Wimpy Jalapenos?

Goomba38 said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?
When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them. Fresh ones purchased at the market should be able
to match that burn, right? But lately it seems they're not. They have a
bit of burn to your mouth but not much...and I have no problems handling
them when cutting them up.
Have I become chile jaded?
Goomba

Pick thru the bin and pick out the jalapeños with cracks in them, and
any that are starting to turn red. They will usually be hot.

Bob

Goomba38 said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?
When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them. Fresh ones purchased at the market should be able
to match that burn, right? But lately it seems they're not. They have a
bit of burn to your mouth but not much...and I have no problems handling
them when cutting them up.
Have I become chile jaded?

Some stupormarket japs I find are fairly mild, not much more hot than green
bell peppers...others are fairly hot, and that includes the canned ones.
Pretty much all the canned ones I've tried have been fairly hot...

Jalapenos became very popular a few years back, they were used by big chains
such as TGIF, Chili's, etc. for stuff like jalapeno poppers. Maybe these
chains put in "orders" for milder japs and the growers complied? Who
knows...

--
Best
Greg

Goomba38 said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?
When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them. Fresh ones purchased at the market should be able
to match that burn, right? But lately it seems they're not. They have a
bit of burn to your mouth but not much...and I have no problems handling
them when cutting them up.
Have I become chile jaded?
Goomba

Goomba,

I've been saying the exact same thing for a while. Jalapenos use to
be moderately hot, but not anymore. I think they are deliberately
toning them down so people can eat their peppers and be "manly" about
it.

Ken

Goomba38 said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?
When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them. Fresh ones purchased at the market should be able
to match that burn, right? But lately it seems they're not. They have a
bit of burn to your mouth but not much...and I have no problems handling
them when cutting them up.
Have I become chile jaded?
Goomba

Jalop-neos vary. I like the big fresh ones with plenty of stress cracks.
In Texas TAMs are popular .. developed at Texas A&M for no heat. I prefer
some heat. It seems to me that the small ones have more heat that the big
smooth ones. It is about the soil and climate conditions..just like
everything that grows. Trappey brand (b&g) sucks for jalapenos and most
everything they make IMO.

jay

In article <[email hidden]>,

Goomba38 said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?
When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them. Fresh ones purchased at the market should be able
to match that burn, right? But lately it seems they're not. They have a
bit of burn to your mouth but not much...and I have no problems handling
them when cutting them up.
Have I become chile jaded?
Goomba

I've purchased Melissa's mild jalapenos. They were clearly marked as a
new, mild variety. Delicious if your looking for jalapeno flavor w/o
the heat. Haven't seen the seeds yet. I like them hot too. 🙂

Emma

Goomba38 said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?
When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them. Fresh ones purchased at the market should be able
to match that burn, right? But lately it seems they're not. They have a
bit of burn to your mouth but not much...and I have no problems handling
them when cutting them up.
Have I become chile jaded?

No, you've probably just become desensitized. Vinegar seems to
intensify capsaicin.

A lot is dependant on the growing conditions. I grew some
tasteless, heatless jalapenos one year. And they weren't the
TAM-2 jalapenos, eitther.

-sw

Goomba38 said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?
When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them.

Your experiences are not imagined. There are just a few variables you
are not considering. First, the canned. Those suckers are pressure
cooked right along with a most of the seeds. That whole damn can is
gonna be one hot mix. Second, for the fresh jalapenos, Ken is right.
Many commercial varieties are undoubtedly dumbed down for the gringo
consumer. I got so I thought my tolerance was pretty high eating
those damn things till my Mexican neighbor offered me one of her fresh
home grown's. It was green and shiny and just like the store bought,
so I chomped off a big ol' piece and start munchin' away. Whoa!
....sucker 'bout took my head off. Beware. All hali-peeneys are not
equal.

nb

On Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:46:48 -0400, Goomba38 <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?

Fresh jalapenos have always been mild, goomba.

