It still hurts me thinking that she did not believe me.

I have always loved growing plants from seeds and like to try new varieties. I started growing chiles, because there is so many different kinds of them, they are beautiful plants and also edible. I grow them more for the taste and not so much for the heat. I can the chiles, make jelly, smoke and dehydrate them and use fresh while cooking.

We grow ours for eating, we make a lot of salsas, relishes and vinegars. I love to give them away and talking and hearing about growing them. I love to see the pods grow and change colors as they are growing in the garden. I think I am going to try my hand as making some home-made BBQ rubs this year. We only have 25 varieties but am planning on trying some new ones this year.

I know this has been asked before but what are your favorites and why?

I like ornamentials like medusa and the hungarians of course. I was fooled by anaheim (?) pepper it said medium hot.. NOT MINE. sweet as can be. so i have my first sweet pepper plant. I also like jalapeno's. I am branching out now with some regular Hungarian wax. hope there hot. and some cayenne. i want to grow tabasco peppers 2.

And does anyone have a SKYLINE CHILI near? TRY that hot sauce ohhhhhh man......... I can only dream of that recipe.

For Rubs

I think "Bad Byrons Bare Bottom Butt Rub" won Dewitts contest last year or the year before.

Don't know why I grow them, a lot of it is functional, I eat a lot of them, and having a freezer full of hot peppers all winter is a joy. Plus like everyone else I am drawn to how many different varieties there are, etc.

P.S., what does DH stand for? I'm probably having a brain hiccup but can't figure it out (is it dear husband?)

yes it is dear husband. sometimes. LOL

Michelle

I usually just grow Jalepenos for fresh salsa and Cayennes for drying. This year I will be trying some others(Aji Dulce, Guajillo)for making Harissa(for the first time).

I grow habs cause i'm addicted to the heat and flavor. Also jals to mix it up some and they are great for stuffing. Lastly (but not leastly) cayennes for drying and putting on all kinds of stuff as powder or flakes or sometimes i just take a pair of scissors and cut a whole pepper into a bunch of rings. They are good fresh too.

I eat them all. The closest i get to giving them away is using them to cook for others. Fortunately only a 2 of my friends and my grandpa like hot stuff so they're practically all mine. =)

Noinwi,

Harissa! Where did you get a recipe? Do you typically cook North African? I cook a lot of middle eastern/N. African food and have a killer recipe for harissa, if you want it. If you want to talk shop for any reason give me an e-mail, NjChileHead@aol.com

Groovy1,
A friend back in WA is of lebanese(sp) descent and gave DH and I a batch of it when we moved out here. I've requested the recipe a number of times but he's reluctant to give it up. I finally googled and found one. I haven't really been into the extremely hot peppers but always grow a few japs for salsa. I enjoyed the flavor of the harissa...added it to this and that, mostly mixed it with a little mayo for sandwiches. I'd love to have your recipe...could you post it, or is it a family treasure? I'd understand if it was:)

John... great pics on your web site! Do you use the same brine for the B&B Hot Mix as the B&B Jalapenos?

Thanks, breasley. Yes the same brine. The jalapenos were not processed but kept in the fridge The mixed were processed in hot water bath so they could be stored on a shelf and save room in the fridge.

I adapted a bread and butter pickle recipe, sustituting pepper-- mostly jalapenos at first and then a mix. They are very tasty and can either be stored in the fridge without processing--they stay crispy-- or proceessed in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes and stored at room temp.
I usually increase the amts for the brine to be sure I have enough to cover the peppers

1 1/2 to 2 lbs peppers sliced 1/4 " thick
2 medium onions sliced thin
6 ice cubes
1/4 cup coarse ( Kosher ) salt
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

In large bowl combine peppers, onions, salt, and ice. Let stand 1 hour tosssing occassionally.

Fill bowl with water and drain vegetables in a colander. Rinse and drain three times to rinse off all salt. Drain well.

In large pan combine vinegar, sugar and spices. Bring to a boil. Add the vegetables and when the liquid barely begins to simmer remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Put in jars with enough brine to cover vegetables and store in the fridge. Ready to eat the next day but I have kept in fridge for many months. really good--crunchy-not too sweet--not too sour.

