# No heat in jalapeño peppers



## Dina (Aug 10, 2008)

I was slicing some jalapeños for our pico de gallo and noticed there was absolutely *no* heat in them. It's almost as I'm having a bell pepper. I know they had been banned from our grocery store for a while due to salmonella. I wonder if they're being grown differently that they have NO heat. Blah! Has anyone experienced this? What would be the cause of them not being hot at all? Hmmm.  What would you add to make the pico de gallo spicy enough?


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## GB (Aug 10, 2008)

I have had that happen before. The first year I grew them that happened. I was very disappointed. 

For your pico de gallo just and a different hot pepper.


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## kitchenelf (Aug 10, 2008)

If you don't have a habanero or something like that I guess just a few shakes of hot sauce?  How disappointing!  The ones I put in my gazpacho today sure had heat.  I must have gotten a clump of them in one bite!


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## BreezyCooking (Aug 10, 2008)

It happens.  It's a both common & curious phenomenon with peppers.  I've had Jalapenos come off the exact same plant in my own garden both mild & hot.  Go figure. 

And these days there are specific varieties of "no-heat" Jalapenos for those who want the taste without the heat.  Frankly, I don't understand those at all, since to me at least, Jalapenos don't really have a very distinctive taste without the heat (unlike other hot peppers).

Add some of your favorite hot pepper sauce or a few shakes of crushed red pepper flakes to liven things up.  That's what I do.


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## suziquzie (Aug 10, 2008)

I think I read buckytom say somewhere that peppers need to get stressed out (have dry spells I think) to get spicy.....
But who can really believe that guy?


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## sattie (Aug 10, 2008)

suziquzie said:


> I think I read buckytom say somewhere that peppers need to get stressed out (have dry spells I think) to get spicy.....
> But who can really believe that guy?


 
Yep!  I do believe I read the same thing myself.  Mine should be plenty hot cuz they are getting stressed every day here!  101 today... shew!


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## GrillingFool (Aug 10, 2008)

I dunno, my cayenne peppers growing outside are plenty stressed... 100+ heat, 
I barely water them...
Nice sweet mild peppers, eat em like candy. Of course, I have become a bit of a pepperhead, so.....
   

I'd add crushed red pepper flakes too.


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## Dave Hutchins (Aug 10, 2008)

Texas A&M university has bred some jalapeno's with no heat at all this could be what you bought sad to say I agree what is a pepper with out heat.


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## sattie (Aug 11, 2008)

GrillingFool said:


> I dunno, my cayenne peppers growing outside are plenty stressed... 100+ heat,
> I barely water them...
> Nice sweet mild peppers, eat em like candy. Of course, I have become a bit of a pepperhead, so.....
> 
> ...


 
I think I have that problem too... what seems mild or weak to me, DH is dying when he eats it!  Wimpy!!


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## Dina (Aug 11, 2008)

Thanks you all.  I managed to save the pico de gallo.  Tossed in some Herdez Mexican canned sauce I had in the pantry...with lots of jalapeños, onions and garlic.  The sauce tasted even better than my original pico.  Tossed about 5 tablespoons over the beef fajitas that DH grilled, wrapped in warm corn tortillas, topped with sour cream and guacamole.  Voila!


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## expatgirl (Aug 11, 2008)

don't know if this is true or not but a stockman once told me it was due to the soil they're grown in as well as the variety........and I'm like you....just label them as hot or mild then people won't be disappointed..........I personally love them HOT!!


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## buckytom (Aug 11, 2008)

yup, 'twas me who posted such.

stressing has more to do with watering if the heat is there. the plant should actually just begin to go limp or drop some flowers before you water again. the problem is if you go too far it really just dies or takes forever to flower and fruit again.

did you know that a lot of pollen becomes inactive above 90 degrees? veggies like tomatoes just won't pollinate when it's that hot.

my first few years of growing hot peppers weren't very hot, just as many are experiencing. i read about the stress technique, and had subsequent good years of jalapenos, hot cherry, and even red savinas.

this year, we've had a lot of rain, so all of my hot peppers are wimpy. 
i'm hoping that by letting them go longer on the plant, they'll get hotter. unfortunately, that darn little pepper weevil is back and is destroying much of my crop. i'm tempted to spray, but i won't. it's not worth adding the chemicals for what's gonna be a wimpy crop anyway.

getting back to the topic: the only other factor could be soil composition, but that gets kinda tricky. you need soil that drains well, in keeping with the watering idea.


