I've always heard that the pods need to be ripe, not green for the seeds to be viable.

I've never tested that myself, though. If the pods are full size, just not ripe yet, you may get some that will germinate, but, at a lower success rate, but, then again, you may not have any luck at all. I think it just depends on how close to fully ripe they are.

OK, I have plenty already dried. I will just toss the rest.
Thanks tsheets.

Bruce

How about a green Bhut salsa or sauce?

Josh

How about I just quit torturing myself for one season. :) Josh, It sounds good but I am simply not a vet pepper eater. A little cayenne powder or flakes in my pico de gallo recipe and I am good. I harvested, sliced, dried, ground up and done a lot with these inferno things and every time I do, exam gloves or not, I spend the rest of the day trying to wash the stuff out of my eyes, off my face, lips, neck, and several other areas if you know what I mean. I dont know it happens, but 4 hours after I messed with them, it feels like someone is pouring lye soap in one of my eyes. Or my lips start burning for no reason. It happens every time. I am afraid to look at them any more for fear my eyes will start burning. No matter how careful I am and no matter how much I wash my gloved hands after wards. And you want me to eat the darn things......I tried them once. Enough is enough. Hahhaha. I enjoy the challenge. I just wish I could win once in a while.

Seriously though, this was my first season and I pretty much grew all my peppers for fun. However, I found that some of the milder varieties make some great powder that I enjoy in many dishes and I especially am fond of the Hot Hungarian Wax that I pickle for sandwiches. It is going to be a while before I build up a resistance and move up to the Habanero plus peppers. That won't prevent me from growing them though. I am overwintering my best Bhut and if that looks like it will make it to next spring, I wont grow any more of them. Been there, done that. I am going to grow several Hungarian Wax's and some other interesting if not useful varieties as well. I have some one coming to pick up about 40 ripe Bhut pods picked and I notices another few dozen ripe ones on the plants that I pulled this evening. I hope she shows to pick them up so I dont have to trash them.
Thanks Josh & tsheets for the advice. I will post a photo of my "over winter" bhut later on. He looks nice. Kind of like a grubby long haired kid who gets a nice short hair cut.
Bruce

Good luck with the overwintering Bruce. I've never been successful at keeping ANY perennial plant healthy indoors through winter. Our winters are just too long, and with the central heat running, the humidity gets down in the 20's and things go down the crapper in a hurry. Lack of light is also an issue. But, it's worth a shot, especially if you've got a plan. As for seeds, I dunno, because I just buy seedlings instead, because I'm too lazy to mess around starting seeds myself, and the wife complains about the space I take up with some of my other indoor plants as it is. I'm also with you on the heat thing. The highest I'll go is the hot wax peppers as well. I learned my lesson when I completed the blazin' wings challenge at BW3's. They say it's 300,000 scoville heat units, and that was hotter than I wish to experience ever again. I actually got some chemical type burns on my fingers from the sauce!

Joe

Joe, glad I have some company. I dont feel so bad now. Yah, thought I would give the overwintering a shot...get a head start on next season with the Hot Hung Wax especially because they have their second round of peppers going now and are about half to 3/4 full size. It would be great to get two full harvests off them in one summer. I will try to overwinter both of them. Right now I have them in my above ground garden buried in their containers. I will put the cold frame back on tomorrow and try to get another couple weeks or so out of them. Then I will just pick what is there ripe or not. The yellow ones still taste good. They just are not real hot.

Okay, okay, you can rest from your labors! ;-)

Although I dabble with Bhuts and moonlight with Thai's, I always come home to the Hungarian.
I'll be growing a few Hungarians next year, too. At least two of all my favorites.

I don't mind eating Hungarians plain, but when they're yellow I'll sometimes dip them
in a sweet garlic barbecue sauce and just enjoy them that way.

Josh

Sweet garlic BBQ sauce, mmmmmm, yummy.
Bruce

If you don't eat the superhot pods,guys on sites like the hot pepper laugh all the way to the bank selling them.
Seeds,fresh pods ,powders or dry pods.
Selling them might pay for next years ferts or potting soil...

Might try here if they have a place to do some selling at.
THP is free...

Here is a link that might be useful: Market place

Hello guys: I have recently started visiting this forum and find it very interesting. About viable seeds: I find they must ripen (not necessarily dry) on the plant. I don't know if you know that green peppers will ripen (turn red) if mature enough when left in a warm place (kitchen counter). Last year, I accidentally used some which ripened like that for seed-saving and I got NADDA. In fact eventually, after trying all I had kept for myself, one germinted but it was such a paltry seedling that it never survived hardening off. I felt bad for all the trades I had made, but I'll make it up this year.
I live way up North in Canada, and I have, on occasion brought peppers in to overwinter. They do drop all their leaves over the winter and look really terrible, but once you get them in the earth, they're O.K. When I first started growing hot peppers, I thought that was the only way to get ripe peppers (over two seasons) but since I got set up for indoor starting under lights, I no longer do it. For one thing, I invariably bring some bug in with the plants (although I wash and drench them before potting up); or they actually have something already which thrives in the warmth of my home. Some of those things can infect my few houseplants, and can look pretty horrible.
On the subject of eating hot peppers, people who come from 'pepper countries' e.g. Trinidad do not eat peppers like I've seen some North Americans do - popping a whole pepper in their mouths and chewing it up. They use them in their seasonings (sometimes just a few pieces to a pot of stew, say), and in sauces which are used as condiments (a few drops on meat, rice, etc.) My husband was born in Trinidad and I have learned to make several variations of pepper sauces, with varying numbers/types of peppers, some of which are suitable for children. You can put a few whole bhuts. in a jar of white vinegar, let it steep for a week or two, and use a few drops of the liquid in stews, marinades, etc. to get the flavour and not the heat. I grow Hungarin Hot Wax and don't find any heat whatsoever in them, and little flavour. I use them in stir-fries mostly and am now harvesting my second crop for the year. I find a little heat in Jalapenos, so I use them in salsa, along with a few Cayennes for a little bite.
Didn't mean to write an epistle, but these are just some observtions since visiting the forum and some of the links. Enjoy!!!