I've long enjoyed spicy foods with hot pepper sauces and salsa. I had made up my mind that when I got my own house I would grow hot pppers. At the time I decided this I had no clue what exactly I wanted to grow or how adictive it would turn out to be. I love the satisfaction of cooking with peppers that I grew in my garden. This will be the second year I've grown peppers. It is a facinating hobby and best of all you have your own fresh hot peppers to use in a variety of ways.

I started growing chiles because I wanted hot sauce without vinegar. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself....

I grow mainly Hungarian Hot Wax for alot of uses but mainly for stuffing and canning.
To me, nothing tastes better than a fried hot wax with fried eggs, cheese on a fresh club roll or italian bread. Canning for winter gives me the chance to put them on spaghetti, hamburgers, hot dogs and of course, grilled cheese!

Definatly my favorite over the years and one that everyone should try.

greg

I guess I am in the chalorophile category. I love spicy food : I love cooking : I love gardening. My main crops are salsa fixings with peppers and garlic bordering upon obsessions. I am excited by the amazing varieties; I am a sucker for catalog descriptions, and always end up with far more varieties than I need (though for me that is a few dozen rather that a couple hundred like JohnF). Last year I had about 400 peppers planted out, this year I am trying hard to keep it down to around 240.

Throughout our cold winters up here it is my peppers and garlic that keep me sane.

wow 400 pepper plants. What do you do with all those peppers.?? I will be right over. LOL

Michelle

I started growing peppers in 2002 after I found this forum and decided to try it. I've had reasonable success with container gardening and last year I grew about 50 varieties. I love the challenge and I call it a success in my zone if I can get one or two ripe pods from some plants e.g. habs, rocottos, starfish, etc. I like making hot sauces and salsa.

hah no kidding. im in zone 5 and i think i had five total rocoto red to eat last year. amazing chile but ugh they just dont want to set fruit up here.

Well, the 400 plants was only slight overkill. About half them were varieties that did not do that well in my neck of the woods. Another quarter were exotics and decorative types not grown for pods.

After making something like eight gallons each of fresh and cooked salsa, another gallon or so of pickles (gonna do lots more this year), I ended up with about two dozen quart jars of whole dried peppers. It looks like I will eat at least half of those dried peppers before I have fresh pods again.

So, I am aiming for 240 plants this year with different spacing, and expect about 70% yield compared with last year.

I think all the truely crazy addicted hot pepper growers should have to grow in my neighborhood so I can go over and drool at the plants every day.

John in Maine, nice pictures. actually they are incredible. but I did not want it to go to your head. You have some really amazing pictures. I think you must be a camera nut also.

Now why do I grow hot peppers.

first I was bankrupting myself buying the darn things years ago when they were impossible to find.

second I started growing and found out there were all these totally incredible varieties.

3rd I only want to grow every one of all the different varieties before I die. and who knows it might be soon so I have to get going.

For those who have a wall of pepper plants growing in your bed room. We are starting a Chilie Peppers Anonymous meeting at my house this Sunday. But I wont be there. Damn if I will give up my hot peppers.

O Nut

Simple/obvious answer: I like the heat.

Heartfelt/deeper answer: It is a creative endeavor. I must create - that's the only thing I've ever truly learned about myself. Be it growing something, cooking something, brewing something (beer-my former career), making something (woodworking), or writing something (software-my current career). I am both an introverted/geeky/conservative perfectionist and engineer, as well as a creative artist who needs an outlet. I am also a parent with nurturing tendencies. My 2 daughters helped me plant new seeds this year, and they're enjoying watching the seedlings grow as much as I am.

Maybe that's TMI - but the original question "why do you grow peppers" seemed to invite a philosophical and personal response.

Greg

I began growing them because I love the heat. Once I started I was addicted. I grow jals, habs (orange and choc) and super cayennes. I dry most of the cayennes and eat the habs and jals fresh.

