Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
"not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I
am puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired
them so I can't say.

Becca

Becca > writes:

> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
> "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I
> am puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired
> them so I can't say.
>
> Becca

Jalapenos are not hot period.

Slightly spicy but "hot"? No way.

On Apr 17, 3:43�pm, Becca > wrote:
> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
> "not hot". �Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? � I
> am puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired
> them so I can't say.
>
> Becca

I've noticed jalapenos in general aren't as hot as they used to be.
The chile con queso I make used to be perfect with 3 jalapenos. Now,
I have to add cayenne pepper to it in order for it to have the same
amount of heat. It's not as if I've become used to jalapenos either
since I only make it once or twice a year.

On 4/17/2010 2:43 PM, Becca wrote:
> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
> "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I am
> puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired them
> so I can't say.
>
> Becca

Some folks just want the flavor, not the heat. My favored non-hot
jalapenos are the TAMU type, developed by Texas A&M University some
years ago. Good flavor but don't burn you coming and going, just mildly
warm.

Becca wrote:
>
> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
> "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I
> am puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired
> them so I can't say.

Jalapenos vary enormously in heat, and people's perception
of heat also varies enormously. There are cultivars of
jalapenos specifically selected for low heat. Mezetta
sells a line of jarred pickled jalapenos from a low-heat
variety.

My level of heat perception has changed greatly since
I started eating chili peppers. I probably would not
find any jalapenos to be hot, and I can munch on a
typical habanero or Thai pepper without blinking.

As I understand it, eating lots of hot peppers causes
reduction in Substance P, which leads to reduced
perception from the pain receptors. I might have that
story wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_P

On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:58:41 -0500, George Shirley
> wrote:

>On 4/17/2010 2:43 PM, Becca wrote:
>> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
>> "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I am
>> puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired them
>> so I can't say.
>>
>> Becca
>
>Some folks just want the flavor, not the heat. My favored non-hot
>jalapenos are the TAMU type, developed by Texas A&M University some
>years ago. Good flavor but don't burn you coming and going, just mildly
>warm.

I grow jalapenos every year, each year they are a different degree of
hotness, from eat out of hand mild to fiery ten alarm inferno... and a
few years in a row from the same packet of seed. I've been told that
the heat element of peppers are prone to alteration from cross
pollenating... two years ago my frying peppers were too hot for me...
I pickled some to use as a condiment but gave most away... they also
developed the smooth symetrical configuration of jalapenos on steroids
rather than the usual mild frying peppers that are typically a bit
wrinkled, slightly flattened, and oddly shaped. Now I plan to grow
different peppers as far apart as possible.

brooklyn1 wrote:
>
> I grow jalapenos every year, each year they are a different degree of
> hotness, from eat out of hand mild to fiery ten alarm inferno... and a
> few years in a row from the same packet of seed. I've been told that
> the heat element of peppers are prone to alteration from cross
> pollenating... two years ago my frying peppers were too hot for me...

I watched a program on NHK (Japanese TV) which
showed a chili buyer from Japan in Korea.
He was tasting the peppers in the field and
saying the crop that year was too hot for
the Japanese, who want mild peppers. He was
testing the peppers and spitting them out
on the ground because they were too hot.
He said it was because of the hot summer that
year.

I'm a bit skeptical that a hot summer would
result in hotter peppers, but it's not an
unreasonable theory, and coming from a buyer
of chili peppers I suppose it may be true.

On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 14:43:12 -0500, Becca wrote:

> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
> "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I
> am puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired
> them so I can't say.

Texas A&M developed a mild, or "tamed" jalapeno. They don't sell
them in Texas, mind you. They ship them to Gringo states.

Jalapenos (and habs) have a great taste, but I tried a tamed pickled
jalapeno once and it was not very good. I've never seen them fresh.
The fresh ones sold here are as hot as always.

-sw

"Becca" > wrote in message
...
> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked "not
> hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I am
> puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired them so
> I can't say.
>
> Becca


Actually it's good marketing IMHO.

There are many people afraid of "HOT" by so marking the package they can
introduce their product to those who will at least try it.

