Peppers, Hot
We grow 4 different types of hot peppers, including jalapenos, serranos, cayennes, and hungarian hot wax peppers. In a typical growing season, we start harvesting the first green hot peppers in late July. Red hot peppers require more time to ripen and generally aren’t available until 3-4 weeks later. Once we start harvesting these peppers, we’ll have them up until frost.
If you're not one for heat, you can still enjoy hot peppers in moderation for their full and unique flavors. Drying peppers and making your own chili powder at home is a great way to control the heat level, or cooking pieces of a pepper in a dish and then removing the pepper to add the flavor of the pepper without fear of a really spicy bite. Peppers are spiciest raw and mellow out as they cook. Removing the seeds and seed membrane cuts the heat quite a bit, but all of these peppers will retain some heat no matter how prepared. For more info on each of the varieties we grow, see below for Featherstone’s Hot Pepper Guide!
Storage Tips
Keep peppers as dry as possible, and wait until just before you use them to give them a rinse. If you are planning to use your peppers up within a few days of receiving them, they will be ok on your counter. If you aren’t sure when you’re going to use them, keep them in a loosely covered container in a crisper drawer in your fridge. Peppers produce ethylene and will rot quickly in a sealed container, so make sure they get a little air.
Recipes
Featherstone’s Hot Pepper Guide
Jalapeno
A familiar hot pepper that is popular pickled, raw, or stuffed with cheese. Our jalapenos tend to be pretty hot, but we grow a few varieties and spice level can vary. Jalapenos are a very distinct pepper with no close relatives that share a similar flavor. Enjoy fresh, pickled, smoked, grilled, or cooked up into your favorite dish!
Serrano
Crankin it up a notch, serranos can look similar to jalapenos but are a much spicier pepper with thick walls and tightly packed seeds. Serranos are often eaten raw and are ideal for fresh salsas or pico de gallo, and are a great way to add heat and flavor to salsa verde or green enchilada sauce. Their flavor also lends well to Thai or Indian style dishes.
Hungarian Hot Wax
Hungarian peppers are not quite as hot as a jalapeno, and they have a light, fruity flavor that makes them stand apart from our other hot peppers. These are typically pickled or stuffed, as they have thick skin which holds them together well once cooked. I enjoy adding them to quick pickled cucumbers for a bright heat.
Cayenne
Cayenne peppers are hotter than serranos but are harvested ripe red, giving them a delightful sweet heat. Cayennes have much thinner walls than serranos, making them ideal for drying (and turning into cayenne powder). Thai chiles are related to cayennes, and they can be used interchangeably in Thai dishes and curries. I enjoy making homemade fermented hot sauce with a mix of cayenne peppers and our sweet carmen peppers.
Shishito
While not necessarily a hot pepper, about 1 in 10 shishito peppers can be very hot, while the rest are very mild with no spice. Pepper roulette! Shishitos are a Japanese frying pepper and are most commonly served pan fried with a bit of oil and salt, and not much else. They're also great in stir fries, made into "pepperoncinis,” or blistered on the grill. I don't recommend eating shishitos raw, as they have tough skin that tends to be bitter.