A8

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

More and more New Brunswick gardeners have been experimenting with growing their own chilies and this harvest season is seeing a variety of them in the local markets.

Enlarge Photo

Photo Contributed

Chili peppers look great in a garden bed, and taste even better.

In colourful piles of yellow, orange, red and brown, they challenge us to try them in our cooking.

They fit into sauces, and seasonings, and some can be eaten in salads and stir-fries. Some taste smoky, some nutty and some fruity, but they all add dimension to food.

You know it is time to pick chilies when they turn from green to the colour of their variety. They should feel firm and have a glossy sheen.

The National Garden Bureau advises the best method for harvesting them is to cut the fruit off with clippers, since the branches of the pepper plants are brittle and break easily.

For the home gardener, they are a great plant to grow because they reward the effort so beautifully.

They are extremely productive plants and less prone to diseases than many other vegetables.

Another benefit is that they can fit into either the flower bed or garden bed, adding an element of beauty in either case.

All kinds of peppers originated in Central and South America. Wild chilies were believed to have been gathered in Mexico as far back as 7000 B.C.

It was explorer Christopher Columbus who first named the plant "pepper" since its taste reminded him of the spice black pepper grown in the East Indies.

Peppers are members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae, as are tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants.

There are two ways of classifying them, by their heat and by their shape. The way to test the heat of a chili is actually a science developed by pharmacist Wilbur Scoville.

He invented a process to measure the hotness of peppers by diluting the pepper until the heat is just perceptible on the tongue.

It is easy to get started growing chili peppers. Many nurseries have young starter plants available in the spring; Jalapeños, Hungarian Wax, Hot Cherry, Anaheims, and an occasional ornamental pepper plant are most common.

Choose sturdy looking plants with dark green foliage. Avoid those with yellowed leaves and long spindly growth as they generally fail to thrive.

For a greater choice of chilies, many gardeners, including the thrill-seeking fire-eaters, order seeds from mail-order seed companies that offer a plethora of ethnic and specialty chili peppers.

Some folks want to grow the hottest pepper on the block while others prefer their peppers on the mild side. Obviously the heat varies with the variety and it also varies with the heat of the climate in which the pepper is grown. Peppers cultivated in a location where the days hit the high 30s are spicier than those grown in more temperate climates.

In the Metro Moncton area, if you yearn for spicy peppers but our faced with our often colder summers, just cover the soil with black plastic mulch or grow peppers in containers on a concrete or brick patio in full sun. To turn up the fire, keep the water and nitrogen fertilizer to a minimum.

Alternatively, if you prefer milder peppers, keep the plants well watered-but not soggy-and provide afternoon shade in hot climates. A general rule of thumb is the riper the chili, the hotter it is. That said, ripe peppers have a different flavor than unripe ones. Let your personal taste and the recipe determine when to pick each pepper.

Chile plants are slow to get going, so start pepper plants indoors a few weeks earlier than tomatoes. Sow the seeds about 8 to 12 weeks before the last frost date or make the decision to buy plants from your local nursery.

Peppers need full sun, rich soil (amended with compost, well-rotted manure, or leaf mold) and good drainage. Allow two feet between plants. If the peppers are starting to produce flower buds, pinch them off and continue to do this for one to two weeks; this forces the plants to put their energy into growing leaves and roots.

Mulch with 2 to 3 inches of organic matter. Mulch keeps weed growth down and maintains soil moisture. Stake varieties that grow taller than 2 feet. To avoid problems with cutworms (they can chew young seedlings off at the soil line) place two-inch-tall cardboard or aluminum foil collars around the new plants-with 1-inch below soil level and 1-inch above.

Keep the plants lightly moist, but not soggy. Pull any weeds if they appear. Feed the plants with an all-purpose water-soluble fertilizer about six weeks after transplanting and again if the plants start to look pale or the leaves are small.

The National Garden Bureau also advises gardeners to always use caution when handling hot peppers. To protect your hands, use disposable latex gloves. Never touch your face near your eyes, mouth, or nasal passages.

Capsaicin is produced primarily in the veins/placental tissue of the pepper, but with an especially hot variety, take care when harvesting. If you accidentally get pepper juice in your eye immediately wash it out with clean cool water. And if you eat too fiery a pepper, get some relief by eating yogurt, ice cream, or milk.

Chiles can be kept for up to six months if you dry and freeze them. Dry thin-walled chilies in a warm, dry place or dehydrator until brittle dry. Store the dried chilies in airtight containers. You can also store the peppers in zipper-style freezer bags in the freezer.