Dimitri

On 2010-04-17 12:43:12 -0700, Becca said:

> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
> "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I
> am puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired
> them so I can't say.

The flavor of course. They are not solely about their heat; they have a
flavor too.

I like jalapeños, and I like the heat to an extent. Sometimes they wind
up more-or-less numbing my tongue and then I can't really taste
anything. This, if I'm just eating them fresh and raw, like a carrot
with a meal (though in smaller bites!

Actually I'm thinking more of a few Mexican places I eat that have a
very hot salsa, I suppose the heat could have been serrano, I'm not
sure. When the food comes I can barely taste what it is.

I love chilis of all kinds. I really loved malaguetas when in Brazil,
and have managed to find them here. But I cut off tiny little bits of
them. I like the flavor, but the heat is too demanding.
--
If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly
find fault with, you will not do much. -- Lewis Carroll

On 4/17/2010 5:52 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 14:43:12 -0500, Becca wrote:
>
>> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
>> "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I
>> am puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired
>> them so I can't say.
>
> Texas A&M developed a mild, or "tamed" jalapeno. They don't sell
> them in Texas, mind you. They ship them to Gringo states.
>
> Jalapenos (and habs) have a great taste, but I tried a tamed pickled
> jalapeno once and it was not very good. I've never seen them fresh.
> The fresh ones sold here are as hot as always.
>
> -sw


The ones they sell up here are sometimes as mild as bell peppers.
Unless you dig thru the bin and only get the ugly ones with cracks on
them. Even those are sometimes not very hot.

Home grown jalapenos from someones garden will still set you on fire as
long as they didn't go out of their way to plant a mild variety.

Bob

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> brooklyn1 wrote:
>>
>> I grow jalapenos every year, each year they are a different degree of
>> hotness, from eat out of hand mild to fiery ten alarm inferno... and a
>> few years in a row from the same packet of seed. I've been told that
>> the heat element of peppers are prone to alteration from cross
>> pollenating... two years ago my frying peppers were too hot for me...
>
> I watched a program on NHK (Japanese TV) which
> showed a chili buyer from Japan in Korea.
> He was tasting the peppers in the field and
> saying the crop that year was too hot for
> the Japanese, who want mild peppers. He was
> testing the peppers and spitting them out
> on the ground because they were too hot.
> He said it was because of the hot summer that
> year.
>
> I'm a bit skeptical that a hot summer would
> result in hotter peppers, but it's not an
> unreasonable theory, and coming from a buyer
> of chili peppers I suppose it may be true.

From year to year, I've noticed changes in sweetness, hotness depending upon
the weather. . .lots of sun or not so much. The vegetables that display
changes most noticeably are tomatoes, peppers and winter squash.
Janet

On 4/17/2010 3:58 PM, George Shirley wrote:
> Some folks just want the flavor, not the heat. My favored non-hot
> jalapenos are the TAMU type, developed by Texas A&M University some
> years ago. Good flavor but don't burn you coming and going, just
> mildly warm.

Do you like the non-hot peppers? I've never tried them. BTW, my oldest
son graduated from Texas A&M.

Becca

On 4/17/2010 7:52 PM, Becca wrote:
> On 4/17/2010 3:58 PM, George Shirley wrote:
>> Some folks just want the flavor, not the heat. My favored non-hot
>> jalapenos are the TAMU type, developed by Texas A&M University some
>> years ago. Good flavor but don't burn you coming and going, just
>> mildly warm.
>
> Do you like the non-hot peppers? I've never tried them. BTW, my oldest
> son graduated from Texas A&M.
>
> Becca
>
>
Well, we can't all be perfect. <G> Was he in the Corps of Cadets? Wore
the boots, spurs and toted a saber. I know nearly as many Aggie jokes as
I do Cajun jokes. TAMU is just like every other land grant university,
got more money than they know what to do with but they do have some
really good profs on certain subjects. Oil companies used to really like
to hire Aggie engineers.

