floshoe
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:40 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

What the heck have I grown?

Hi. I am brand new to this site, and also to vegetable gardening. I did my first garden this year and it has been quite fun and adventurous.

I got some pepper plants at the plant store which were supposed to be mild. The plants have remained strangely miniature, and started growing cute little green peppers. Then the green peppers started turning yellow/orange. I didn't know if this was normal??

Anyway, I picked a few tonight to put in some spaghetti sauce. Luckily, I tasted one before I put it in the sauce, and OH MY GOD!!! I spit it out as soon as it hit my tongue, but it still felt like my tongue was on fire! I had to rinse my tongue under cold running water for like 5 minutes, and then ate some ice cream. I am finally feeling recovered.

So, what have I grown? Is it possible these are habeneros? They are about 2 inches tall, yellow/orange and the skins are pretty thin. Eek!

P.S. I just remembered I sprayed cayenne spray on my tomatoes to keep the squirrels away. Maybe I put it on the peppers too and it didn't come off when I washed them? I don't think so, this is MUCH hotter than cayenne, although I might go lick one of my tomatoes to make sure that its not the spray I was tasting.

Thanks! Floshoe

sixshooter
Senior Member
Posts: 110
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2008 2:00 pm
Location: Davison Mi

hahaah go lick a tomato. can you post a picture of the peppers?

floshoe
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:40 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

I will post a photo. However, I have done some research on the internet and found a site by a guy who is apparently CRAZY about peppers. He has photos of every pepper known to man, recipes, hot sauce reviews, an explanation of the scoville scale, etc.

Anyway, it appears I have some habeneros on hand. I have no idea what I will do with them, I am actually sort of terrified of them now.

Thanks!

P.S. I got brave and took a tiny taste of my hot pepper spray/pest repellent and it was not remotely as hot as this flaming pepper.

cynthia_h
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7500
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

I'm so SORRY you have excess habaneros. If you're not expecting them, they can wreak havoc on your tongue, throat, esophagus, and stomach, and then...well...lower down...

Anyway, I would normally say compost the critters, but DO NOT DO THIS. Why not? => the seeds will propagate in the compost, and you will have zillions of habanero seedlings. So...

I recommend investing in some disposable latex gloves. While wearing these gloves, pick each and every habanero off the bush(es). Throw these peppers away in their very own plastic bag, either tied or zipped shut, and add your gloves to the bag. THEN compost the plants, roots, stems, leaves, and all.

How could a nursery have made this kind of mistake??? Just imagine if a kid had gotten ahold of these things--s/he'd be screaming bloody murder and no one could figure out why! :x

Hope everything eases up soon.

Oh, yes: for hot pepper oil in the mouth, I've heard the following useful recommendations--

--buttered bread
--buttered tortilla
--plain rice
--beer (haven't tried this one, can't drink)
--ice cream
--milk (full fat if available, low fat if not. skim will NOT work; it's the fat that's key here)

Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17

floshoe
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:40 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

The plot thickens . . .

I picked 3 of these orange peppers from 2 different plants. When my husband got home, I cut off a tiny piece of one and gave it to him to try (with prior warning) to see if I was crazy. He put the tiny bite in his mouth, and as I was waiting for the explosion, he said he didn't think they were hot at all. What???

Then I found a little piece of the one I had tried and gave that one to him and, holy cow!, he said "Oh my God!" and immediately spit it into the sink.

I then got brave and tried a little bite of the one he tasted first, and, yes, its very mild.

So I have one pepper plant with mild orange peppers and one plant with habaneros, but I'm not sure which one is which! Upon further examination, though, the habeneros are flat on the bottom, sort of like a very small bell pepper, and the mild ones are pointier on the bottom. We'll see, though . . .

Thanks again! Floshoe

noqgardener
Full Member
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:04 am
Location: Zone 4

I was going to say habenero but you already figured it out. my husband would probably love to see the "crazy about peppers site" you mentioned

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smokensqueal
Green Thumb
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:36 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO Metro area

Don't throw them out :cry: I my self am a pepper hater any type it doesn't matter but I know many people that would LOVE to have habeneros. Just ask a few neighbors or co workers and I'm sure someone would be glad to take them off your hands.

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rootsy
Green Thumb
Posts: 435
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 1:58 pm
Location: Litchfield, Michigan

beer does not work....

carbonated beverages in general do not do anything but magnify the situation.

Dairy products help. Water is a momentary fix.

sixshooter
Senior Member
Posts: 110
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2008 2:00 pm
Location: Davison Mi

floshoe wrote:I will post a photo. However, I have done some research on the internet and found a site by a guy who is apparently CRAZY about peppers. He has photos of every pepper known to man, recipes, hot sauce reviews, an explanation of the scoville scale, etc.

Anyway, it appears I have some habeneros on hand. I have no idea what I will do with them, I am actually sort of terrified of them now.

Thanks!

P.S. I got brave and took a tiny taste of my hot pepper spray/pest repellent and it was not remotely as hot as this flaming pepper.
Will you post a link to the site for the pepper crazy guys pepper photos? :D

arboricola
Senior Member
Posts: 224
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:07 pm
Location: Minnesota zone 4

Here's a couple of links for you pepper lovers.

https://www.pepperjoe.com/

https://www.peppergal.com/

Phil...

rondo769
Cool Member
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 10:13 pm
Location: converse,IN

The best thing I have discovered for calming the hot is to eat a spoonful of peanutbutter it really works!!



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