This probably doesn't help you now in March, but I sometimes ask a jalapeno vendor at the Farmers Market to bring some red ones the next week if they have any. I'm told they often have them at the farm (left on the vine to turn from green to red) but don't always bring them to market. They're so pretty and look especially great in guacamole.
I agree that they are very easy to grow, but I find that I don't really use enough jalapenos to warrant growing them myself.
Jalapeños definitely turn red, but they will resist doing so until they think it is the end of the line for them. If you want jalapeños and other chilies to ripen faster, plant them/place your planter in the sunniest, warmest place in your garden, and do not over water them. Of course, this means that they will probably be a bit hotter too, as they produce more capsaicin when exposed to hot & dry conditions.
tasha, i am wondering if you are referring to Chipotle chiles, which are smoked jalapenos that turn mahogany red from the smoking. They are sold dried(along with many other kinds of Mexican dried chiles) in Mexican or Latin markets. But they are most comonly found canned in an adobo sauce and can be pureed (or not) and stored in the freezer forEVER! They give a distinctly smoky heat to whatever they are in. They are used in all kinds of dishes from chipotle aioli to marinades to stews to sauces. Are you trying to make something cooked or something fresh like an uncooked salsa or taco filling?
Look in the produce market on lower Spadina & other Chinatowns), Indian area on Gerrard East, maybe Korean markets (Bloor west of Bathurst). Or any good produce markets you may hear of, like Harvest Wagon.
Given the season (here and in Toronto) this probably isn't immediately helpful, but jalapenos are ridiculously easy to grow and turn red if left on the vine. I do them in a pot every summer and they produce abundantly - and I'm a serial killer when it comes to gardening.
I would just use Fresno chilies- very similar in most respects. Jalapeños sold in supermarkets are intentionally picked when they are green. You would have to store them in a bag and hope that they turn red before they go bad, or plant some in your garden or planter now and grow them yourself (which is very doable).
9 Comments
I agree that they are very easy to grow, but I find that I don't really use enough jalapenos to warrant growing them myself.