They're not hot because they're grown the same regular peppers are. Jalapeños need to be stressed. You need to withhold water until they start to wilt. Wilting stresses the plant and creates hotter jalapeños.
I know this is a very late comment! But I have been buy different varieties of jalapeños and have found that while some varieties pack the heat and the characteristic jalapeño flavor, others have no flavor at all (they just taste almost like regular bell peppers), even though they all look like jalapeños. Since I buy jalapeños for their flavor, imagine the disappointment when they turn out to have nothing in them.
Also, when grown from seeds, the ones with true jalapeño flavor do produce tasty pods that have the right jalapeño flavor. Hope that helps.
What a great question! In particular I was surprised by the answers of ChefDaddy and jenmmcd. Last summer we had a whole garden of shishito peppers (usually not hotter than a green bell pepper) that were so hot even I, the chilehead, had a hard time getting them to my mouth. The neighbors said the same thing. Since our seeds were different but had the same amount of rain that really explains a lot. Thank you.
This is infuriating to me. I don't care how hot they are, I just crave that delicious jalapeño flavor--which is nonexistent in these new "green turd" peppers. I HATE how commercial farms are ruining food by breeding these over-sized, brightly-colored, tasteless abominations. You can't find good strawberries anywhere, and I haven't had a good cantaloupe in thirty years! It's no wonder we eat
Great answers here! I would also like to add that when growing Jalapenos I have found here in the Pacific NW that tomatoes and peppers in general do really well growing up against a fence with good sun exposure. My own thoughts are is that the fence radiates heat. I stained my fence dark green and the success of my tomatoes and peppers have been unbelievable. Although my compost tea plays some role in that success.
There are no devious scientists extracting hot DNA from the genes of jalapenos, so "modified" is not the most accurate word to use in this instance--unless you consider inbreeding to be the same as genetic modification. Since 2002, the TAM (for Texas A&M University, but feel free to pronounce it like "tame") jalapeno went through 12 breeding generations (the dumbing-down process) before plant scientists could grant the wishes of consumers who wanted a pepper that had none of the heat but all of the flavor of a jalapeno. The wusses (my second son included) who buy the mild jalapenos also like them because they are bigger, easier to roast, de-seed and de-rib.
The TAM jalapeno, it turns out, is a boon to growers, too: it will grow in a desert, it is resistant to viruses, skin cracking and the development of anthocyanin, which causes those harmless black streaks that shoppers nonetheless abhor. Growers also like the TAM jalapeno because they tend to mature all at once instead of a few at a time, which means they're easier to harvest and which cuts down on labor costs.
I don't think your problem is the fault of scientists, commercial growers or milquetoast consumers. I think the fault lies with your retailer (or local farmer) for not knowing their product. Because they don't know about (or don't care about) the two different varieties of jalapenos, they slap on the "jalapeno" label but leave off the "hot" or "mild." You, as the consumer with the pleasure of giving them your money, need to let the department manager and the store manager and the CEO know that if the mis-labeling continues, the cash you spend at their store will also begin to lose its heat. I mean, if they assume that all jalapenos are hot, can you trust them to not make other erroneous assumptions?
In the meantime, if you're at a farmers' market, the grower will know if his/her jalapenos have the ability to make your tongue tingle, so ask.
If you're in the produce department of your local chain grocery and the jalapenos are without labels, look for tan scars and black smears on the skins of peppers that are no more than 3" long.
If you're at home and happen across a particular pepper that has all the flavor and heat you're looking for, treat it like a particularly good strain of weed and grow your own from its seeds. If you can find a way to keep night temperatures above 55 degreess (65 is excellent), your peppers will do well.
Jalapenos can vary greatly in heat depending on growing conditions but if the ones you find are consistently mild, try a hotter pepper, such as serrano or habanero. Here is a list of peppers and their heat ratings: http://www.eatmorechiles.com/Scoville_Heat.html.
It's also possible that your taste acuity has dulled over the years - just like needing reading glasses, it's one of those facts of life that keeps things interesting.
