Jalapeños (This Year)
 

Must be all the rain we've had in Texas, but the freakin' Jalapeños are huge, over an inch in diameter (on average). Biggest I've ever seen, to my recollection. And, contrary to my assumption that smaller peppers are hotter, these big boys are also big on heat. My wife explained that the longer they grow, they hotter they get (she's half-Brazillian, she snacked on whole Jalapeños when she was knee-high to a grasshopper).

We roasted some of these, whole on the grill, and they became challenge peppers (IE, Think you can eat this whole thing?) ...

Question: why do roasted peppers get hotter?

Perhaps the wimpier oils and water get evaporated out of them?

Maybe there's some chemical change?
Here in western PA our jalapenos are small and wimpy this year - presumably due to the severe drought.

I'm assuming it's something similar to the reason that cooked fish tastes "fishy" while raw fish doesn't. The heat breaks something down.

Sort of like what cold does to the starch in cooked potatoes (ok, maybe not exactly like ...). If you refrigerate cooked potatoes the chemical bonds in the starch change to a form that our bodies can't break down, and all the food value is lost. On the other hand, I suppose that must mean they lose their caloric value ...?? Maybe we can devise calorie-free french fries ... :yum:

o-lean?

and while youre at it, figure out why horseradish loses its heat when you cook it....and onions....and garlic.

i dunno, it could be the vodka, but i think i just read this:

We are experiencing a surplus of Chili's and Jalapenos right now. The more you cut the more they grow. My mouth is constantly on fire now. I'm going to start bringing them in to work. Hopefully people will take them.

I'm going to salt and roast them for Fiesta on Friday!

I actually think that roasting them makes them less hot Flint. More edible.The size of the pepper is usually an indicator of how hot it will be.

Well I think that's right...it's my first pepper growing season.

Oh, I wish I worked with you. I'd gladly take the chiles off your hands.

Time to start making more New Mex style bowl-o-red. It's largely chile puree, mild chilis mainly and some hot guys in to throttle it up.