Winter - The Chile Pepper Institute

The
Volu~neXI, Nu~iiber2, Winter 2000/200 1
Chile Pepper Institute
E-mail : hotchile@nmsu.edu
The Chiles of Mole
Paul W. Bosland
The region of central Mexico that includes the
cities of Puebla and Oaxaca is known as the Land of
the Seven Moles, and is where Mole, the classic
sauce of Mexico, was born.
Mole is served to honored guests at weddings,
fiestas, and holidays including Cinco de Mayo which
means "The Fifth of May" in English.
Cinco de Mayo marks the anniversary of Mexico's
stunning victory over the French at a hill on the
outskirts of Puebla. The holiday is celebrated
throughout Mexico and in many cities in the United
States.
In the U.S., mole is often perceived as a chocolate
flavored chile sauce. The term mole is a derivation
&omthe word 'molli', which means "concoction" or
"mixture." Other translations include "sauce" and
Ancho, driedform of the poblano, remains red a$er drying
Inside.....
Prqmhg Chiles..........................................
Ekphmt &pellent ......................................4
Capgiam
Hews.. ........................................6
. .
Mulato (left) & PPalla (right), both are dark
brown, almost black when dried
"gravy."
Not all moles contain chocolate, but if there is
chocolate in a mole sauce it is probably one of
many ingredients. A typical mole may have ten or
more ingredients. Some of the more popular mole
sauces contain pumpkin seeds, cloves, allspice,
peanuts, almonds, and sesame seeds. Additionally
chile, chicken, and other poultry broth can be found
in a typical mole.
There are many moles including mole rojo (red
mole), mole de olla (generally contains chocolate),
and mole negro de Oaxaca (Oaxacan black mole) to
name a few.
The chiles ancho, mulato, and pasilla, are said to
make up the "holy trinity" of a mole sauce. The
three pod types were developed in pre-Columbian
times and there is much confhsion with the names
of these particular chiles. For example, sometimes
the mulato is mistaken for the pasilla. The true
Bear Repellent............................................5
Burning Questions......................................10
Great Year for Chile...................................11
pasilla is a long slender dried pepper pod that is
cylindrical and undulating. Pasillas are dark green
until they turn brown at maturity and the green form
is called "chilaca" in the Mexican marketplace.
Other confusion exists because the mulato is shaped
very much like the ancho, but is dark brown to
black at maturity and has a much different flavor.
The ancho is heart shaped, pointed, thin-walled, and
goes fiom green to a rich red color at maturity. The
ancho is the sweetest of the three peppers and is said
to have prune, raisin, and coffee overtones. The
mulato has a smokier, liquorice, and wood flavor.
The ancho, mulato and pasilla are all referred to as
poblanos in the U.S. before reaching maturity.
Mexican chile experts believe technically that the
poblano is a specific ancho grown in the region of
Puebla, Mexico.
Preparing dried Ancho, Mulato
and Pasilla chiles 7. Roasting the dried chiles lightly, taking care not
to burn them, brings out the flavor and is worth the
extra work. Heat a cast-iron fiying pan to medium
heat and place the chiles on it. Press the pods to
the pan with a wooden spoon or your hand. When
the chiles become plump and soften, remove. Do
not let them become crisp. This should take only a
few minutes. Next remove the stems and seeds.
Fresh Poblano Chile, red in
color
.
The chiles can be soaked in water to aid in
removing the skin and for pureeing.
Moles are not simple. However, Dr. Paul
Bosland provides us with his "simple" mole
sauce. He says this is a good starter recipe.
On the following pages are a few more traditional
recipes.
"Simple" Mole Sauce
2 mulato chiles
2 pasilla chiles
4 ancho chiles
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tomatoes
2 ibs. sesame seeds 54 cup almonds
1 corn tortilla, torn into strips
114 cup raisins
114 tsp ground cloves
114 tsp ground cinnamon
114 tsp. ground coriander
3 tbs. olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 o z bitter chocolate (or 2ibs. Baking cocoa)
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Combine chiles, onions, garlic, tomatoes, 1 tbs.
