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annuum Early Season Serrano Substitute?

highalt

highalt

Starting to work on next year's growlist, and am on the fence about Serranos. The late season ones that finally ripened had a nice heat and a decent flavor, but they took forever to ripen, and I didn't care for the flavor of them green. So I'm wondering what else would have about the same heat level, some flavor along with the heat, and ripen earlier?

As a comparison, I loved the sweet flavor of the Santa Fe Grande I grew this season, but when diluted in a large batch of salsa, there just wasn't enough heat.
 
Try Chile Hidalgo, they were a bit earlier than my other Serrano types. I got mine as plants from CCN, but you can buy seeds from Horizon Herbs. Have you tried Serrano Del Sol, they're not a bad substitute for OP Serranos, and seem to ripen earlier too. I believe "Chile Hidalgo" is different from "TAM Serrano Hidalgo", so be aware of that. My Hidalgo matched up pretty good with my other serranos heat wise, where as the TAM Serrano Hidalgo are supposedly more mild.
 
Indiana_Jesse said:
Try Chile Hidalgo, they were a bit earlier than my other Serrano types. I got mine as plants from CCN, but you can buy seeds from Horizon Herbs. Have you tried Serrano Del Sol, they're not a bad substitute for OP Serranos, and seem to ripen earlier too. I believe "Chile Hidalgo" is different from "TAM Serrano Hidalgo", so be aware of that. My Hidalgo matched up pretty good with my other serranos heat wise, where as the TAM Serrano Hidalgo are supposedly more mild.
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Just added the Chile Hidalgo to my wishlist. Thanks for the suggestion!

I'm open to non-Serrano ideas as well.
 
thehotpepper.com said:
Fresno?
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Tried that one last year too. I liked it, but I wouldn't say it was as hot as a Serrano. Most charts list it in the 5,000 - 10,000 range, and the Serrano between 12,000 - 20,000. It seems like there is a bit of a gap, heat wise, and then it jumps to Cayenne and Tabasco, which are in the 30,000 - 50,000 range. I've looked around at several charts, and just don't see much else at the same heat level as a Serrano. Guess that's why they are so popular. They fill a niche.
 
I've received seeds for 'Hawaiian Sweet Hot' in a swap I participated in, but can't find much information regarding heat level. Are they jalapeno hot, or closer to the Serrano?
 
The ones I grew last year (from one of Beth's Mystery Mix packets) were more sweet than hot. Really good flavor, but they seemed just slightly hotter than a Big Jim and nowhere near a jalapeno.


highalt said:
I've received seeds for 'Hawaiian Sweet Hot' in a swap I participated in, but can't find much information regarding heat level. Are they jalapeno hot, or closer to the Serrano?
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Okay, so I've been going through my seed inventory, and researching some of the things I've received in trades and swaps recently. Having trouble finding heat levels on some of them, and of course one site will say they are medium, and another will say hot. Not very helpfull

So here are some more possible contenders from my seed box in my search for an early season Serrano substitute:

Aji Red - It looks like it may be in the 30 - 50,000 SKU, so more like a Cayenne or Tobasco I'm guessing
Bulgarian Carrot - Seems to be all over the place on heat level, depending on which website you check. I'm guessing Jalapeno level heat?
Japones - 15 - 30,000 If this heat level is correct, this could be a good choice for a Serrano sub., not sure how early this one is though.
Chile de Arbol - another one with varying heat levels. I found listings anywhere from 15 K to 60,000.
Cochiti - can't find a heat level on this one, but if it's a NuMex type, probably not too hot
Dragon's Claw - heat level ?
Fish - heat level ?
Goat Weed - ~ 30,000 SKU Would this one be similar to Serrano, and how long of a season does it require?
Guajillo - 2 - 5,000 SKU Too mild for what I'm looking for, but may grow it anyway
Joe's Round - heat level ?
Manzano - 12 - 30,000 This one requires a long season, so wouldn't replace Serrano, but may try to grow it anyway
Pallo del Cole - heat level ?
Rain Forest - heat level ?
Rocotillo - ~ 2 K

Any information on these would be helpful.

Thanks!
 
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