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shopping Are grocery store habs not as hot?

I've gotten habs from the store that were all over the place as to how hot they were. Some were about like a jalapeno and some made me want to die, more than once I might add, and they were all bought at the same time.
 
it's definitely unreliable. i find the same thing with jalapenos from grocery stores. some taste just like a green pepper. I think with those though a lot are harvested prematurely for mass production.

anything mass produced will probably have it's inconsistencies and issues. They probably are habaneros, grown under various conditions.
 
I, too, found that they're all over the taste in terms of heat. I would say that if you're in a pinch and "need" a hab for a recipe and don't have any fresh ones available, get one at a grocery store. But only use it for the fruit-like taste of an habanero and don't necessarily rely on it to produce heat. And avoid the rotten ones at all costs.
 
Any habs I've bough in Ontario grocery stores are small, often mushy, and quite tame. Try a farmer's market for better quality chiles with more heat
 
It does seem that home grown are hottest. I know I'd been eating store boughts all winter, and was floored by the first home grown pods I ate this year.

I think this is probably influenced by 2 factors: Freshness, and cultivation.

I'm not sure how farming is done where most of the Habs come from here (Mexico) but I know that most local farmers have their plants on drip irrigation systems. This means plants are never deprived of water or the needed nutrients. The plants aren't stressed the way they would likely be in a home garden, and therefore don't produce pods to their peak heat potential.

Also, it's very seldom around here that you see store bought habs in really great shape. It does happen sometimes, but usually the stems are brown and withered, and the pods are obviously picked while not completely ripe. I often see yellow pods that are obviously orange habs that were picked green. Pods are often mushy, diseased, or just plain un-appetizing by the time they make it to grocery stores. The way I figure it, pods that look this bad must also be suffering from degradation of cap as well.
 
I agree 5Star, freshness is a big factor. Anything that stays ripe too long will lose what heat it had.
 
How come they can sell habs at grocery stores with no warnings and kids can get at them but if you buy blairs jersey death online somewhere you need to sign a waiver?
 
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