Sesame seeds, almonds, tortilla strips, raisins,
cloves, cinnamon and coriander. Puree small
amounts of mixture in a blender until smooth.
Heat oil in a skillet and saute the puree for 10 min,
stirring frequently. Add chicken broth and
chocolate and cook over very low heat for 45 min.
The sauce should be very thick. Remaining sesame
seeds are used for a garnish. When the sauce is
cool, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
This makes enough mole for several meals. Place %
to 1 cup on two cut up chicken breasts and bake for
45 min.
The Chile Pepper Institute Newsletter
Mark Miller, member of The Chile Pepper
Institute and founder of the Coyote Cafe' and Red
Sage restaurants, provides us with the red mole
recipe fiom his book, Coyote Caf6 (Ten Speed
Press). Miller states that the chocolate used in this
recipe balances the sharp acidic flavors of the
tomatoes and tomatillos and the dry h i t
ingredients enhance the plum or prune flavors of
the ancho and mulato chiles. Mole rojo is
traditionally served with fowl, in this case turkey.
Red Mole
10 ancho chiles
6 pasilla chiles
2 qts. water
8 mulato chiles
4 tornatillos
5 roma tomatoes
% cup raisins (prunes or dried cherries)
113 cup sesame seeds
!4 CUP whole almonds
1 tbs. peanut oil
2 corn tortillas, dried in oven and chopped
6 garlic cloves, roasted & peeled
2 cups brown duck stock or chicken stock
4 tsp. Canela (or 2 tsp cinnamon)
118 tsp ground cloves
% tsp ground black pepper
% tsp ground allspice
1 tsp salt
3 oz Mexican Ibarra chocolate
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 tbs duck fat (or peanut oil)
Blacken tomatillos & tomatoes in a skillet (5-min).
Soak raisins in warm water until soft (about 20
min) discard water; dry-roast sesame seeds for 5
min until finished popping; do no allow seeds to
burn. SautC almond in oil over low to medium heat
until browned. Puree the tomatillos in a blender to
form a paste. Add chiles, raisins, garlic, stock,
spices, and slat and puree together. Melt chocolate
and blend into the mixture. Add the duck fat to a
high-sided pan and heat until about smoky. Re-fiy
sauce over med. Heat for 5-15 min. stirring
constantly. Add more stock if necessary - do not
allow to get too thick. Strain sauce through a sieve
& serve warm not hot.
Pumpkin Mole Sauce
2 tbs. vegetable oil
% CUP blanched, slivered almonds
1 pasilla chile
2 ancho chiles
1 mulato chile
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 % CUPS de-fatted chicken broth
1 ounce Mexican chocolate
?4tsp ground cumin
118 tsp ground cinnamon
118 tsp ground cloves
The Chile Pepper Imrincte Newsfeller
Danise Coon & Dr. Paul Bosland -Production
Chris Coon, EditorlWriter
Printed by TaCorn Printing Services
Tbe Chile Pepper Institute
Box 30003, MSC 3 4
New Mexico Stak University
Las Cruces, Nht 88003
(505)W3028
In medium saucepan heat oil; saute almonds to
golden brown. Remove !A cup; reserve for garnish.
Puree chiles and garlic; add to saucepan and saute
for 1 minute. Add pumpkin, broth, chocolate,
cumin, cinnamon, cloves and a pinch of salt and
pepper. Simmer for five minutes. Puree smooth in
a blender. Serve with chicken, turkey or pork.
Garnish with reserved almonds, makes four cups.
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Seed packets available in this issue
'The Trinity of Mole',
Paul W. Bosland, Director
Danise Coon, Asst. Dir.
Tanya Anderson, Asst.
Anchos, Mulatos, & Pasillas
Wendy Hamilton, NMSU
James Volk, State Natl. Bank
The Chile Pepper Insfitute
New Mexico State University Ex. Omcio Dir.
