Isn't this the cutest little thing you ever saw?
It's the first habanero pepper. While the other pepper plants have been setting fruit for several weeks now, the habanero plant has stubbornly refused to even flower. We did read that habaneros take longer than other peppers. We're growing a variety called Caribbean red--heat index of 400,000 Scoville units. That's C-A-L-I-E-N-T-E!
Did you know that these peppers are named after La Habana, the capitol of Cuba, known in English as Havana? My dad always kept a glass jar in the fridge. The jar contained vinegar, habaneros and whole garlic cloves. Sometimes olives or pearl onions would be added. On occasion mom would dip into the jar and pull out a few garlic cloves to add to whatever she was cooking. But mostly the jar was my dad's idea of snack food.
--Curmudgeon
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12 comments:
That is one hot & spicy snack! :)
Gee, Curmudgeon! I had no idea that habaneros were named after Havana (du-uhh!!!). Thanks so much for the enlightenment! We're growing some, too, since someone who shall remain nameless loves 'em and could eat several raw at a sitting. Maybe I'll make a big jar like your father's when the harvest comes in--I know it would be appreciated!
I love the story about your dad. Thanks for sharing it. Also for the inspiration to go to the beach. Which one was it?
-Jean
I'd love to know how to measure the hotness of pepppers. I'm growing Jalapenos for the first time this year. I thought about growing Habaneros, but my husband says the Jalapenos are hot enough. Feel the burn!
First thing I thought when I saw them was Mmmmm. . . jerk chicken! Yum. They're adorable!
Guess you'd better keep your pepper gloves handy when you handle those, WWWenches!
Certain varieties of peppers do that here too - plant them in March or plant them in April...they sit until August before making buds. Maybe they're sensitive to day length?
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I'm growing peppers too, but just your ordinary type, nothing too hot! Don't do that hot! But I agree with Mr McGregor's Daughter I wonder how they manage to measure the hotness of peppers??
Sounds like your dad was equipped with the same iron jaw and digestive tract as my brother-in-law. He keeps supplying me with hot peppers from his garden, and I'm only able to use a small portion of them. I think I will don gloves and a gas mask, cut them up, and freeze the surplus. Maybe that will take care of some of the heat! ;-)
Mmmm, We just got back from vacation and I am going to see if I have any ready to eat.
Mmmm, We just got back from vacation and I am going to see if I have any ready to eat.
We have some plants like these given to us by a friend, and they are very late too - haven't even flowered yet. Not sure if they're habanos - he said they were Mexican. I don't think we'll be eating them whole as a snack like your Dad, though!
Yes it is, perennial gardener! I take after my dad in many ways, but not in his penchant for fire-breathing!
Hey OFB! Usually the most obvious things aren't so obvious to ME! I was very confused because they are capsicum chinenses. The connection between Havana and China still escapes me, except that Cuba has a large population of Chinese descent. But peppers originated in Central/South America. So why "chinenses"???
Hi Jean. As children my cousins and I would dare each other to eat one of my dad's peppers. None of us ever got past opening the lid and sniffing. For our day at the beach we headed north into Shoreline.
Hi MMD. I'd love a little hotness meter--like the moisture meters--just poke it into the pepper and get an instant reading on the hotness. I've read that the hotness depends on the temps so I'm sure ours won't be as hot since our temps rarely get into the 90s here. The hot ones we grew last year, Bulgarian carrot, tiburon, astry, didn't even register on our tongues! But the Bulgarian carrot were very fruity tasting. We're growing them again this year for the wonderful flavor if not the heat.
Greetings Nancy. I can't get over how cute and tiny they are!
Hey garden girl, do you have a jerk chicken recipe you can share?
Hey Annie! Just a few days later now and the plant has just exploded with flowers and teeny tiny habaneros.
Greetings libbys blog. We're growing 3 hot and 3 sweet varieties. We have lilac and purple beauty and corno di toro for the sweet varieties. The Bulgarian carrots are supposed to be hot but aren't very hot at all here.
They freeze well walk2write. And just a little can go a long way.
Hello chaiselonge. In general the cuisine I grew up with was highly spiced but not hot like Mexican cuisine. My dad was the only person I knew growing up who had a taste for such hot peppers. Mom just looked at them and her lips started to swell up.
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