Spice it up with our peppers

With a pepper, we can turn a simple dish into a real flavour bomb. And you can take that bomb literally. Because if you choose the wrong pepper or are too enthusiastic when seasoning, it might explode in your mouth. You can get peppers in all shapes, colours and especially flavours. From a pleasantly spicy aroma to varieties that set your mouth on fire 🔥.

So always do some research before using the chillies in the kitchen! And preferably use gloves with the very spicy varieties. To make it a little easier for you, we have already arranged our different chillies according to their level of spiciness. The rule of thumb is: the smaller, the spicier. But is this really true?

From mild to incredibly fiery

What makes the peppers so spicy is the substance  capsaicin. But harvest time is also an important factor! The longer you leave the fruit on the plant, the redder and sweeter it gets, just like a tomato. However, there is another important element to take into account, and that is that the capsaicin absorbs more of the fruit and becomes more spicy. That's why the green chillies are usually a bit milder than the red ones.

🌶️ Padron pepper

You will often find these peppers grilled on a Spanish tapas plate. They have a mild flavour, but every now and then you may also find a surprisingly spicy one. These peppers are slightly larger, namely 8 cm, and have a green colour.

🌶️ Spanish pepper

Next in line is the chili, also known as the red pepper. It is very popular and can be found in almost every supermarket. The red pepper has a sharp flavour without making you reach for a glass of milk immediately. Remove the seeds for a mild flavour. On the same level we find the green pepper. This one has a bit more bite and is slightly more bitter in taste.

🌶️ Jalapeño peper

At number 3, we have the Jalapeño pepper: this Mexican rascal immediately adds a bit of spice to your plate, without being too distracting. It is actually a smaller version of the chilli. It has a sweet flavour and is available in a red or green colour. The fruits are cone-shaped and about 4 to 8 cm long. It comes into its own in a salsa or stew.

🌶️ Piri piri

Piri piri literally means red devils in Swahili. And we are not talking about our national football team. Little devils they certainly are, as they have caused steam to come out of many people's ears. They are often used dried in spice mixtures or added fresh to all kinds of sauces and marinades.

🌶️ Chocolate habanero

The Chocolate habanero's or habanero's Congo Black have the dubious honour of being in our first place. These peppers are not for the faint-hearted. They get their name from their full brown chocolate coloured skin but they are not easy to eat! With their smoky aroma, they do very well in a spicy BBQ sauce. The fruits are about 5 cm long and 4 cm wide, and have the shape of a small shriveled (pointed) pepper.  This variety belongs to the world's most spicy peppers so you have been warned!

Location

Peppers prefer to be as warm as possible. That is why they do well in the greenhouse! Don't have a greenhouse in your garden? Then you can also plant them in the open ground. Choose the sunniest spot in your garden and make sure the soil is humus-rich and airy. Peppers belong to the nightshade family, from which also the potato and tomato plants originate. They are therefore also susceptible to potato late blight or Phytophthora. By weekly pruning you ensure that fewer leaves are produced and the chance of fungal diseases is smaller. Do you still spot affected leaves? Then pluck them off as quickly as possible!

Ideal for the terrace or balcony is the Patio or pot pepper! This is a low-growing shrub with upright fruits. You can also plant the other types of pepper in a large pot and place a bamboo stick in it to guide them upwards. Again, it is important to choose the warmest spot in your garden (e.g. against a stone wall).

Harvest

You can harvest the peppers either ripe or unripe. Usually, the fruits start with a green colour that turns white, yellow, orange or red, depending on the ripening process and variety.

Would you like to read more spicy articles? 👇

• Planting tomatoes & peppers in pots
• How do you remove the axillary shoots from tomato and pepper plants?
• Spice it up with our spicy veggie burger