You have all been very helpful: go up the Scoville scale, don't deseed and derib. Since my house is surrounded by trees, my peppers grown in pots have been only slightly successful (ie, cost more to grow than to buy, meager crop), so try to find a heat buddy at the farmers market. And keep the hot sauce and hot oil on the side. Seems odd that the dumbing down has taken place as the interest and love of heat in our peppers has gone up.
I remember reading that jalapeno peppers have been modified to they can be made into poppers and able to hold the cheese load. Notice they are much bigger than they used to be? And I can get hotter and better jalapeno's that are organic. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-01/scientists-stuff-jalapenos-bell-pepper-genes-greating-bigger-peppers-poppers I do have to include the seeds however. I am with otheres here - I go for serranos.
ChefDaddy is right. The amount of water that chilis get over the growing season makes a large difference in how 'hot' they are, which is one reason why the heat content in all chilis is pretty unpredictable -- one poblano I get is mild as can be and the next time my husband can't eat them. But my understanding about jalepenos is that they've been gentically modified to remove a large amount of the heat to make tamer palettes happy. Try organic ones (as they haven't been modified)?
I have found when growing Jalapenos that if I water them as much as I do my tomatoes they don't have any heat. If I water 1/2 as much as my tomatoes they definitly have more heat. Of course this is not scientific just an observation of my own. I also leave some on long enough to turn red. Which also seem to be a little hotter. This also goes for my Anahiem green chilies.
I usually just taste them before adding them to anything, to get a sense of how hot they are. After I cut off the stem I touch the cut part with my finger to taste. But if yours are really mild, you can up the spice by keeping the seeds, if it doesn't mess with the texture of your recipe. If your recipe is flexible and more variety is available, you could also try a hotter pepper, like habenero. Good luck!
A few years ago I read that jalapenos with the tan vertical scarring are hotter. Also, if the seeds and rib membrane are cut out, a large source of heat is removed. I agree with Queen of Spoons though they have "dumbed down" the peppers.
Horrible isn't it? It's true here in Texas, too! They seem to have 'dumbed down' the peppers grown in order to appeal to tamer palates. I'm afraid the only way to judge is to taste. I've taken to picking up a few serranos at the same time to help me amp up the heat a bit if needed.
19 Comments
I know this is a very late comment! But I have been buy different varieties of jalapeños and have found that while some varieties pack the heat and the characteristic jalapeño flavor, others have no flavor at all (they just taste almost like regular bell peppers), even though they all look like jalapeños. Since I buy jalapeños for their flavor, imagine the disappointment when they turn out to have nothing in them.
Also, when grown from seeds, the ones with true jalapeño flavor do produce tasty pods that have the right jalapeño flavor. Hope that helps.
Kamran
Voted the Best Reply!
The TAM jalapeno, it turns out, is a boon to growers, too: it will grow in a desert, it is resistant to viruses, skin cracking and the development of anthocyanin, which causes those harmless black streaks that shoppers nonetheless abhor. Growers also like the TAM jalapeno because they tend to mature all at once instead of a few at a time, which means they're easier to harvest and which cuts down on labor costs.
I don't think your problem is the fault of scientists, commercial growers or milquetoast consumers. I think the fault lies with your retailer (or local farmer) for not knowing their product. Because they don't know about (or don't care about) the two different varieties of jalapenos, they slap on the "jalapeno" label but leave off the "hot" or "mild." You, as the consumer with the pleasure of giving them your money, need to let the department manager and the store manager and the CEO know that if the mis-labeling continues, the cash you spend at their store will also begin to lose its heat. I mean, if they assume that all jalapenos are hot, can you trust them to not make other erroneous assumptions?
In the meantime, if you're at a farmers' market, the grower will know if his/her jalapenos have the ability to make your tongue tingle, so ask.
If you're in the produce department of your local chain grocery and the jalapenos are without labels, look for tan scars and black smears on the skins of peppers that are no more than 3" long.
If you're at home and happen across a particular pepper that has all the flavor and heat you're looking for, treat it like a particularly good strain of weed and grow your own from its seeds. If you can find a way to keep night temperatures above 55 degreess (65 is excellent), your peppers will do well.
It's also possible that your taste acuity has dulled over the years - just like needing reading glasses, it's one of those facts of life that keeps things interesting.