After three seasons I have finally had my chance to eat a bonnet. Last years bonnets turned out to be bishop crowns, and the year before I only planted habanero. I was digging through the garden this evening and found a nice yellow bonnet ready to pick. I instantly brought it inside, washed it and ate it. First bite was similar to a habanero, but the flavor rounded out in a few seconds. Definitely a smoother almost sweeter flavor. The burn was nicer than a habanero but at the same level, and quickly tapered off in a few short minutes. It left a pleasant citrus like after taste, that lingered for a good 15-20 minutes. Definitely going to be a favorite to use. I hope that I can get a lot more pods in the next month before frost starts to threaten us. Trying new pods is always fun!
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chinense Ate my first scotch bonnet
- Thread starter shaggs2riches
- Start date
Good on ya Shaggs! Bonnets are definitely a favorite for a lot of us here. In Jamaica they make a table sauce that's just citrus, scallions, spices and Scotch Bonnets. They make good tropical fruit-based sauces and jams too... especially Mango or Peach.
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http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/jamaican-hot-sauce
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http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/jamaican-hot-sauce
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The flavor of my Yellow MOAs is definitely more enjoyable than the orange habs i grew last year. Sweeter and more fruity, Just a better balance of heat and flavor.
ÂMalarky said:
I did make it, and now that you remind me... I was running short on white vinegar because I'd bottled up 12 cases of sauce before that, and substituted all but about a cup of white vinegar with lemon juice. In the Yucatan they make a bitter orange habanero table sauce called Xec that's very similar. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012455-maya-citrus-salsa-with-red-snapper
In the above recipe they substitute a few different types of citrus to try to come close to the flavor of bitter orange.
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Scotch Bonnets are amazing; so much about these chiles are just ¨right....¨  I never understood why so many of us seem to share a compulsion to compare them to orange Habs, nd we mostly dis the Habs as a result....  To me, they´re different chiles that happen to be at a similar heat level, and of the same species....  But there´s not much out there that can stand up to a good Bonnet, in terms of flavor, presentation, and mystique.  There´s just something about these chiles that fascinate me, and apparently, a lot of other pepper ppl feel the same way.
I've got a soft spot in my heart for the scotch bonnet pepper. It was the first "reeeeally" hot pepper I tried. Over 20 years ago, I used to tell people at work that I loved hot peppers and spicy foods. My boss brought one of these suckers in and told me to try one... I thought I was going to die. This was back in the good ol' days when a cayenne was considered pretty hot. The scene after I ate a sliver of that scotch bonnet was pure hilarity. 
ÂBicycle808 said:
When you put it that way, it is true. I thought that the two peppers were pretty much interchangeable, but they turn out to have a different flavour that might make either of them more suited to certain dishes. I was completely surprised with the way the flavour of the bonnet really rounded out and the aftertaste that lingered for so long. They are just a real nice pepper all around. I was initially drawn them to compare them to habs, I also really like the typical bonnet shape, but I don't think I will end up with a lot of pods that look that way.
I've found that comparisons between standard Habs and Bonnets occur all the time, all over the internet and often in face to face discussions. I get it, same hear, same size... Often, you find Habs being sold as Scotch Bonnets. So I see the basis of the comparison. But I'm not going to stop growing Habs because I like Bonnets better. I am going to continue to grow both. I'll just plant more Bonnets lol.
I got a lot of nice UFO Bonnets coming on from plants that came from the Trenton Farmer's Market pods last year. Can't wait till they're big and ripe...
I got a lot of nice UFO Bonnets coming on from plants that came from the Trenton Farmer's Market pods last year. Can't wait till they're big and ripe...
Âstickman said:
I was kind of half expecting that I wouldn't necessarily get too many with that shape. I kind of like it that it is a bit of an added extra challenge to grow out pods that look like that. I am planning on digging one up to continue growing through the winter under lights. Maybe I will have better luck with pod shape in the second season.
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ÂBicycle808 said:
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I too think that I will always try to grow some habaneros. I use them a lot more that any other pepper.
Picked more of mine today. A few that are still on the plant have a "better" shape.
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Âshaggs2riches said:
I agree with the fella upthread that weather conditions seem to aid in achieving that shape; we´re averaging about 90degrees and gruesomely humid, and i see a lot of new pods with very nice shape.  That being said, genetics are a huge factor; i have plants throwing nice phenos right next to plants with some saggy-looking pods...conditions are identical.
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For me, Habs are just a classic chile pepper.  I had thought about eliminating Orange Habs from my grow next year, as I can buy them cheaply at local markets pretty much year-round.  But, then I ate one from the garden and realized just how different the homegrown jawns are from the ones at the grocery.  No contest.  I´ll be growing Orange Habs for as long as I´m growing chiles.  However, I´m not as interested in growing Dominican Red Habaneros or similar red Habs.... they say that they call Habs ¨Congos¨ throughout most of the Caribbean, and my red Congo Trinidad plants are just too productive, pushing out big, delicious, pods all summer.  The heat is hotter than the usual red Hab, but maybe not quite as hot as Red Savs.  I´m pretty sure that the Congo Trinidad will be my workhorse medium/high heat reds for the foreseeable future.
Totally agree with you Rick in regards to growing conditions and my MoA are a testament to that ... A good May and a few weeks in June gave us here in the U.K. some sun but since then it's been hit and miss and I have many misshaped pods mostly elongated .. genetics do play a part over the last three seasons Andy - Pulpiteer's Schnieder Farm SB has been bang on pheno for me along with Beth Boyd's Yellow SBstickman said:
Pleased to read there are many bonnet enthusiasts about .. good luck to you all