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how long to leave jalapenos on the plant?

A

awwsheeet

how long do you guys typically leave jalapenos on the plant? i am going for maximum strength in terms of heat. i am assuming the longer the better? what would be a good guestimate of total time it should be left on, after the pod is formed (pretty much full size, 2-3")
 
I have a chicken or the egg type question. What happens first, turning red ripe or corking? Or can it be variable? I picked one jal that was green but had some corking. Still waiting to see some red.
 
Corking starts first but can happen before there is even heat in the pod.  Don't let corking tell you its ready.
 
I just want to add that the excellent advice mentioned above holds true for serranos as well. There is nothing worse than harvesting prematurely.
 
millworkman said:
Corking starts first but can happen before there is even heat in the pod.  Don't let corking tell you its ready.
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+1 indeed and the taste can be like grass then :(
I feel they always darken up in color also before they are starting to turn red. So when they are dark green and haven't grown for a couple of weeks I harvest them. Of course there's always a few that you pick to early.
 
I always wait until mine fully ripen to red before picking, unless it's end of season and a hard freeze is coming. I like green jalapenos well enough, but I can get them like that all year at the grocery store. Nothing beats the flavor, though, of a fully ripe jalapeno that's been left on the plant to allow it's full sugars and heat to develop. If you haven't had a fully ripe jalapeno, leave one alone until it's fully red - you're in for a treat!
 
I had a late start last year and had to pick everything as it was, right before it was going to freeze.

The ones that didn't get eaten never finished ripening.
 
Yeah.... they are definitely still good when green... but I would definitely only recommend picking green ones early if they are larger in size... the small ones are too densely packed with seeds... better to let those small ones ripen so that you at leat get the intense flavor out of the "shavings"....
 
romy6 said:
 My wife will only eat them green. I prefer red. It is a whole different pepper when ripened. I suggest you try both and see which you like most. 
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Your absolutely right about that, Jamie :) When ripe you use them more to cook with, give dishes flavor.
 
Until they look like this. It`s warm and dry here (San DIego), so I let them just start to wrinkle a bit. It concentrates the flavor, makes them sweeter and they become a lot hotter.
 
 
meatfreak said:
 
When ripe you use them more to cook with, give dishes flavor.
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Yes, ripe gives dishes more flavor, but use them more to cook with???? Heck, most of my ripe ones never make it to the kitchen - they just taste too darned good freshly-picked. Nom nom nom nom..........
 
There's a restaurant I like to go to that has the most amazing stuffed jalapenos I've ever had.  Stuffed with chicken and some kind of cheese, then wrapped in bacon and smoked to perfection. :drooling:   They use green jalapenos however, wonder how it would taste with fully ripened peppers... i'll have to give it a try as soon as mine ripen (feels like it's taking forever, patience at this stage is not exactly my strong suit lol)
 
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