Chili
Red chili peppers have been around since 500BC, originating from Central America. Red chili peppers aren’t actually peppers at all; they are a red, hot fruit. It is believed that by consuming just a little chili pepper each day helps us fall asleep and stay asleep longer, adding a little fresh cut chili to your evening meal may also help you feel more awake the next day. Peppers take time to fully ripen but it’s beautiful and inviting harvest is well worth the wait.
There are many mouth-watering dishes you could create with just a simple red hot chili pepper.
Below are a few ideas you could experiment with in your kitchen:
- Pickled chilies. One of the first things to do with hot peppers is to pickle them.
- Dry your peppers.
- Create your own hot sauce.
- Create a chili jam.
- Fresh salsa.
Chili seeds should sprout within 7-21 days and will be ready to harvest in 14-18 weeks. Red hot chili peppers grow best at temperatures of 17°-35°.
Your plant will form flowers and fruits at the top, do not cut or prune your plant before fruiting. Once your plant is flowering it will need to be pollinated by hand, you can do this by gently shaking your plant to carry pollen from one blossom to the next.
Your peppers should be picked while they are still firm and crisp, don’t wait for them to become soft or wrinkle. Do not consume the stems or leaves of the plant as they are poisonous.