The Jalapeño will ripen to red if given enough time, but you can use them at any stage of ripeness as you have been doing. The second pepper can also be used green or red, but will probably taste best when red. The third pepper should only be harvested when fully ripe, as it does not have a good "green" flavor in my opinion - very vegetal and bitter.

The shape of your "Carolina Reaper" causes me to question whether it is a true Reaper, but I'm sure it'll be incredibly hot no matter what.

Josh

Josh,

Thank you for your quick and informative response. It helps for sure. I did not know that the Jalapeño were going to turn red as well. I love the taste of green ones that we have already used.

The Carolina Reaper is from mystery pepper seeds given to me. As they developed, I researched and concluded that it might be the "Carolina Reaper." I have not tried one yet for they just turned totally red. But I did post a picture [still green] on Ed Currie's Facebook where it was "liked" without comments by others.

I appreciate your experience and insights. Maybe not a Reaper, but surely too hot for me anyway. I am an old man and new to the world of hot peppers.

Thanks,

Greg

There may exist a few "green when ripe" varieties of pepper, much like with various other fruits, but most will turn red/orange/yellow or more rarely, another colour. When it comes to Jalapenos and a few other varieties, we're used to buy and eat them green in most of North America. I like the corking on yours!

Not everyone seems to be getting true to form Reapers all the time. They often turn out much like yours, somewhat more elongated and little to no stinger, merely a pointed tip. That one in the background on the right kind of looks like it wants to be of correct shape though. They'll probably be astoundingly hot anyway.

isgen: Thanks for your comment as well. I too am sure it will be way hot, above anything I have ever tried - less one. I tried one from my garden last week that I have concluded was a hybrid between "my mystery pepper" and my Jalapeños - long story really (included below) but it was incredibly and certified hot!

My Hot Pepper Story:

So, a 'lil while back I found a red pepper growing on my green Jalapeño peppers plant. Odd. I am no gardener, but seems to me that they should all be green!? Nope, not all. But only by one. Just one small (undersized) red Jalapeño pepper hang'n with a bunch of larger totally green siblings.

I was busy with fish stuff, control system integration and white fly eradication. The pepper plants were growing like weeds - up to the roof and headed for the crown. While eradicating the white flies by trimming up most everything growing, I noted that the Carolina-Reaper and the Jalapeño pepper plants were quite entangled.

Could it be "cross-pollination?" Now, remember that I am no farmer, peppers grower nor horticulturist even. But ...maybe?

Well today I harvested the lone red pepper. Tiny thing really, but none the less, time to find out about this once and for all. Opening it up I found only 3 seeds. This too seemed odd for the Jalapeños are stuffed with seeds. Carefully removing the three I put them aside to dry - one day soon to be planted themselves. I took a small piece, no bigger than three times the size of the head on a pin and thin as the cutting blade itself to try. Now I am no peppers connoisseur although lover of hot foods, especially ones made in our kitchen with our home grown green Jalapeño peppers. I do not pop peppers into my mouth and eat them - pieces occasionally, but mostly cooked into some wonderfully hot dish.

So I was not prepared for this teensy-weeny ‘lil bite of red fire. Ouch!

Following grinding it up with my front teeth for tasting, almost immediately I spit it out - never even swallowed any. I hurt! Lips hurt, tongue raged afire, I was running from the mouth and nose over the sink. Tunnel vision was settng in as I began rapidly hiccuping. Right then I knew this was no ordinary Jalapeño - like the others we’ve had.

Cross-pollination? … that’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it!

Later:

Back to my peppers post of June 8th. Now that the wife has recovered, I can say "No pepper has the furry of a HOT wife." See, I goated her into trying the pepper too - misery loves company you know. Wow, my bad!

Anyway, after her recovery I tried convincing my brother into trying it too. He is long distance so I'd need to mail him a sliver.

Well, he had a better plan: find a Mexican. They know HOT when they taste it. Now that is not meant as a slur or stereotype on Mexicans but rather his idea of where to find a true judge of HOT peppers.

So, I took my hybrid-pepper up to a local Mexican Restaurant seeking one to confirm to me that this pepper was truly HOT and that I was not simply a woose. (Well, I may still be a woose but...)

Well, Mexican #1 and Mexican #2 declined to try it. But some more talking, smooth talker that I am, and Mexican #3 was in for a tiny bite.

He first smelled the inside of a green pepper that I gave him and said “that’s spicy. Smells good” but no bite - later he told me. I said NO I just need someone to try this red one ‘cause it’s too hot for me. (The restaurant was still busy from lunch though, so I was pushing it really.)

Anyway, I tore off half of a half (I know, a quarter, but it was already split in half, so…) and he sniffed it too. “I smell nothing” he said whilst tearing off a tiny piece to try. He bit so to speak.

Upon insertion of this tiny piece ’ten his lips, he baked up a step, shook his head and tried to say “dat’s [choke cough] very hot. Others gathered and spoke in some language - Greek perhaps, but what do I know.

He kept saying “how much?” and me saying “no, no! This is the only one and I would not have more until next year, if ever, argh!

So, confirmed, “is HOT!”

Two peppers touching will not cause a pod to become hot. Only by growing out the hybridized *seed* would the resulting plant have hybrid pods.

Also, from my experience, Mexicans and central and south Americans don't eat much hotter than Serranos. Seldom do they even eat Habaneros.

Jalapeños are known for variable heat from pod to pod, even on the same branch. If smaller in size, it was possibly more concentrated. You got a hot pod. Grow those seeds!

Josh

Great information all. And again greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a thank you some more better information. See, I thought it was [might be] cross-pollination. But whatever, it was was way hot. I hurt. And after all that, my brother agreed with you - said I should have taken it to a Tai restaurant.

Hahahaha! Yes, a Thai restaurant for sure! Somewhere with a "heat scale" when you order....

Reminds me of the time my buddy took a bag of his home-grown peppers to an Indian restaurant and had them cook him up a custom curry. That stuff was hot!

We also went to a Chinese restaurant, and he ordered the General's Chicken by saying, "I want to see more peppers than chicken on the plate." Great times....

Josh