Quoted message said:

When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them. Fresh ones purchased at the market should be able
to match that burn, right? But lately it seems they're not. They have a
bit of burn to your mouth but not much...and I have no problems handling
them when cutting them up.
Have I become chile jaded?

Honestly, I have no idea. I just know that when a recipe calls for
"mild" I buy jalapenos and I am never sorry.

--
See return address to reply by email

Goomba38 wrote on 17 Apr 2007 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?
When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them. Fresh ones purchased at the market should be able
to match that burn, right? But lately it seems they're not. They have a
bit of burn to your mouth but not much...and I have no problems handling
them when cutting them up.
Have I become chile jaded?
Goomba

For some reason Pickling them in vinegar make them hotter AFAICT.

Goomba38 said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?
When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them. Fresh ones purchased at the market should be able
to match that burn, right? But lately it seems they're not. They have a
bit of burn to your mouth but not much...and I have no problems handling
them when cutting them up.
Have I become chile jaded?
Goomba

I've noticed that also. Even leaving the seeds they remain weak. Of
course I don't use them that often...DD and I are the only ones who like
spicy in my family. Then we just use the Trappey's in red beans or on
nachos.

--
"I'm thinking that if this dilemma grows any more horns, I'm going to
shoot it and put it up on the wall."

- Harry Dresden

This is exactly what I discovered several years ago. Yet occasionally
my market would have wonderfully hot ones. I asked if they would at
least post the country or origin, but to no avail.

On 17 Apr 2007 20:15:02 -0700, Ken <[email hidden]>
wrote:

|I've been saying the exact same thing for a while. Jalapenos use to
|be moderately hot, but not anymore. I think they are deliberately
|toning them down so people can eat their peppers and be "manly" about
|it.
|
|Ken

Barry In Indy

Steve Wertz said:

Vinegar seems to
intensify capsaicin.

...or is it because you have a large mix of various degrees of heat in each
pepper that is blended in the pickling process and they take on the hottest
common denominator? .. assuming they were not predominately mild or TAM to
start with. It seems to me that vinegar makes them less hot. I took some
HOT homegrown ones and sliced and put them in vinegar and they were not as
hot and in fact were sort of mild in a few days.

I always buy the Mexican brands of the pickled ones by the gallon..like San
Marcos or La Costena. Jalapenos by Del Monte will not be the same.

jay

notbob said:

Goomba38 said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?
When I buy jarred sliced jalapenos, particular Trappey brand, they have
a wicked burn to them.

Your experiences are not imagined. There are just a few variables you
are not considering. First, the canned. Those suckers are pressure
cooked right along with a most of the seeds. That whole damn can is
gonna be one hot mix. Second, for the fresh jalapenos, Ken is right.
Many commercial varieties are undoubtedly dumbed down for the gringo
consumer. I got so I thought my tolerance was pretty high eating
those damn things till my Mexican neighbor offered me one of her fresh
home grown's. It was green and shiny and just like the store bought,
so I chomped off a big ol' piece and start munchin' away. Whoa!
...sucker 'bout took my head off. Beware. All hali-peeneys are not
equal.

Well, on the bottled/canned line I notice that the Old El Paso brand are
pretty damn weak but the Trappey brand from Louisiana will give a
gooooood burn to things.
But I want to find fresh ones that are hot enough. As was suggested,
I'll look for ones with a reddish hue next time and see if that helps?

Goomba38 said:

As was suggested,
I'll look for ones with a reddish hue next time and see if that helps?

A red/reddish jalapeno is a green one that is ripening and has nothing to
do with how hot the pepper will be.

jay

Goomba38 <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?

Unfortunately, the loss of zip to jalapenos neither your
imagination nor is it likely to improve within the foreseeable
future. As has been mentioned, agro-biz has dumbed down the heat
and played with the jalapeno exterior to make them appeal to a
greater number of people. Think of red delicious apples and how
tastelessly perfect they've become and that's what's happened to
this previously perfect pepper.