Working in the garden was always fun to begin with, growing hot peppers is the most rewarding gardening I've done.

Also I've never seen organic congo blacks at any of the farmer's markets. They're my favorite now and I probably never would have tried them if I hadn't grown them.

Good question.

It evolved out of an interest in gardening and a love of spicy food at the same time.

I am always trying different ways to use the peppers. I really enjoy smoking them on my grill and drying them so that I can use the powder in my BBQ rubs.

I also have some Thai friends that operate a restaurant that do some wonderful things with peppers. I give LOTS of peppers away to them.

I love pepper jelly which I use as a base for a dynamite salad dressing along with balsamic vinegar and some other ingredients.

Each year I try to grow something different as growing peppers, for me, is a constant quest to find that perfect pepper.

Among my favorites are the Datil, Caribbean red, and the Jalepeno.

This year my theme is sweet peppers. I am growing the Carmen, the Godfather, the Bananarama, and the Sweet Datil.

I always grow Car. Reds for me and my Thai friends. I have 12 of those plants.

I am also germinating 18 varieties of unusual peppers that JohnF was so kind to give me. Although I got a late start, the EarthBoxes I am using for germination are extremely effective. Or at least they were last year.

That's the other thing that's fun about peppers. It satisfies a basic interest I have in experimentation.

My pepper growing interest is recent. I've been sprouting for years, like for sunflower greens and broccoli sprouts. (And basil plants) So I love to start from seed.

And then four hurricanes came through and took away all of the trees down here in Miami, and the way I dealt with all the loss was to start to sprout little trees from orange seeds.

I moved on to peppers because of the color and variety, and the need to keep sprouting beautiful things. And because I can grow so many plants, I can give them away to friends and my yoga buddies at the studio I practice at.

So for me I guess it's therapy!

Want some pepper sauces that will burn a new rectum

try this Guy

http://www.wildpepper.com/home.htm

Tell him L.B. sent you, no $$ in my pocket

Sproutly if you have some wild crazy hot pepper sprouts remember me up here.

I was doing all the hot peppers and chilies that I could find back in the 80's and 90's then I was overloaded with peppers. I had to take a break.

Now I am back. I was moping around in early march and went and picked up my old seeds and started to plant them indoors. Now it is 8 weeks later. I have found this forum. and I am rolling again. I am really trying to set up for next year. I want to get some wild crazy strains going for next year.

I have a reasonable collection of about 100 pepper plants. mostly orange habs and red savina with some hot jalapenos and some others. but not the exotics.

another hundred tomatoes and 100 lettuce. I have more seed I am planting as soon as it arrives.

I planted some old exotic seed but it failed me. I will never allow that again. I intend to freeze some for long term storage just in case. I am all set. I picked up 1000 tiny test tubes with caps.

I love hot peppers on all my food. I still have them in the freezer and in jars. I also have some gallon jugs of hot pepper sause. but that goes too fast and is almost gone.

I love the wild pequins and chiltepins.

I love the internet and this site. It really opens up the pepper world.

I also need to get some of the best tomatoes for next year. I was raised on great tomatoes and anything less is cardboard.

And of course some of the finest lettuce.

I have successfully grown just about all the veggies. I love a challenge growing

I started growing the hottest of the hot, I developed some medical problems and can not longer eat the ultra hots ( drives my BP to high) So now I am back to flavor, so far Chimayo makes my socks go up and down ( A 1598 land race chile) I can' buy these so I have to grow my own

I started growing pepper because my DH likes to cook HOT chili recipes and the grocer did not have many pepper varieties. (Anything to get someone else to cook) Then I discovered an ornamental Thai which was beautiful. So last year I got carried away with the visual aspects of pepper varieties. This year I have to cut way back, so I am only growing 12 Ancho plants and a couple of Jals. (Maybe a few habs). Hmmmm if I start a couple of Rocotos at work this fall, keep them under the lights all winter, I might get something from them next year. Uh oh [;)
BethL

I love to cook with hot peppers, but I tend to grow ones that are much to hot to be of any sort of culinary use. I mostly end up giving them away of collecting them in the freezer.

