A Passion For Peppers

About author / Victoria Wesseler

Healthy eating advocate; master gardener; local food expert. Even veggie haters love her recipes.

Like most passions, it started out innocently enough. We thought we would try “just one.” One led to two, two quickly became three, and after that there was no limit. Before we knew it, we were sliding down the slippery slope of no return. We could not control ourselves any longer. We couldn’t get enough.

The first one was a tiny jalapeno plant that we bought several years ago so we could have a few fresh peppers for our homemade salsa. When the jalapenos were harvested, we found the heat, flavor, and texture of the just picked peppers were far superior to any we could buy at a Farmers’ Market or grocery. We agreed that the following year we would get two jalapeno plants.

At the garden center, our devotion quickly strayed from the humble jalapeno. We were seduced by the more exotic varieties and added habanero, pimento, poblano, Anaheim, cayenne, Thai, and Serrano plants to our cart.

They all thrived in our garden. With our harvest, we made hot pepper jellies and pickled peppers along with our salsa. We dried the cayennes, Thais, habaneros, and serranos. We roasted the poblanos. Blessed with an abundance of jalapenos far beyond our immediate needs, I seeded and finely chopped them in my food processor; then packed them in ice cube trays and froze them for later use.

Our growing obsession led us to plan an early fall vacation to the United States’ mecca of chile peppers—Hatch, New Mexico. We came back inspired. We thought it might be fun to try making our own hot sauce. Which, of course, would require us to grow more chile pepper plants. Our passion was fully unleashed.

With over 200 different varieties of chiles that have been identified globally, some say it is hard to know where to start (or maybe in our case, know where to stop) when choosing chile peppers for culinary use. The more common ones such as jalapenos, poblanos, and cayenne are generally available at the grocery store and many Farmers’ Markets offer more exotic ones. Chile pepper flavors and heat vary widely from variety to variety and can even vary from pepper to pepper on the same plant. The best way to learn about them and to appreciate their different flavors and heat levels is to experiment with them.

In general, the larger the pepper, the less heat. There are several theories about where the “heat” actually resides in a chile pepper. Some say the flesh, some say the seeds, and still others say the membrane. According to experts at the Chile Pepper Institute in New Mexico, the heat is caused by capsaicinoids which are located in the chile membrane. You cannot cook or freeze the heat out. So the only way to reduce the heat of a chile pepper, if you want to, is to remove the membrane prior to using the pepper’s flesh.

When buying fresh chiles look for firm, shiny skins and select those without cuts, bruises, and/or soft spots. Chiles can be stored in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can also be purchased dried, frozen, canned, and in powder or ground form.

Chiles are low in calories and full of vitamins A and C. Adding them to dishes provides lots of flavor with little sodium and no cholesterol or fat. But remember, when it comes to heat levels, one person’s “YUM” can be another person’s “OUCH!” When cooking with chiles, I tend to be a bit conservative in adding them to a dish and provide hot sauce or additional fresh or dried chiles on the side for the “fire eaters” at the table.

During the next few weeks, my husband and I will be making hot sauce which requires a long term investment in time but is well worth the wait. And I will be making hot pepper jelly to use on everything from a glaze for grilled meats, poultry, and fish to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Unlike my husband who loves it hot, hot, hot, I tend to like my chile on the mild side. I developed the following hot pepper jelly recipe, to get all of the flavor from the hot peppers with none of the “bite.” By floating pierced habaneros in the jelly and then removing them after the jelly is finished, you get the heat and fruity flavor of the habanero but don’t have to worry about biting down on a piece of the hot pepper in the finished jelly. This technique is also good for using chiles in stews and soups. The pepper flavor will infuse the dish as it cooks, then all you have to do is remove the floating peppers before serving.

If you think your cooking has become a bit predictable lately and are looking for a way to heat up your culinary life, give more than a passing glance to the chile pepper. But beware, once your taste buds experience these little hotties, you may release an unbridled passion that will change your cooking (and your gardening) forever.

Serves/Makes: 3 half-pints

• 3 fresh habanero peppers
• 1 cup finely chopped orange, red or yellow sweet bell pepper
• 3 cups extra fine white sugar
• 1 cup white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 1 pouch CERTO liquid pectin

Serves/Makes: 6 cups

• 2 pounds of your favorite fresh hot peppers (You can use a single variety or mix them)
• 3 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 2 teaspoons pickling salt*