On 4/17/2010 7:52 PM, Becca wrote:
> On 4/17/2010 3:58 PM, George Shirley wrote:
>> Some folks just want the flavor, not the heat. My favored non-hot
>> jalapenos are the TAMU type, developed by Texas A&M University some
>> years ago. Good flavor but don't burn you coming and going, just
>> mildly warm.
>
> Do you like the non-hot peppers? I've never tried them. BTW, my oldest
> son graduated from Texas A&M.
>
> Becca
>
>
Forgot to answer your question. I have GERD, can't handle hot food
anymore so I get the mild jalapenos and can enjoy them without having to
pop pills to get some sleep. I generally don't buy chiles of any kind as
we raise several varieties of sweet ones and a few hot ones for our
friends and to use as bug spray. Yup, grind them up fine, mix them with
a spritz of canola or peanut oil, add water, stir well and spray them on
the garden. The little critters that eat the garden veggies don't like
hot stuff either.

Becca > wrote:

>On 4/17/2010 3:58 PM, George Shirley wrote:

>> Some folks just want the flavor, not the heat. My favored non-hot
>> jalapenos are the TAMU type, developed by Texas A&M University some
>> years ago. Good flavor but don't burn you coming and going, just
>> mildly warm.

>Do you like the non-hot peppers? I've never tried them. BTW, my oldest
>son graduated from Texas A&M.

If you order nachos at a ball park or bar, the sliced jalapenos
that you see on it are likely the TAMU, non-hot variety.

Steve

In article >, Becca >
wrote:

> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
> "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I
> am puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired
> them so I can't say.
>
> Becca

Because sometimes you want the pepper flavor without the heat. I like
to make stuff jalapenos sometimes, but I'm no longer in to really hot
peppers. I used to like them but have lost my taste for them in recent
years.

It's one reason I more often use Anahiems.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
Bogbrush > wrote:

> Becca > writes:
>
> > Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
> > "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I
> > am puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired
> > them so I can't say.
> >
> > Becca
>
> Jalapenos are not hot period.
>
> Slightly spicy but "hot"? No way.

You've never had some fresh grown ones during a drought year. <g>
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:03:20 -0700, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>
>I'm a bit skeptical that a hot summer would
>result in hotter peppers, but it's not an
>unreasonable theory, and coming from a buyer
>of chili peppers I suppose it may be true.

When I was growing hot peppers, I noticed that they really thrived and
were much hotter when the summer nights were warm.

Barry in Indy

On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:58:41 -0500, George Shirley wrote:

> On 4/17/2010 2:43 PM, Becca wrote:
>> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
>> "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I am
>> puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not tired them
>> so I can't say.
>>
>> Becca
>
> Some folks just want the flavor, not the heat. My favored non-hot
> jalapenos are the TAMU type, developed by Texas A&M University some
> years ago. Good flavor but don't burn you coming and going, just mildly
> warm.

texas a&m was indeed the hotspot in breeding peppers to taste, if you will.
the book 'Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits' has the dope on jalapeños,
milder versions of which were wanted by chains like taco bell and others:

<http://www.amazon.com/Peppers-Story-Pursuits-Amal-Naj/dp/0679744274/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271619341&sr=1-11>

there's a review of the book he

<http://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/16/books/books-of-the-times-putting-the-heat-on-the-taste-buds.html?pagewanted=1>

someone here (james?) put me on to this book. it's very entertaining. the
author is kind of a pepper fanatic, and he talks to many people involved in
breeding and harvesting who are every bit as fanatical.

your pal,
blake

On 4/17/2010 9:19 PM, George Shirley wrote:
>
> Well, we can't all be perfect. <G> Was he in the Corps of Cadets? Wore
> the boots, spurs and toted a saber. I know nearly as many Aggie jokes
> as I do Cajun jokes. TAMU is just like every other land grant
> university, got more money than they know what to do with but they do
> have some really good profs on certain subjects. Oil companies used to
> really like to hire Aggie engineers.


The Aggie jokes are pretty funny, so you have to laugh. :-) He enjoyed
A&M, but he kept trying to get into the engineering program at UT but he
was never accepted. Seven generations have gone to UT, but we never
pressured him. I went to school at Sam Houston State, I was just happy
he was in school and not on the sofa playing video games.