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## GotGarlic (Aug 11, 2008)

buckytom said:


> yup, 'twas me who posted such.
> 
> stressing has more to do with watering if the heat is there. the plant should actually just begin to go limp or drop some flowers before you water again. the problem is if you go too far it really just dies or takes forever to flower and fruit again.
> 
> ...



There's a possible organic control for those pepper weevils, Bucky. From ARS Project: SUSTAINABLE AND ORGANIC MANAGEMENT OF SELECTED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES (408493) Annual Report:

Garlic extract reduces pepper weevil infestation of bell peppers: The pepper weevil is a key pest of peppers, and control even with conventional pesticides has not been optimal. In cooperation between the Integrated Farming & Natural Resources Research Unit, Weslaco, TX, and two scientists from Texas A&M University, garlic extract and kaolin particle film were each applied biweekly to field plots of bell peppers in Hidalgo County. Preliminary results suggest that the garlic extract suppressed pepper weevil infestation of pepper fruit as well as the conventional insecticide.​


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## QSis (Aug 11, 2008)

Dave Hutchins said:


> Texas A&M university has bred some jalapeno's with no heat at all this could be what you bought sad to say I agree what is a pepper with out heat.


 
I grew some of those from seed a couple of years ago, Dave, thinking that the peppers would have the flavor of a jalapeno without being too hot. Well, there was NO heat at all, and the flavor was exactly like a bell pepper. The peppers were just SHAPED like jalapenos.

Now I just buy one jalapeno plant per year (to make Atomic Buffalo Turds) and, as someone mentioned, the peppers from the same plant vary in heat from mild to OMG!

Weird.

Lee


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## BreezyCooking (Aug 11, 2008)

> Tossed in some Herdez Mexican canned sauce I had in the pantry...


 
Yup - I too always have some Herdez canned products in my pantry.  They're very well made, fresh tasting, & work well as an impromptu salsa, enchilada sauce, or taco topping.


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## B'sgirl (Aug 11, 2008)

Use serrano peppers. They taste better anyway.


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## LEFSElover (Aug 12, 2008)

Man who knew this thread was here?
Honestly, I need to get glasses.
Thank you all so much.
I'm going to ask an ADMIN to adjust my thread that I just started about my jalepeno's.
You all are soooooooooooooooooooooo knowledgeable.
Hats off


suziquzie said:


> I think I read buckytom say somewhere that peppers need to get stressed out (have dry spells I think) to get spicy.....
> But who can really believe that guy?


not me! hahahahah, couldn't resist, he's such a sweetheart, wanted to get him to pay attention
Now I'll be serious.
I just posted about this same thing and KE directed me here.
I hadn't read this. I do remember buckytom saying something about having to shock some type of pepper that should have been hot but wasn't.
I grew mine from seeds from a jalepeno I'd bought that was hotter'en he!!
These though, look just like the prettiest jalepeno's you've ever seen.
But they taste exactly like green bell peppers.
They are in a clay huge pot, on my patio, plenty of water, so probably too much of that, good drainage. Most potting soil, SuperSoil and our dirt that is very much and mostly sandy soil at best.


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## Dina (Aug 17, 2008)

B'sgirl said:


> Use serrano peppers. They taste better anyway.


 
I usually do just that they weren't selling at the time.  I hope I get better peppers next time.


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## razkeys (Sep 24, 2008)

I have also grown jalapenos this year and am finding the ones I harvested today in end September in New ENgland to have some ok heat, however, I've never had so many be duds.  I have to only guess that it flowered at a cool time per the earlier post.  I used to live in Kansas and the jalapenos there could take your face off.  I only have to believe it is because of the warmer temps. Again, just a guess, but thats been my experioence.


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## blissful (Sep 24, 2008)

I agree with buckytom, I've grown jalapeno peppers that were so hot they ruined the oil I was making poppers in, the poppers were unedible. It was a dry summer and they didn't have enough water. For me, my opinion is, that they need some dry time and to be watered too (or rained on). That will get you a balanced warm pepper.


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## jkath (Sep 24, 2008)

Then how come mine are reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelly hot and I have watered them every day (quite well) since they were seeds? (and it's been really hot too)


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## LEFSElover (Sep 24, 2008)

I've stressed mine to death, used one last night no two, for hubbys nacho's and no heat, bell pepper flavored jalepeno's


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