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Serranos and jalapenos from the grocery store

A lot of people think jalapenos(and serranos) are green when ripe. One of the reasons I started growing chiles many years ago was to get red ripe hot jalapenos instead of mushy green milder ones they have at supermarkets here
 
I never let jalapenos get red, it would take too long on the plant. The faster you pick them, the more peppers you get over the season. I would rather have more green jalapeno then way less vine ripened red ones.
 
Duly noted on all counts. I'll put them out of the fridge for a few days, and hopefully they won't go bad before they ripen lol
 
Put the pods in a paper bag (preferably with a ripe banana or tomato). The trapped ethylene gas will help them ripen faster
 
I'll give that a shot, thanks! Is there any set amount of time to keep it in there, or is it something best done by eyeballing it every so often?
 
How long it takes depends on how mature the fruit is. If picked too early it will rot before it ripens. I would just go ahead and eat those, leaving some others on the plants to ripen more. Also if you want to make chipotles they would be left on the plant as long as possible after they are ripe red..
 
elcap1999 said:
This morning, I went to the grocery store and saw that for the first time in forever, they had jalapenos, serranos and several varieties of bell peppers. I purchased about a half a pound each of serranos and jalapenos. I was wondering, does anyone have success in growing pepper plants from seeds that were acquired from grocery-bought peppers.
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not trying to be a smart ass here but why would you save supermarket pepper seeds of common varieties when they are so cheap to buy? Now, if they were different and unusual and whatnot, that's cool....

HotPeppas said:
What i dont get is why are the supermarket jalapenos like 5 times bigger than what my plant is putting off!!!
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as P said, maybe a hybrid....or...the commercial farmer knows what he is doing and uses the correct fertilization regimen...

Capsicum said:
I never let jalapenos get red, it would take too long on the plant. The faster you pick them, the more peppers you get over the season. I would rather have more green jalapeno then way less vine ripened red ones.
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how are you going to make your chipotle (smoked red japs) powder then?....
 
I do it both ways, the family thinks a jalapeno is supposed to be green so I pick a few, plus in the first 1/3rd of the season I'm anxious to reap (eat) the fruits of my labor and my japs are always the first thing to mature enough to be edible.
 
As others have stated, Jalapenos and Serrano's need to be mature before the seed is viable in a reliable manner. As far as how they get there, putting the banana or tomato as stated as well will ripen the pods if they are close enough to maturity to begin with.

As stated though, why would you let your jalapenos go red on the plant?
I usually have a couple plants set aside for just that reason, for making those smoked pods.
I'll take a pepper here or there but I try to let as many go red as possible for my own consumption.
I can hit the store for the mid green peppers any time I want.
With any luck I'll find some farmers markets in about a month for jalapenos and such so that I can pickle a bunch to use as my sauce basis.
Can't really find red jalapenos around here reliably.
In fact peppers while there is a basic selection is pretty limited in over all quality and quantity, let alone finding red pods in the Twin Cities. ;)
 
Capsicum said:
I never let jalapenos get red, it would take too long on the plant. The faster you pick them, the more peppers you get over the season. I would rather have more green jalapeno then way less vine ripened red ones.
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I always let mine turn red because I use them to make chipotles which I freeze for year round usage. I also like green jalapenos which are readily available at the market. Red ripe jalapenos are only available sometimes and that's why I grow my own.
 
I thought that too for many years, but I've gone full circle and now like green jals again too, as well as green Numex/Anaheim chiles. Not that I don't usually prefer the reds, but the greens have more texture/crunch and a totally different but great flavor
 
Just to echo what has already been mentioned.......serranos that are green (what is always found in markets) are worthless. They should be used when red (ripe). Grow lots of these because the wife likes them, the heat is within her tolerence level and is imo the most user friendly chili for making fresh salsa everyone can enjoy. Green jals are fine for poppers, fresh salsa and we put up several pints to use during the year. For the taste, I generally prefer red. With eight plants, the harvest is usually so abundant that I've got lots of options.

Numex/anaheim.......the pepper that started this chile growing thing for me in the first place, as an attempt to recreate what was experienced in New Mexico during harvest time. Green for roasting, rellenos and making Chile Verde (which by definition is green chile sauce). Red for drying, grinding into homemade red chile powder and making Chile Colorado (red chile sauce, my personal favorite). Green or red, that age old question of sauce preference!

Although I have not grown asian style peppers until this year (mek phet), green and red are both seen at market. Will be trying both to discern a preference.

My understanding is that the prefered way of making "tapa" with Padrons is to use them at the immature green stage.

The point of this is there is no clear cut answer to the question of green or ripe, its about what is the intended purpose.

Edit: I always grow my jals, serrano, and numex from seed from a reliable source, not market peppers. I have no idea if market peppers are hybrids and do not want surprises come harvest time.
 
Ripe Xalapeños (red ones)

mex2-1.jpg
 
I've had the jalapenos and serranos in their own tupperware containers and one of the serranos has already changed to a deep orange, almost red, and a second is starting to turn orange. Nothing from the jalapenos yet
 
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