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TomatoNut95
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Location: Texas Zone 8

Heatless Hot Peppers and Kinda Flavorless

I don't understand at all what would make a fireball pepper go flat. I just harvested one of my New Mexico peppers to make a a spray out of. I cut it open and cut a bit and put it in my mouth to see how much it would burn my tongue and...... NOTHING. NADA. ZILCHO. Oh it smelled good, but there was no nip of heat whatsoever! WHAT HAPPENED???? Even the flavor was weak. But this wasn't the first time: You know my BlackHungarian peppers? They're supposed to have a nip to them but that one I picked and tried was totally blah! No heat and weak flavor!

Also my Italian sweet pepper (had to pull out the seed packet to get the name right this time) Friariello Di Napoli. The packet says the peppers are known for their sweet distinctive flavor. Sweet, yes; distinctive, no. Flavor was seemingly weaker than a sweet banana!

What is going on? I've had mildly hot peppers turn into balls of fire before but NEVER had a hot pepper go sweet on me!

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TNCatHerder
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How hot is it there? I read that capsaicin production was directly related to heat during fruiting.

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TomatoNut95
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Temperatures have been in the hot 80's during the day. 60's at night.

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TNCatHerder
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Shouldn't be your issue then.

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TomatoNut95
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I'm wondering if maybe they're either getting too much rain, or too much or not enough fertilize?

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applestar
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Of course that (watering) would affect their flavor. I have always heard it said that fruit flavor changes over the season, too.

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kayjay
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Silly question, but they were ripe, right? Mine seem to get hotter the riper they are, with green ones basically tasting like grass clippings.

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applestar
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Ha! My older daughter is not a pepper fan, and said the same thing — “tastes like grass” ...I asked her oh what does grass taste like :lol:

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TomatoNut95
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Lol, 'grass' is pretty much what that sweet Italian pepper and the New Mexico chillies tasted like!

@Kayjay, no, none of the peppers I pick were ripe/mature. I always pick them before they turn red. However, I have a couple more of the Italian peppers I am leaving on the plant to turn red. If I like they way they taste at maturity, I'll save the seed from them as don't have any more of the original seed.

@applestar, so you're saying that if the hot pepper plants are getting too much water, then that would cause them to not turn hot? Up until now I have not given most of my peppers much water. All next week however, too much rain is in the forecast. I'll have to tell my onions good-bye I guess.



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