Board of Dimtors
Dr. Jeny Schickdanz, Dean CAHE - NMSU
Emma ban Cervantes,Cervantes Enterprise Dr. James Fisher, Dept Head, Dept. Agron.&Hort
Louis Biad - Biad Chile Co.
Dr. LeRoy Daugherty, Ag. Exp. Station
Dave DeWitt - Fiery Foodp Mag.
Steve Moore -Border Foods
Page 3
Recipes Continued... ....
Mole Negro de Oaxaca
4 mulato chiles
6 pasilla chiles
1% tbs. raw peanuts
114 cup almond
1 tbs. sesame seeds 1 tbs. vegetable oil
2 tsp. oregano leaves 4 black peppercorns
1 clove
1Tb. raisins
1 avocado
2 oz. grated Mexican chocolate or bitter chocolate
(can substitute 4 tbs. of baking cocoa)
4 tomatoes chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tortilla torn in strips
3 cups broth from cooked fowl
1 whole chicken or '/z turkey cooked
Fry the almonds, peanuts, and sesame seeds in the
oil for 5 mins. Drain oil and blend nuts and seeds in
a food processor along with all ingredients except
fowl. Place the smoothly blended mixture into a
deep saucepan and cook very slowly for 30 to 40
minutes or until it tastes done. Add spices. Cut fowl
into pieces and heat. Serve fowl on a platter with
mole sauce poured over it and accompanied with
rice.
Ancho chile, driedpoblano
Hot Pepper Elephant Repellent
B.
Dr. Ferrel Loki Osborn, an elephant biologist &om
New York, is researching new methods for elephant
repellants.
In a small village on the Zambezi river in
Zimbabwe, farmers carefully attend to fields of
cotton, corn and banana that have allured elephants
pursuing a snack. This is where Dr. Osborn's
lengthy research for the ultimate elephant repellent
turns into a possible career shift fiom biologist to
pepper-extract-eco-entrepreneur. Over the last
seven years, Osborn has experimented on many
types of sprays. He has developed a collection of
capsaicin sprays, some of which the farmers can
concoct themselves.
Dr. Osborn found himself helping villagers shoot
some brazen, young bulls getting out of hand in the
Page 4
middle of a cotton field. However there are some
people who think that an elephant biologist
killing elephants is repulsive. Dr. Osborn states,
in his own defense, that more than 200 people are
crushed or gouged by elephants in Zimbabwe
each year, leaving upset villagers in a mad
shooting frenzy.
Elephants have raided and destroyed crops from
the very onset of humans practicing agriculture,
but the problem gets worse when farmers use
more of the forest to increase agricultural land
area. The problem starts in February, which
marks the beginning of mating season. In many
cases the bulls indulge in ransacking fields to take
advantage of an easy snack.
Continued.....
Osborn became aware of hot pepper sprays when
hiking through western American regions and
recalling how pepper spray was used to deter
bears. In the east, sprays have been used to deter
squirrels, deer and skunks. Given an elephant's
reliance on smell and taste the animals must be ten
times more sensitive to capsaicin compared to
other mammals.
The first repellant trials were those that shot out
of fire eqinguishers. The only problem with this
method'was that it required the person spraying to
get dangerously close to the elephants and any
change in wind direction would cause trouble for
the sprayer and the animal.
Jack Birochak designed a contraption that
launched the spray using pressurized air, shooting
pepper grenades 60-70 yards, but this device has
only been used for the most defiant elephants.
One of the more widely used contraptions is a
pepper coated fencing, which seems to deter
elephants fiom even entering the fields.
Continuing research will allow farmers to import
habanero and tabasco seeds and grow their own
hot peppers. There are also ideas for fhrmers and
villagers to create their own hot sauces with these
peppers and in turn raise money for continuing the
elephant spray research. Osborn liked this idea
because it created jobs, and a market for a new
crop.
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Scientists in India have concluded the hottest chile
on Earth grows in the northeastern hills of Assam,
rather than farms in Mexico.
