A Case Against Superhots - Or "Why I'm Changing My Garden for Next Year"

Pr0digal_son said:
It's a hobby and some are grown for shock value or asthetics. I grow shit that would literally kill me if I ate it. I think he is saying he has gotten caught up in the superhot circus act and found out that a single plant will put out 4 or 5 pounds of peppers that are hard to even eat one of. It's happened to 90% of people that grow hot peppers. I for one hate the majority of C.chinense I have grown but continue to grow them trying to find ones that I like. Every year I find a couple,mostly Carribean or bonnet varieties.
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Couldn't have said it better. Superhot circus, indeed.
KingLeerUK said:
 
Superhots, it's why you got in to chile growing, right?
 
It starts with a few jalapenos and perhaps a habanero, but then you discover that there are peppers out there orders of magnitude hotter than these and you feel compelled to grow them and try them.  I mean, you aren't really a chile pepper grower unless you've gotten your merit badges for Ghost Chile, Trinidad Scorpion, and Carolina Reaper; right?
 
Before you know it you're trolling through online forums and seed vendors looking for the very hottest that can found, color variations thereof and you end up dedicating over half your garden to these exotic superhot peppers.
 
But what do you DO with them?
 
I'm guilty of all of the above.  My current garden makeup is over 70% superhots (through a combination of choice and coincidence) but the reality is that I will make regular USE of low-to-mid-ranged heat peppers a lot more than the blisteringly hot ones.  I don't have the tolerance to eat superhot pods whole, and their culinary use is limited at best.  This year any superhots I don't trade/give away will be dehydrated for powders/flakes.  Last year I had so many scorpions I couldn't give them away to friends/family/coworkers, some were mailed off but a certain amount just went to waste.
 
So... going forward I'm going to instead try to broaden my possible chile flavor palette, not with ever-increasing Scoville units, but instead exploring the fringes of unique tastes and shapes.
 
To that end I've ordered the Aji sampler packet from LINDBERGF and placed some non-super seed orders with pepperlover.com.  I'm also going to be pulling some of my established superhots at the end of the year for local giveaway/trade; I don't need THREE Naga Morich plants in my garden or FOUR Carolina Reapers.

I guess I've found that personally I've come full circle on the chile pepper growing path in that I'm finding more interest in growing things I'd like to eat and cook with regularly than being "that friend that grows the insane peppers".
 
My Planned 2016 Varieties
I have either seeds or seedlings started for the varieties below:

Aji Amarillo
Aji Cito
Aji Jobito
Aji Llaneron
Aji Magariteño
Aji Oro Rocoto
Aji Pepon
Aji Rosita
Aji Verde
Albanian Red Hot
Aleppo
Alma Paprika
Aribibi Gusano Orange
Bishop's Crown
Brazilian Starfish
Cayenne Long Red
Cherry Bomb Red
Chinese Bullet Pepper
Çumra Cherry
Datil
Devil's Tongue Red
Dulce Marrón
Ethiopian Brown Berbere
Farmer's Jalapeño
Giant Jalapeño
Golden Cayenne
Kung Pao
Matay
Negro Chilhuacle
Orange Rocoto
Pluma
Purple Jalapeño
Tatli Top
Yatsufusa Pepper
Yukari Bakan

I'd like to find a good source for Shishito Pepper seeds but this might not be the best time of year.  CGN21500 is another one I'd like to get viable seeds for but I haven't been able to locate a good/reputable vendor that has them.
 
Also, if anyone has any suggestions to add to my list it would be much appreciated!
 
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Don't know if you remember, but you very generously hooked me up with a bunch of seeds when I first got started. Glad to have the chance to return the favor. If you PM me your address again when you get the chance, I'll get a box out your way. More than happy to send fresh pods from several of the varieties you mentioned as well as a few others you're bound to like, plus seeds for the Shishito and CGN 21500 you mentioned and some other cool stuff.
 
Been there and done that. The problem is once you out of the realm of the neighborhood "chileheads" you are on your own. I have a gallon bag of TSMB pods and used half in powder for myself from over a year ago. I grow typically what most will eat and what the family likes. I always grow 2-3 supers, mostly Naga/Dorset/Bombay Morich (s) which is my favorite in taste and heat by far. Every Year its some new Super Hot and I left that circus a few years ago
 
I used to grow 95% or so superhots. This year I'm only doing around 85%, lol. I love red c. chinese peppers the most. I also love c. frutescens. Oddly, I don't care much about c. baccatum. They are not bad but just don't do it for me.
 
The only C. frutescens I've ever grown was a red tabasco which was  extremely prolific in producing pods but did not have much culinary use fresh or dried.  Fresh they have an extremely sharp bite and high acid; they're also particularly seedy.  I've still got a gallon freezer bag full of pods  that I've promised  I'd one day make a sauce out of..
 
KingLeerUK said:
The only C. frutescens I've ever grown was a red tabasco which was  extremely prolific in producing pods but did not have much culinary use fresh or dried.  Fresh they have an extremely sharp bite and high acid; they're also particularly seedy.  I've still got a gallon freezer bag full of pods  that I've promised  I'd one day make a sauce out of..
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You should try chunpepe (PI 406847).
 
Nigel's review:
Grin:
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/acc/display.pl?1306523
 
One variety you should consider is Padron, somewhat similar to Shishito I believe.

I'm another grower who is getting away from the superhots. I couldn't resist trying the Pink Tiger, and it's the only chinense I'm growing this year.

I'm growing several varieties that are used as powder. In addition to some paprika varieties, I'm growing Aleppo, Piment d'Espelette, and Tap de Corti.
 
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