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January 27, 2005
Chiltepin Peppers
Chiltepin peppers are hot peppers.
Chiltepin (Capsicum baccatum) is often found growing wild in Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it is also a popular garden-variety pepper. The round, berry-shaped chiltepin peppers are bright red when mature and grow upright on a large attractive plant that can spread out up to six feet across.
Chiltepin pepper plants can be perennial if protected from cold. They are a variety of bird pepper, so called because the birds love them. At 50,000 to 100,000 Scoville Units, they are known as one of the hottest chili peppers. Some experts report that one ounce of chiltepin provides enough heat for 300 gallons of salsa!
The National Forest Service has reserved 2,500 acres in the Coronado National Forest in Tucson, Arizona, for the Wild Chile Botanical Area, home of the largest population of chiltepin chile peppers north of Mexico. The chiltepin, called the "mother of all peppers," is thought to be the oldest known of the Capsicum genus, as well as one of the hottest wild varieties in the Americas. They grow on the rocky surfaces of steep slopes and are difficult to find because they are usually protected by other shrubbery.
Storing:
Store unwashed peppers in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. They keep for about five days.
Preparation:
You must wear plastic gloves or coat your hands in olive oil if you are going to handle this pepper or any other hot pepper. This will keep your cuticles from burning. Do not touch any of your orifices (sick people) if you have handled the pepper without protection. If you handle the pepper without protection, click here to find out how to clean your hands properly.
Wash the pepper well in cool water. De-stem.
Qualities to Shop For:
Firmness
Free from defects such as wrinkles, cracks, decay, bruising, etc.
Solid Color
Suggested Uses for Peppers:
Salsa
Drying
Pickling
Posted by Kelli Little at January 27, 2005 04:23 PM