According to the Indian scientists the 'Naga
Jolokia' a CapsicumJi.utescens,is 50 percent hotter .
than the Red Savina Habanero whos Scoville rating
is around 555,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), the
'Naga Jolokia' possesses 855,000 SHU. The 'Naga
Jolokia' grows to about 2 inches long and a
thickness of half an inch.
This statement alarmed Frank Garcia of GNS
Spices, the developer and grower of the 'Red
Savina' .
"It would be highly unusual for a frutescens to be
that hot," Garcia said in an interview with the FieryFoods & Barbecue. "Also, it is quite a coincidence
that their test of the 'Red Savina' yielded exactly
the same heat level as our lab tests." Garcia points
out that-environmentalfactors such as soil type and
moisture levels can modify the heat levels, so it is
extremely abnormal for the same variety to have
precisely the same heat level test after test.
Garcia said that the 'Red Savina', listed by the
Guinness Book of World Records as the world's
hottest chile, has been challenged before.
"In some cases labs have discovered that the
challengers samples have been blended with
oleoresin," the extremely hot capsakin extracts,
thus disqualifymg them, "But anything's possible,"
he said of the 'Naga Jolokia'. " So, bring it on and
let's get some American laboratories to test samples
af both the Indian chile
z+J
Volume X; No. 2, Fall/Winter 2000
The Hottest Chile?
and the 'Red Savina' and see which is the hottest."
Scholars have also been suspicious of the Indian
Scientist's claims.
Dr. Paul Bosland of the Chile Breeding and
Genetics program at New Mexico State University
has the following concerns with their test: 1) They
never say they calibrated the High Performance
Liquid Chromatography (HPLC.) One should make
up a known concentration of capsaicin solution and
run it through the machine to calibrate the HPLC.
How do we know the HPLC wasn't measuring all
samples 100,000 SHU too much? 2) The
preparation of the chiles is questionable. Did they
weigh the chile sample before extracting? Were the
seeds, pericarp, andplacenta ground together?"
In light of Dr. Bosland's doubt, Dave DeWitt of
Fiery Foods Magazine
I
repeats his challenge to
the Indian scientists.
They should send
E
~aboratdries.Frank
!.
Garcia of GNS Spices,
developer of the 'Red
~avina', has agreed to provide his samples for a
"hottest chile test-off." Additionally, DeWitt will be
emailing this challenge to the Indian scientists. The
Chile Pepper Institute plans to provide regular
updates upcoming ~ewsletteis.
Page 5 .
Capsicum News
Hot Peppers for Psoriarfs??
A 42 year-old psoriasis patient suffering for 30
years fiom the disease decided to do some research
bf her own
Her elbows and knees were covered with red,
rough lesions and silver scales. For years she used
"Ultravate", a psoriasis medication ointment, two or
three times a year but after a month of use all the
spots would be as bad as ever.
Last spring she developed a taste for hot and spicy
food. She started eating salsa almost every day, and
graduated fiom mild to medium to hot. During this
h e , the ointment worked amazingly well. The
psoriasis lesions disappeared after the pink stage.
Then, with no treatment, her
elbows and knees started to
clear. At first a connection
between the hot peppers and
the disappearance of the
lesions was not seen, but then
she read that capsaicin from hot peppers is used as a
topical treatment for arthritis and psoriasis. As a
test, she stopped eating hot peppers, and within two
weeks the remaining lesions became inflamed and
irritated. She ended the test immediately. Sure
enough, the lesions got much better as she started
eating salsa again. Scientists found a number of
studies supporting the use of topical capsaicin in
treating psoriasis.
Source: Albuquerque Journal, Feb. 14, 2000
Hot Bottoms
&
L-
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--
A new paint mixture is said to keep algae and
barnacles from ruining boat paint. One company,
seems confident that their Hot Bottom ingredients
of 33.34 percent cuprous oxide and capsaicin will
protect a bods bottom better than traditional paint.
