There are hundreds of varieties of hot peppers – varying in levels of from rather tame to ‘fire breathing,’ but all are very nutritious, high in vitamins C and A and betacarotene levels, and are also mildly antibacterial.
On our farm we grow:
Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper: A mild-tasting chili, practically benign when immature and light green. Often they will build up heat as the hotter days of summer progress. Excellent grilled and stuffed.
Jalapeno: A famous, moderately hot green chili with a red blush.
Ring of Fire Cayenne : Glossy, fire engine red hot peppers that will ‘burn, burn, burn..’ as Johnny Cash would say. Great eaten fresh or dried and made into powder.
Thai Hot Pepper: Small packages of intense heat! Small conical peppers ripen to bright red, which contrast beautifully with their bright green leaves. Whole plants and branches can be dried and stored.
Storage and Selection: Choose hot peppers that have tight, glossy skin with no trace of bruising or soft, wet spots. Store them in a loosely sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator – they will keep up to 1 week.
Culinary Warning: Extreme care should be taken with handling hot peppers, as the volatile juices can be transferred to eyes and other sensitive parts of the body via the hands. In general, red chilies are hotter than green or yellow chilies, and the smaller the chilies, the hotter it will be.
Information from: The Produce Bible by Leanne Kitchen