Hello and HELP!

DocBruce

DocBruce

Hello everyone. I'm so happy to find this site!
0_0_0_0_250_259_csupload_46761191_large.jpg

I have been reading the forum debate/discussion concerning the difference between peppers known as Red Caribbean and the Red Habanero and have a very specific interest in information regarding this subject.

My wife and I have a small local business in Pensacola, FL, (MB Family Foods), and we make and sell 2 sauces: Doc's Jamaican Hot Sauce and Doc's Jamaican Jerk Sauce. Both of our sauces use peppers I grow in huge pots; peppers I only know as Caribbean Reds.

Here's the problem we have run into regarding our peppers: Our 2 sauces just went commercial last Feb, 2012 and since then both sauces have grown in popularity to the point that we can no longer keep up with demand. We are now looking for a co packer and have had 2 separate co packers produce test batches. Neither co-packer came even close to our sauces' flavor profiles and we were able to determine the problem stemmed from using the wrong peppers. Both co packers used bulk pepper mash made from Red Habanero peppers.

Having lived in Jamaica for a time, I believe the peppers I grow are either Scotch Bonnets or closely related to Scotch Bonnets, but I am not sure. Internet searches have led me to a few importers who say they can provide Red Scotch Bonnet peppers in bulk but without being able to taste one of the raw, fresh peppers I can't tell for sure if we are talking about the exact same pepper. I have tried substitutes to the peppers I grow but believe me, nothing else will do.

If anyone on this forum can help identify our peppers or knows where we can go to find a supplier who can let me taste the peppers the supplier sells in bulk, that information would be very much appreciated.

Here is what I can tell you about my pepper plants: The plants grow 2' to 5' tall with a diameter of roughly 2' with deep green foliage. The flowers are small and white. The peppers range in size from 2" H x 1 1/2" W down to 1" H x 3/4" W and go in color from green to orange striped, to full orange, to red, to deep red when they are fully ripe. The plants are prolific, almost beyond belief. Each plant produces a continuous output of peppers from May through December (sometimes into Jan) here in FL. I have 3 plants that are now 3 years old. I grow them in very large pots in my driveway and bring them into the garage with the threat of frost or freezing temps in the winter. (see photo).

Thanks for any assistance anyone of you may lend,
- Doc
 
:welcome: from sunny South Florida! :woohoo:

And what Prehensile said... Your best bet is to find a farmer willing to help you with farming them. Granted, it'd be a pretty big cost up front and may dig into any profits initially, once things get going, they production (and profits) should blow up...
 
:welcome: to THP and Greetings from the Metrolina in North Carolina !
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]"The taste is followed by a vicious hot spicy bite"[/background][background=rgb(255, 244, 228)] [/background][background=rgb(255, 244, 228)] :flamethrower:[/background][background=rgb(255, 244, 228)] [/background][background=rgb(255, 244, 228)] :onfire:[/background]
 
DocBruce said:
... Here is what I can tell you about my pepper plants: The plants grow 2' to 5' tall with a diameter of roughly 2' with deep green foliage. The flowers are small and white. The peppers range in size from 2" H x 1 1/2" W down to 1" H x 3/4" W and go in color from green to orange striped, to full orange, to red, to deep red when they are fully ripe. The plants are prolific, almost beyond belief. Each plant produces a continuous output of peppers from May through December (sometimes into Jan) here in FL. I have 3 plants that are now 3 years old. I grow them in very large pots in my driveway and bring them into the garage with the threat of frost or freezing temps in the winter. ...
Click to expand...

Hi & welcome to the forums from a newbie as well. Your post caught my attention because I too use to live and grow peppers in Jamaica and you have discribed my peppers as well. In the past I always thought mine were a breed of Scotch Bonnet peppers but over the years I came to the conclusion that they're a cross between red Habanero & Scotch Bonnet. While I could be wrong, I love the taste of this pepper as well and only grow for family and friends. Currently I have around 14 plants that yeild year round but in the summer the pods are much larger. That said, I'm interested in the outcome of your question and hope someone can identify them correctly.
 
You never know.
And welcome, BTW.
You may be growing a one off stable hybrid, or your growing method instills a specific flavor profile.

Best (IMHO) would be to harvest a few thousand seeds and find a grower to contract, or a friend to grow a couple dozen to see if it's the peppers, or the pepper grower that makes the taste.

Better to sell out than to have excess inferior product.
 
Here's a link to a chile database: http://www.thechileman.org/search.php

I'd suggest taking all the names you collect and looking at that database. Note there aren't pictures of every pepper there, but there are a LOT.
 
geeme said:
Here's a link to a chile database: http://www.thechileman.org/search.php

I'd suggest taking all the names you collect and looking at that database. Note there aren't pictures of every pepper there, but there are a LOT.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the db, according to it one of mine could be the Jamaican Red Hot but the others look more like what DocBruce posted (OP). That said, that db doesn't show similar pictures to the OP's picture or the balance of my plants from Jamaica.
 
Welcome from .....................Chicago.
The pods in the photo look neither Caribbean Red or West Indian. The "Panama" sounds right. I've got a Bonnet from Belize that has the same shape. Although the leaves on my plant are wider with different vein structure. Good luck with the pepper hunt. Congo Trinidads and Caribbean Red's (tear shaped) have great flavor for hot sauce making. Those shouldn't be hard to find or difficult to grow. Likewise, the growth habit for those are in the 3 to 4 ft range.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top