Expensive! $2.99 for 3/8 oz. of dried chiles.

I had not seen tepin for several years, so
I had to buy it. I was attending a lecture
at Facebook headquarters, and there are a
couple of Mexican food stores on the same road.
I didn't find anything interesting at the first
store, but found the tepin at the second.

I'd heard there was a shortage. I think it's
mostly harvested from wild plants, so prices
will be high for that reason. I'm glad to see
it's still available, even though it's not
my favorite dried chile. Thai chili or chili
de arbol is first, and chili negro is also good
(not very hot, but very good flavor).

Tepin is pretty hot. As per reputation, it
attacks quickly and decays quickly. The peppers
are about the size and shape of small peas.
I'm thinking I should save some seeds and
try planting them.

I saw some dried berries called "bearberry".
A small packet would have cost $0.99, and
I should have bought them just to try them,
but I'm aware that the dried herbs and spices
offered at Mexican food stores often include
non-culinary products used in folk medicine,
some of which can be dangerous if used
improperly. Wikipedia is not informative,
because it describes an arctic or subarctic
berry not likely to be used by Mexicans.