In recent research this paint was tested against a
mixture of another paint containing % tbs each of
chile powder, Tabasco sauce, Trappey's Bull
Louisiana Hot Sauce and one quart Sears
Page 6
Bottom, and another with Interlux Bottomkote,
specially designed for boats, and also left one
section bare. Researchers then subjected the
painted boats to the marine elements. After 60
days, the researchers blend, which had been
fairing well until
then, turned into a
soft smorgasbord
of bottom growth.
During month three, Hot Bottom began to show
signs of algae growth, but no barnacle growth. At
six months, the bare fiberglass was covered with
algae as well as barnacle growth, the researchers
special blend had the beginnings of barnacle
invasion, and Hot ~ o t t o mhad nothing but algae.
The Interlux, with its higher copper content (42.75
percent), had the least growth, including algae.
Source: Boating New York, May 1998
Capsicum annuum L.
tinnean herbarium
Carl Linnaeus, (1707 - 1778) is distinguished as
the botanist that invented the binomial
nomenclature system
and as the founder of
modern biological
systematics.
In his life, he was
the first naturalist
knighted with
Sweden's Order of the
Polar Star. He is
recognized with
giving chile peppers,
..
Capsicum annuum L.
and Capsicum
,
-3 1 r ~
frutescens L., their
-binomials, which is why there is a capital "L"
behind those species names. Pictured here is a
plant of Capsicum annuum preserved, to see more
pictures in better detail go to the Linnean
herbarium website at:
http://linnaeus.nrm.se/botany/fbo/welcome. html.en
-.
,
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Engineering Peppers fir Desired
Traits
Dr. Marla Binzel a molecular biologist for the
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station has found
an eficient way to engineer chiles for desired
traits.
Binzel's method should lead to better disease
and insect resistance and perhaps even better
colors, heat control and processing features. The
experiment station method hasn't been easy to
come by in chiles.
"It has become pretty routine now to insert
genes into plants, but has remained dificult for
certain plants such as chile," states Binzel.
Because chiles are not a big enough crop
worldwide, companies are not going to invest if
it costs too much to improve. The $60 million
industry is constantly looking for new ways to
improve chiles. Source: The Grower, Sept. 2000
doubled since 1980, increasing to nearly 4 pounds
per person, according the U.S.D.A. and the
American Spice Trade Association. Total
consumption is expected to reach an astonishing
1.4 billion pounds a year by 2003. Source:
FieryFoods Magazine October 2000
The Pepper Trail
Higtory and Recipesjbm Around the
Vorrld
Jean Andrews is known as "the first lady of
chile peppers," and has her own registered
trademark, "The Pepper Lady." She has written a
book that includes:
details of the spice trade and early movements
of capsicums
descriptions and illustrations on twenty-seven
separate varieties of Capsicum, as well as
miscellaneous cultivars
recipes fiom nationally known chefs.
What Are America's ~ a v ofte
r
Seasonings?
Andrews follows "the pepper trail" through
Turkey and the Middle East, Afiica and Monsoon
Two American spice companies-McCormick
and Tone's-- disagree as to what are America's
Asia (India, Nepal,
Bhutan, Sri Lanka,
top ten most wanted seasonings. Both companies
Thailand, and
agree that basil, dill, red chile (or cayenne),
Indonesia)
vanilla, cinnamon, rosemary, and thyme are in
the top ten of those most wanted. McCormick's
Xinjiang, Sichuan
and Hunan in
list also includes fennel, cumin, and ginger,
China as well as
while Tone's list has curry powder, garlic, and
Latin America.
oregano. Paprika and bay leaf were on neither
companies list. Increasingly popular are spice
This latest offering
blends, which are mixtures of herbs and spices
includes previously
that are an important part of a variety of ethnic
undiscovered facts,
including the
cuisine. These spice blends have been very
etymology of the
popular with many gourmets and are now being
word "cayenne."
marketed in supermarkets. For example, Spice
Islands line of blends includes Thai Seasoning,
The Pepper Trail
Calcutta Heat (a curry blend), Szechuan
includes recipes Andrews has collected and
Seasoning, Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, and
devised herself in her travels plus recipes fiom
Louisiana-Style Cajun Seasoning. McCormick's
chefs including Mark Miller, Reed Clemons,
American Spice Blends include Santa Fe and .
