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shopping Who says you can't find good peppers at the grocery store??

So I went to the local No Frills (a huge chain discount Canadian grocer) to pick up crackers and cream cheese to go with the pineapple/ scotch bonnet jam I was bringing to a party last Saturday.
 
As usual I swung by the peppers to see if there was anything interesting -- usually they stock green japs, skinny green chilis, and red scotch bonnets that always look terrible -- usually only one or two are worth buying in the box. WELL! To my surprise look what I found:
 
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There are Scotch bonnets, 3 colours of Bhuts, Red 7s, Trin Scorps, Butch Ts, and Dorset Naga (? have not heard of the dorsets) I bought a few to taste test because I have never so much as SEEN a superhot let alone tasted:
 
 
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The next day I went back and bought every last pepper that was still fresh. Cost me $5 for the lot:
 
 
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The yellows will add enough to my home crop of bonnets for a mash in one of the 1.9L jars. The reds will get their own jar, all mixed together. No idea what to do with the Choc Bhuts yet.
 
I taste tested a dime-sized piece of each that had a small amount of placenta. Flavour-wise of the supers I loved the bhuts, all three were very tasty. I found the regular scorpions to be the hottest by far. I Found the flavour of the Butch Ts to be bitter and chemically and ended up tossing all but the 3 nicest. I was really interesting and fun to taste them one after the other, for good measure I had a piece of two types of bonnet (which both had very different profiles as well!) and my red and orange habs. It was AWESOME.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
That's funny.  I do the same thing, swing by the peppers section and always nothing.  I usually pick the dried "bhut jolokia" up and ask myself why do these look so awful? My dried peppers look infinitely better.
 
That's the dream though, to one day see some kick ass peppers there.  Nice find.
 
My gosh, you are fortunate.  I hope enough people buy them that the store keeps them stocked.  No Demand = No Supply.
 
Nice score! Best I can find around here are the usual jalapeno's, serrano's, bell's, orange habs and occasional poblano. Never anything good like that. 
 
Very impressive. Over here in Nova Scotia I was all amazed to find Naga Jolokia.. but that definitely puts our local selection to shame! :) (hopefully in the coming months I might start changing that lol)
 
Sweet!  Now I'm going to have to go to No Frills tomorrow!  Every time I go through Zehrs I do the same thing and check the pepper section.  Best I've found there so far is a tiny pack of mixed Bhuts for around $5.  Never thought to bother with No Frills, the produce section at the one here is usually pretty sad. 
 
I did get a little lucky last week though, went to the St. Jacobs Farmers Market last Thursday.  There's a pepper vendor there, sells mostly sweet peppers but has a table of hots, usual grocery store stuff.  But last week he was selling Bhuts as well.  He had mixed baskets but I saw a flat of Chocolate Bhuts behind the table and convinced him to sell me a basket of just the chocolates (I have a yellow bhut that's been putting out lots of pods and a Dorset naga).  I got about 30 of them for $5, going to go back again this week and see if he has anymore!
 
I still can't believe No Frills!!  Why haven't I been checking No Frills!!
 
maybe you can check with the produce manager to see if he purchased them locally or through distribution.
 
the importance of that, is if it is local, then most likely it was your local store only, if they purchased via distribution then many No Frills will be on the supplier list and perhaps other smaller independent stores can purchase from the distributor. so far the best my local east indian independent grocers deliver are: red & yellow mushy bonnets, jwala, slimy green chillis and orange habs. a few carry fresno, ancho and banana peppers and once i saw yellow habs. use to be able to get packaged smoked ghost pepper but i think i was the only one to buy a package so they quit carrying them.
 
i love the st jocobs area, mennonite cooking, as a young lad we always went to the Stone Crock buffet in Elmira and bought my first parrot from Barry the Bird man in Elora.  got my first speeding ticket in wallenstein with girl friend on my lap. cost me $20.
 
The grocer I frequent does bring in local produce from time to time - not a lot of it, but I always look forward to when they have it, as sometimes we get special treats of stuff they don't normally carry. Today I found some red pods that were possibly red habs or congo trinidads - they had no label, unfortunately, but I have never seen pods this size, color and shape there before. I didn't pick any up as I have plenty on my own plants right now, but I was definitely eyeing them.
 
Spicegeist said:
That's funny.  I do the same thing, swing by the peppers section and always nothing. 
 
Ditto.
 
 
MeatHead1313 said:
Nice score! Best I can find around here are the usual jalapeno's, serrano's, bell's, orange habs and occasional poblano. Never anything good like that. 
 
That is all I ever see myself. 
 
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