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What To Do with Ornamental Pods?

Uncle Eckley

Uncle Eckley

Extreme Member
I'm attempting to grow some NuMex Twilight.  Assuming I'm successful, what to do with the pods?  Leave them on the plant?  Pick them and toss them?  I know they're edible, but I'm really only growing them for the looks.
 
In all seriousness, find someone who does like the taste of them and either sell them or give them away. Wasting food is fucked up.
 
Ruid said:
This seems about like someone cooking a burger, not to eat, but to beat off to.
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Like those Hardee's ads with the supermodels eating the burgers?  I think it was Hardee's..
 
I'm growing others to eat.   ;)
 
Ruid said:
In all seriousness, find someone who does like the taste of them and either sell them or give them away. Wasting food is f**ked up.
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Should I not grow pansies if I don't intend to eat them?  I'm just growing a plant in my garden.. not like I'm torching a wheat field or something..
 
I'm certainly open to the idea, I just have no idea who would want to buy them.  "Are they good for eating?"  "Well.."
 
I'm anticipating having WAY more produce than I can handle all around, ornamental or not.  My plan right now is to set out a box of the excess at work, take what you like.  I could easily drop the Twilights in there.  How (in)edible are they, exactly?  I really meant to ask what the right thing is for the plant..  I mean, is it like deadheading flowers?  Remove existing pods to get more?
 
Uncle_Eccoli said:
I'm certainly open to the idea, I just have no idea who would want to buy them.  "Are they good for eating?"  "Well.."
 
I'm anticipating having WAY more produce than I can handle all around, ornamental or not.  My plan right now is to set out a box of the excess at work, take what you like.  I could easily drop the Twilights in there.  How (in)edible are they, exactly?  I really meant to ask what the right thing is for the plant..  I mean, is it like deadheading flowers?  Remove existing pods to get more?
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They are Thai peppers, so it's useful for almost every Asian dish
 
Unless there are poisonous peppers out there, who or what decides which peppers are ornamental?

Some people might say that about Reapers claiming they're too hot to consume but they love the look of them.
 
Dunno, I'm new at this. Was thinking along the lines of crabapples. I guess those are a different species, though, huh..
 
Ornamental Capsicum are edible.  It's just that they were usually bred more for their ornamental properties, rather than for their taste and flavor profile.
 
 That being said there are some plants being sold at nursery's as ornamentals that look rather similar to Capsicum.
 
Take for example : Jerusalem Cherry aka Solanum pseudocapsicum
 a nightshade species with mildly poisonous fruit. It is commonly known as the Jerusalem cherry, Madeira winter cherry, or, ambiguously, "winter cherry"
Lcj3a15.jpg

Solanum pseudocapsicum  'Jerusalem Cherry'
 
Bicycle808 said:
I always took "ornamental" chiles to mean that they are pretty and/or ultra-productive but they taste shitty.
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My thinking, too. Seems that's not the case, though. Hey hey!

Bicycle808 said:
I'd probably keep a bunch in my car's cupholder and throw them at any ne'er-do-well miscreants and skallywags that crossed my path. 
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There's an idea!


MBGardener said:
Bolivian Rainbow peppers taste ok fresh.
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They look very much like The Twilights to me. One's Asian and the other South American?
 
If it was bought as an ornamental it may well have had insecticides and fungicides not approved for eatables.  Best thing is to grow your own from seeds, before deciding how they taste.
 
Still, as was pointed out, they have been selected for looks, not taste.
WarrantMan said:
Someone gifted me an "ornamental" plant last spring. It did well, kept on popping until first freeze we had. I tried various uses for it in experimentation but found them to be quite bitter. I believe it was some "Thai" variety by the looks, but not so much for the taste. Back to the earth for that one...
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In this instance I am inclined to agree with Uncle_Eccoli's analogy of Crabapples, "looks the part" but doesn't play it....  But again, it did "look" nice.... ergo the "ornamental" tag I reckon...
 
Yeah but crabapples fuck your stomach up. I know peppers can lead to pain, but if you call any pepper that leads to cap cramps "ornamental" then that covers waaaay too many peppers out there.
 
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