Becca

On Sun, 02 May 2010 02:31:29 -0500, BubbaBob
> wrote:

>
>Those are the godawful University of Texas mutants. Unfortunately, they
>look just like real Jalapeños and grocery chains seem to prefer to stock
>them rather than the real ones. You never know what you're getting any
>more. If it's not from my garden I just substitute Serranos, which haven't
>been ruined YET.

I thought I'd be getting the real thing when my market had jalapeños
labeled "Produce of Mexico." Unfortunately, they might as well have
been funny-shaped bell peppers. I've stopped removing the seeds and
membrane in the hopes of squeezing a little heat out of them. The only
hot ones I've found recently come in cans.

Barry in Indy

On Sun, 02 May 2010 02:40:24 -0500, BubbaBob wrote:

> Sqwertz > wrote:
>
>>
>> Texas A&M developed a mild, or "tamed" jalapeno. They don't sell
>> them in Texas, mind you. They ship them to Gringo states.
>>
> ...
>>
>> -sw
>>
>
> Unfortunately, they also ship them to New Mexico, which is the least gringo
> state in the union. Especially when hot peppers are involved.

you folks need yourself a big fence!

your pal,
blake

On Sun, 02 May 2010 02:37:28 -0500, BubbaBob wrote:

> blake murphy > wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:58:41 -0500, George Shirley wrote:
>>
>>> On 4/17/2010 2:43 PM, Becca wrote:
>>>> Today, in the supermarket, I saw a jar of jalapenos that were marked
>>>> "not hot". Jalapenos that are not hot, what's the purpose of that? I
>>>> am puzzled, I wonder why anyone would buy those, but I have not
>>>> tired them so I can't say.
>>>>
>>>> Becca
>>>
>>> Some folks just want the flavor, not the heat. My favored non-hot
>>> jalapenos are the TAMU type, developed by Texas A&M University some
>>> years ago. Good flavor but don't burn you coming and going, just
>>> mildly warm.
>>
>> texas a&m was indeed the hotspot in breeding peppers to taste, if you
>> will. the book 'Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits' has the dope on
>> jalapeños, milder versions of which were wanted by chains like taco
>> bell and others:
>>
>><http://www.amazon.com/Peppers-Story-...0679744274/ref
>>=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271619341&sr=1-11>
>>
>> there's a review of the book he
>>
>><http://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/16/bo...s-putting-the-
>>heat-on-the-taste-buds.html?pagewanted=1>
>>
>> someone here (james?) put me on to this book. it's very entertaining.
>> the author is kind of a pepper fanatic, and he talks to many people
>> involved in breeding and harvesting who are every bit as fanatical.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>>
>
> Texas A&M's pepper breeding program is a sad joke. The state of the art in
> pepper hybridization is, and has been for 30 years, the program at New
> Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

today texas a&m may have been eclipsed by others, but my understanding
(mostly from the book) is that it was definitely the center of the pepper
universe at one time. and it was definitely where some of the milder
peppers were developed for taco bell, jack-in-the-box and other agents of
(a not very hot) satan.

your pal,
blake

On May 2, 1:17*pm, blake murphy > wrote:
> On Sun, 02 May 2010 02:40:24 -0500, BubbaBob wrote:
> > Sqwertz > wrote:
>
> >> Texas A&M developed a mild, or "tamed" jalapeno. *They don't sell
> >> them in Texas, mind you. *They ship them to Gringo states.
>
> > ...
>
> >> -sw
>
> > Unfortunately, they also ship them to New Mexico, which is the least gringo
> > state in the union. Especially when hot peppers are involved.

Where? At WalMart?
>
> you folks need yourself a big fence!

With all the nice Sandias and Big Jims, who the heck buys jalapenos in
NM?
>
> your pal,
> blake

--Bryan

BubbaBob wrote:
> Texas A&M's pepper breeding program is a sad joke. The state of the art in
> pepper hybridization is, and has been for 30 years, the program at New
> Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

Here's a link
<http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/files/tiny_mce/file_manager/2010CatalogA.pdf>
to NMSU's current catalog. Chile pepper seeds, cookbooks, posters and
related merchandise. They sell seeds for everything from bell peppers to
the 1,000,000-Scoville Bhut Jolokia. The proceeds help support their
program.

If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

The pickled jalapenos I put on pizza would be hot right out of the jar but aren't hot on pizza.