Product Review

HOT PEPPERS: When Wilbur Scoville first devised a means to test the heat of peppers, his hottest entry then came in at 20,000 units. Habanero and Thai chilies can go as high as 60,000. Compare that to the sweet bell pepper at zero. When hot peppers are consumed, capsaicinoids bind with pain receptors in the mouth and throat that are responsible for sensing heat. Once activated by the capsaicinoids, these receptors send a message to the brain that the person has consumed something hot. The brain responds to the burning sensation by raising the heart rate, increasing perspiration and release of endorphins. Hot peppers should be eaten with caution! Jalapeno Pepper: A jalapeno pepper that produces big 4 inch long fruits in abundance. Like other jalapenos the fruits mature from green to red, but are used primarily in the green stage. Jalapeno peppers show exceptional vigour, and under average conditions, they set a heavy load of extra-large, thick fleshed, meaty fruits which are ready for harvest 68 to 70 days after transplanting. Jalapenos can be added to almost anything you want to spice up: salsas, stews, breads, sauces, dips, etc. They can be diced up and used as a topping for snack foods or roasted and stuffed with cheese, fish or meat to be used as a cocktail snack. Red ones are great in tamales, served as rajas, or roasted for soups. Red jalapenos are dried by smoking them, usually over mesquite wood.