Chilli pepper: Jalapeño

Description

Jalapeño chillis feature in most Mexican style dishes in South Africa. They’re very popular here and are easy to grow. Their fresh, warm to hot flavours are fabulous in cooking – anything from poppers to pickled, roasted or smoked. 

Chillis are long-season crops so the earlier you sow the better. That’s not to say that late season plants can’t over winter and produce a second year running, if pruned judiciously and protected in frost areas. Plant in well-composted soil and stake if necessary as they grow (to support the fruit-bearing branches and in case of wind).

The jalapeño rates between 3,000 and 8,000 on the Scoville scale of hotness. 

Did you know? Well, if you’ve read this far you probably did know that chillis are good for you … and you want some, now! That feel-good sensation after eating something hot isn’t just a figment of your imagination as your body reacts by releasing endorphins into your bloodstream. So you’ll feel the pain but in a good way. Ask any chilli head.