I love growing peppers so much because I enjoy gardening (once I finish with my computer engineering degree, I think I will look into a bachelors in horticulture from my state's land grant university). The astounding variety of peppers, added to the aesthetic value of the plants (with their green leaves and bright peppers) makes them my favorite plant to grow.

I also like that, unlike many other vegetable garden plants, chile peppers are perennials so I can pot them and raise them for a long time.

byron

what do you mean by: so far Chimayo makes my socks go up and down

how do you rate these on flavor. I want all the flavor I can get.

bethl16b
and if we put up a heated greenhouse imagine how many hot chilies we can grow.

Maybe I should move to equador and find a little place up in the mountains by the equator and get going. wow. I bet I can grow the hots there.

On a scale of 1 to 10 The flavor of a Chimayo is a 10 You can taste it on a Burgerking burger. (IMHO)

Heat is about a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10

If'n your into heirlooms, Its a 1598 landrace find, I think it's the one used as a US Postage stamp

I am a TOTAL chili head! My father got me hooked as a child and now that I am hooked he doesn't like the heat like he used to!! LOL!

I am DREAMING of doing my own "Tabasco" style sauce but with 50% Chili and 50% Garlic!

WE NEED A RECIPE FORUM HERE!!!!!!

I am also a TOTAL garlic head! When I cook I use about a WHOLE BULB per MEAL!

I even swallow pieces of Garlic like pills when I'm sick because I heard it helps with non-viral infections/colds.
(Don't swallow small hole cloves...learned that the hard way...they don't digest - one SCARY morning!!!)

I make one mean Chili Re-a-n-os (I can't spell it) so I am trying to grow plablanos.

I drive from Chicago to Arizona for the holidays and sometimes take the long road through Hatch New Mexico and pick up a few bags of freshly dried chilies. That is where I get the seeds for a lot of my plants! I get the bonus of eating AND growing!

You can take the seeds from the jars of Chili Flakes that you buy at the store and grow from those too!

I am so glad I checked out this site! I am now hooked!

Laters!

Last summer, after finding how wonderful they are grilled, I bought three plants. This year I have eleven varieties. Next year... looks like the sky is the limit if I keep visiting this forum.

Am sure to be starting more seed next year for varieties not found at the nursery.

Rick

>I make one mean Chili Re-a-n-os

Not if your using Pablanos, Why not order Chille Rellano Pepper seeds from Seeds Of Change, and have the real thing

>You can take the seeds from the jars of Chili Flakes that you buy at the store and grow from those too!

If the pods were picked green and ripened later, Or the pods were dried in a dehydrator over 125F it might kill the seeds.

the chille rellano peppers are a type. they are the New Mexico type and have lots of cultivars from very mild to very hot.

from reading his postings, I would think he wanted a hot one. names with the new mexico dont mean much. you need to find one you like.

most places sell this type and I would encourage you take your time picking out some.

http://www.thechileman.org/guide_home.php

http://www.biadchili.com/sandia.htm

I have some okra seeds that I recieved from a home owner I did some work for he told me that they were produced by Texas AM and says that they grow large but are just as tender as the small ones wish me luck and I hope to get some pics out there for you all

Hot Peppers are an indispensable part of my food supply. Without hot peppers, a New Mexico fella would die of malnutrition. (Not to mention dying of a "broken heart".)

I eat all kinds, but the MOST IMPORTANT is "long green", such as "Big Jim" Anaheim (which, incidentally, is originally from New Mexico [New Mexico State University] and NOT originally from Anaheim, California.) By the way, N.M.S.U. does sell seeds of various pepper cultivars that they have developed.

Best Regards,
Bruce

Eat them, Eat them, and more Eat them. Eat them in summer fresh off plants, chopped in stir frys, cooked on the grill. Dehydrate, freeze, can, jam, and pickle for the long winter. They are beautiful as ornamentals especially the purple and black varieties. Easy to grow and easy to admire and easy to love...:)
Hot, sweet, mild, moderate doesn't matter I love them all.

kendra