Miguel Ravago, Stephen Pyles, Jon Jividen, Paula
Monterey with red chile, and Caribbean Jerk.%-*
Lambert (Mozzarella Company), Robert del
This type of development suggests that
Grande, John Ash, and many others. Andrews
Americans are showing a greater fondness for
recipes include something for everyone including
hot and spicy. Spice consumption in the U.S. ha! 7 cipes of soups and salads, meat, fowl and
seafood dishes, vegetarian dishes, sauces and
-r
olume X No. 2, FallBVinter ?nnn
Page 7
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III o h early sljti& 2000 issue%t%&e6#fftt !;,-:
fi 1 Dr fierrero, bear $xpcrts and spray mhufacturers
allfiike+ to agree An qne .bdiiiC ~ k : s b i a should
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be
Pepper Imtiwe geystetter w'e W'~@:&QT
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about pepper spray a c t ~ l l y '
last
The lheP&iinB issue of the Wildlife Society
resort
Builetin stated that bears actually responded in a
after
positive manner to areas sprayed with the
all
substance, In the September 2000 issue of
other
Backpacker we found evidenee thflt pepper spray
will indeed ward 08m attacking
According to Stephen Herrero,:'Wlp;~ d ~ d r s i- t y
of Calgary, Alberta, and author df dedr ~i"fiiclis:
Their Causes and Avoidance, be&sr&e aeteired
by hot pepper spray. Dr. Herrero ex?@+ 68
field c ~ in which
s
assorted brandg-bf'sPfiy.were'
precautions have been carefully abided. All
used on black md grizzly bears thtit 'demonstrated
campers, hikers and outdoors people should have the
behavior ranging fiom curious to overly
main common sense points down: keep camp clean,
aggressive. Herrero concluded &t ii 6'not' '
store food in bear proof containers, making lots of
known how these cases would W e $idid '
noise while hiking; and steering clear of fiesh bear
without the use of pepper spray, it doe?~eeh'to
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have prevented injury.
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CapsaiciLi~ids
$9.95 Holster
$9.99 @Aster
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The Chile Pepper lhstitute Newsl&fi?r
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BURNING QUESTIONS
Q.
I miss roasting and peeling my own chile. Is there
i somewhere over the web that I can order a bushel
,
and have it shipped?? Thanks, John
A.
Try these.
Frieda's Inc.
4465 Corporate Center Dr.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
(714) 826 6100
Hatch Chile Express
P.O. Box 350
Hatch, New Mexico,
87937
(505) 267-3226
Superbly Southwestern
38 16 Edith Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87107
(505) 766-9598
88033
New Mexico Chile
Express
P.O. Box 675
Fairacres, N.M,.
Las Uvas Produce
800-204-6623
800-561-2076
(505)527-8455
Q.
I wonder if you could help me with some research,
and at the same time resolve an ongoing argument
between myself and a colleague. We are trying to
find out which is the sweetest variety of bell pepper.
I think it is red, while my colleague thinks it is
yellow. A meal out on the loser rests on your reply.
Here's hoping you can help. Many thanks in
advance.
A.
A red bell pepper can simply be either a 'ripe' green
bell pepper or a 'red' bell pepper, breed for that
color. Green bell peppers are not at the mature
stage but after turning red are considered red bell
peppers. Because red and yellow bell peppers stay
on the plant longer and are at the more mature
stage, either is more apt to store greater amounts of
sugar. It usually depends on the variety.
I have a small garden and have noticed that
chiles get black or dark areas
on them as they near maturity. Other than these
spots, the chilies seem fine. Can you explain what
these are? Is there anything I can do to prevent?
Brian Martin
A.
This blackening or purplish hue on the skin is
caused fiom direct sunlight on the pod, and is
completely normal, there really isn't a lot you can do
about this purplish color except keep plants as
bushy as possible so the canopy can shade the pods.
There are also varieties resistant to purpling now
available, one, NuMex Primavera, is also
considered a mild jalapeiio.
