betsy@dartvax.UUCP (01/03/85)
Now that it's winter here in N.H., my thoughts naturally turn
to the garden. (It's an easier place to turn to when there's no
weeding to be done!). I'm looking for seeds for the true Tobasco
peppers: the peppers which are about half an inch long at maturity, roughly
cylindrical in shape, and unmatched in terror per unit fruit.
Park's 1984 Catalog claims to sell Tobasco
peppers on p.45, listing them as
"Chili Pepper Serrano (Capsicum frutescens). The Tobasco pepper, small,
pungent ingredient of Mexican hot sauces."
Two things that bother me about this listing: first off, Serrano peppers
are a different variety than Tobasco. Secondly, Tobasco peppers aren't
used in the Mexican dishes I've eaten in Mexico. Serranos, yes, jalapenos,
yes, but I never saw a Tobasco-sized pepper in the markets. Does Park
know what they're talking about? Does anybody know the Latin name for
the truly vicious Tobascos? Or can anybody supply an alternate source?
Yours in search of greater pain,
Betsy Perry
P.S. Park is also offering another variety I'm definitely ordering:
"Pepper Thai Hot ... We've never tasted a hotter, zestier, pepper, and
we've tried quite a few. ... This new exotic from Thailand will add
a new dimension to your cooking." I can hardly wait.
--
Elizabeth Hanes Perry
UUCP: {decvax|linus|cornell}!dartvax!betsy
CSNET: betsy@dartmouth
ARPA: betsy%dartmouth@csnet-relayark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (01/03/85)
I have read that the hotness of hot peppers depends on the temperature at which they ripen -- the hotter the weather, the hotter the peppers. So if you grow hot peppers in the North, expect them to be less hot than the same plants grown in the South.
mmr@ritcv.UUCP (Margaret Reek) (01/08/85)
> I have read that the hotness of hot peppers depends on the temperature > at which they ripen -- the hotter the weather, the hotter the peppers. > So if you grow hot peppers in the North, expect them to be less hot > than the same plants grown in the South. I've heard the same thing, and I can't help but wonder about it. I grew jalapeno's a year ago that were positively ferocious, an order of magnitude hotter than the ones I got in California. Rochester, NY is not exactly the heat capitol of the country even in summer. I didn't get any peppers at all last year, so I can't tell if the first batch was a fluke or not. Margaret Reek Rochester Institute of Technology ritcv!asgard!mmr
jhf@lanl.ARPA (01/08/85)
> > I have read that the hotness of hot peppers depends on the temperature > > at which they ripen -- the hotter the weather, the hotter the peppers. > > So if you grow hot peppers in the North, expect them to be less hot > > than the same plants grown in the South. > > I've heard the same thing, and I can't help but wonder about it. I grew > jalapeno's a year ago that were positively ferocious, an order of magnitude > hotter than the ones I got in California. Rochester, NY is not exactly the > heat capitol of the country even in summer. I didn't get any peppers at > all last year, so I can't tell if the first batch was a fluke or not. > I've been told that you get milder peppers the more you water them.
ems@amdahl.UUCP (E. Michael Smith) (01/09/85)
> > > I have read that the hotness of hot peppers depends on the temperature > > > at which they ripen s. > > > > I've heard the same thing, and I can't help but wonder about it. > > > I've been told that you get milder peppers the more you water them. I believe it has more to do with the species and variety you plant than with the weather... My Mexican friends took great care in selecting seed, didn't worry much about weather. Planted in full sun on south exposure though. BTW, isn't Tobasco a trademarked name of a brand of hot sauce without any connection to a particular variety of peppers??? -- The early bird catches the worm, but the early worm gets eaten. So which are you, a worm or a bird brain? (Me? I sleep in...) E. Michael Smith ...!{hplabs,ihnp4,amd,nsc}!amdahl!ems The opinions expressed by me are not representative of those of any other person - natural, unnatural, or fictional - and only marginally reflect my opinions as strained by the language.
darrow@iuvax.UUCP (01/29/85)
[line chomper like bird pepper?] There are several species of peppers, and almost all of the peppers consumed belong to the species _Capsicum annuum_ (including all the chili peppers, sweet peppers, bell peppers). _Capsicum frutescens_ is not generally cultivated, except for the production of Tobasco Sauce. The unfortunate thing is that the names used for ``peppers'' have never been wholly agreed upon by Botanists, and names like _C. frutescens_ have been applied variously and inconsistently (and incorrectly). There are some other species that occasionally get into cultivation, including _C. chinensis_. ``Thai Hot'' pepper, is a _annuum_ type of pepper, and is ``primitive'' in that the fruits are small, intensly hot, and borne erect on the plant above the foliage (in contrast to hanging down, and being sheilded by the foliage). This type is also called ``bird pepper'' (implying the method of seed dispersal is through bird injestion and, eventually ``planting'' of the seeds in their own dollap of fertilizer). How can all the chili peppers and bell peppers be the same species you ask? Easy. Artificial selection by humans over time for certain traits (in many places and for different traits, simultaneously). Some other examples of diverse ``varieties'' or ``cultivars'' belonging to one species are 1) field corn, sweet corn, popcorn, etc. 2) broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and collard greens. Similar selection in domestic dogs, cats, and chickens have produced diverse and bizarre types. Have fun with the hot peppers!! (Yum yum) Dave Darrow iuvax!darrow Indiana University