browsing: garden to table — peppers

Prehistoric pepper plant remains show the plants existed and were cultivated in Central and South America. Columbus brought them to Europe in 1493, where they became very popular. The only pepper known at the time was the black and white spice we keep in our shakers. Noting that the fruit was “hotter than the pepper of the Caucasus,” the European name “pepper” stuck. Except for Tabasco and habanero, peppers belong to the Capsicum annuum group of the Capsicum species.

The Scoville scale is a measurement of the spiciness of peppers and other spicy foods, as recorded in Scoville Heat Units. The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville, whose 1912 method is known as the Scoville organoleptic test. It ranges from 0 (the least spicy, including bell and banana peppers) to the almost inedible 2,200,000 (ghost peppers). Jalapénos come in at about 5,000-15,000, and chiltepins about 100,000–350,000.

Plants are grown with organic potting mix and fertilizer.