If you have them available, visit one of your local nurseries that
specializes in heirloom plants (or seeds). I have nine pepper
plants in my backyard that require very little maintenance; a
2-gallon pot to set in the sun and timed watering. I've been doing
this for the last six years. The heat from the heirlooms (serano,
jalapeno, and Anaheim) is often almost-painful. Most of my
neighbors love it when I give them the over-flow (the Germans next
door are a little less enthusiastic for some reason) from my
garden.

The cost of a plant is the same price as the per pound you'll pay
in the grocery store for fresh, and you can pick'em whenever the
mood strikes you. Plus, you'll have the plants producing for six
months. It's really a win-win situation.

The Ranger

"The Ranger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Goomba38 <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is it my imagination or have fresh jalapenos become a bit wimpy?

Unfortunately, the loss of zip to jalapenos neither your imagination nor
is it likely to improve within the foreseeable future. As has been
mentioned, agro-biz has dumbed down the heat and played with the jalapeno
exterior to make them appeal to a greater number of people. Think of red
delicious apples and how tastelessly perfect they've become and that's
what's happened to this previously perfect pepper.

If you have them available, visit one of your local nurseries that
specializes in heirloom plants (or seeds). I have nine pepper plants in my
backyard that require very little maintenance; a 2-gallon pot to set in
the sun and timed watering. I've been doing this for the last six years.
The heat from the heirlooms (serano, jalapeno, and Anaheim) is often
almost-painful. Most of my neighbors love it when I give them the
over-flow (the Germans next door are a little less enthusiastic for some
reason) from my garden.

The cost of a plant is the same price as the per pound you'll pay in the
grocery store for fresh, and you can pick'em whenever the mood strikes
you. Plus, you'll have the plants producing for six months. It's really a
win-win situation.

The Ranger

I'm with The Ranger on this since I have a jalapeno, habanera and a cayenne
pepper plant that I grow once a year. In the growing season here in Kentucky
I harvest enough of all 3 to keep me going the whole year. I think I spent a
dollar for each plant at Lowes around the corner from my house. Oh and those
I grow have been hot as expected.

--

Joe Cilinceon

Joe Cilinceon said:

Quoted message said:

The cost of a plant is the same price as the per pound you'll pay in the
grocery store for fresh, and you can pick'em whenever the mood strikes
you. Plus, you'll have the plants producing for six months. It's really a
win-win situation.

The Ranger

I'm with The Ranger on this since I have a jalapeno, habanera and a cayenne
pepper plant that I grow once a year. In the growing season here in Kentucky
I harvest enough of all 3 to keep me going the whole year. I think I spent a
dollar for each plant at Lowes around the corner from my house. Oh and those
I grow have been hot as expected.

Thank you both Ranger and Joe-I might have to try this. I've already
planted my deck pots for the season (my tomatoes are already a foot
high) but could yet find another empty pot and fill it. How do you
store them when you can't eat them all fresh?

Goomba38 <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[..] How do you store them when you can't
eat them all fresh?

I'm generous to a fault with the bounty from my front and
backyards (which is why _stealing_ the fruit irks me so) with
friends and family. I tend not to like to freeze fresh produce
saving my limited freezer space for larger quantities of beef and
chicken, fish and pork products.

Am told by those that do hold over their produce for extended
times that the most (green, jalapenos, Anaheims, and seranos)
freeze right nice whole (or sliced) a la Alton Brown's method
(vac-sealed and then dry-iced to quick-freeze.)

The Ranger

"Goomba38" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thank you both Ranger and Joe-I might have to try this. I've already
planted my deck pots for the season (my tomatoes are already a foot high)
but could yet find another empty pot and fill it. How do you store them
when you can't eat them all fresh?

In my case I pick them as needed during the season. Once the end is near to
the growing season I harvest what is left and either dehydrate or freeze.
The dehydrated peppers I will grind up enough to fill to of the larger spice
jars for seasoning and store the rest in a dry dark place in my pantry. I
had good results with freezing them. I plant all my pepper plants in a 12"
dia x 10" high planter, one plant per pot..

--

Joe Cilinceon