The National Garden Bureau celebrates 2006 as the Year of the
Chile Pepper. Few edibles are harder to pigeonhole than chile
peppers. For instance, what’s the proper spelling? Is it chili or
chile? The South American country is Chile, while cooks and chili
cook-offs use chile when referring to the dish
”
chile con carne.
”
The National Garden Bureau celebrates 2006 as the Year of the Chile Pepper. Few edibles are harder to pigeonhole than chile peppers. For instance, what’s the proper spelling? Is it chili or chile? The South American country is Chile, while cooks and chili cook-offs use chile when referring to the dish “chile con carne.”
The National Garden Bureau settled on the spelling of chile because most seed catalogs preferred that spelling. By the way, the National Garden Bureau is a nonprofit educational arm of the North American home and garden seed industry. Each year they declare a vegetable and a flower as honorees. Next week’s column will cover the flower winner, celosia.
Suffice to say, no other edibles have the cachet of chile peppers. There is no macho connotation to eating tomatoes, for example. Not many vegetables have a magazine and festival solely devoted to it. Yes, I know Gilroy has the Garlic Festival, but garlic is actually an herb, not a vegetable. Yet from the smallest cayenne used sparingly as seasoning to the largest poblano stuffed for a vegetable, chile peppers are outstanding among vegetables.
All peppers, from scorching chiles to sweet bells, originated in Central and South America. Today, some folks want to grow the hottest pepper on the block, while others prefer their peppers on the mild side. Obviously, the heat varies with the variety.
Among the hottest varieties is the jalepeño. These are short and stubby, with thick meaty walls and a deep green exterior color. Harvest jalepeños green to use fresh in salsas; pickle and grill them to add to tacos and burritos.
Another hot variety is cayenne. These are long, curved peppers that are generally green but can also be yellow or purple. “Super Cayenne” is a 1990 All America Selections’ winner and is especially vigorous.
Chile, anaheim, New Mexico, paprika and pasilla are all varieties that are long and tapered, ripen from green to red, and have mild to medium heat.
Hungarian wax and banana chiles are long, conical and tapering to a point. These varieties ripen yellow to red and have a mild heat.
Many garden centers have already-started transplants of these varieties. You can also sow by seed. Chile pepper plants are generally quite healthy. Protect against snails early on, and aphids will sometimes cluster on the tips of branches.
Peppers need full sun and rich soil. Amend your garden soil with compost or well-rotted manure before planting for best results. Peppers can also be planted in containers, although larger 16-inch diameter and larger containers are best except for the smaller, more compact ornamental peppers.
Use caution when handling hot peppers. Never touch your face near your eyes, mouth or nasal passages when picking. Most chiles are green when unripe and turn yellow, orange, red or brown when fully ripe.
Next week’s column will cover the Year of the Flower: celosia.