Q.
I am new to gardening chiles. I have enjoyed
growing various types and heat levels. I have saved
seeds fiom nursery plants and successfully grown
basically the same chiles over the past few years. I
have grown various types side by side and a couple
of years ago, a new type (to me at least) grew fiom
one of my saved seeds. I saved the seeds fiom that
plant. I germinated just a couple of those seeds this
year and out of those three plants, the same little
gold chile plant grew to my excitement, Not being a
botanist or properly educated chile head, I am
having some difficulty figuring out which chile it is.
Toinette Trahan
A.
Chiles readily cross-pollinate, you more than likely
have an offspring of two of your other chile types
because you save seed. If you plan to save 'true'
seed you need to keep the chiles fiom crosspollinating and it is essential to provide some kind
of insect barrier. In our program we use white
netting with holes small enough that insects cannot
get through but allows for a sufficient amount of
light to reach the plant. We make sure there are not?_,any open flowers or developing h i t s on the plant &
and secure the netting around the desired seed
producer. The Pepper Garden (DeWitt & Bosland)
has more information on this subject.
The Chile Pepper Instihste Newsletter
Q.
I have in my garden a plant bearing ovoid, pointed
scarlet to orange-red and even purple h i t . The
common name is False Jerusalem Cherry and the
botanical name is, Solanum capsicastrum. We
bought it as a chile but don't know much about it. If
you know which plant I'm talking about, please give
me it's Scoville rating if possible and a recipe or two
for cooking. Stella
A.
DO NOT EAT IT. It is poisonous. It is NOT a true
chile (Capsicum), but a relative of Capsicum. Please
use it only as an ornamental. A lot of times you will
hear that ornamental chiles are actually poisonous
but this is untrue and commonly mistaken for your
Ornamental Solanum species which is highly
poisonous.
Q.
I'm looking for ways to dry cayenne peppers,
besides pulling the plant out of the ground at the
end of the growing season. Any suggestions?
Thanks TS.
A.
Depending on whether they are partially dried on
the plant or harvested while still succulent, moisture
must be reduced to about 10- 11%for proper
storage. Traditionally chiles are dried by the sun,
large processors are now using dehydrators to dry
pods, temperatures for dehydrators range fiom 140150 F.
Its Been a Great Yearfor Chile!
At the beginning of the 2000 growing season many
producers did not know what to expect of this year's
chile crop, considering 1999's crop failure, due to an
extreme invasion of the leaf-hopper transmitted curly
top virus.
Even the Chile Pepper Institute's Teaching and
Demonstration Garden was hit hard. Diseased plants
were replaced and the new ones were almost
instantaneously hit with the disease. There was even
talk of New Mexico producers getting
- some federal
aid for the unsuccessful chile
The 2000 chile crop was much different. Seedlings
were transplanted and by late May the crop was
looking well on its way to being one of the best in
years. By mid June, the Mesilla Valley was getting
well over its normal amount of rain for that time of
the year and the chile plants were loving it. Disease
was minimal and temperatures were just right.
Projected crop numbers in August were making
producers everywhere smile. Some producers in the
area were harvesting as much as 30 tons per acre,
stated Steve Moore of Border Foods in Derning, New
Mexico, where the normal tonnage ranges fiom 10 13 tons per acre. Scholars seemed to agree,
'‘The
is One of the best
seen in
over a decade," said Dr. Paul Bosland of the Chile
- Breeding and Genetics Program
a
at New Mexico State University.
Now that its October and most of the harvest is
in, you can really see what a great year for chile
this has been, statistics for 2000 should be out by
the end of 2001. Looking- forward to the 2001
chile crop we can only guess, there is always the
chance that some catastrophic event may indeed
take place and we can only sit back and hope that
at the end of the year we will be serving endless
plates of chile rellenos!
I
1"-
:-
-'
-+,li-'
The 2000 Chile Pepper Institute Teaching and
Demonstration Garden, thrives in one ofthe best chile
years in a decode
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