A jalapeno question .....
I’ve always had good luck in the past with jalapenos. I let them go to red and then make Jalapeno Pepper Jelly (JPJ) out of them - the color using only red peppers is beautiful, sort of an amber with red flecks.
So this evening, my niece returned a box of empty jelly jars - she & hubby LOVE the JPJ I make - I usually give them a batch for a Christmas present. Hubby informed me he expected the jars to be returned .... full of jelly.
The jelly they got this year was made last year - I did not make any JPJ this year because my jalapenos ... well, they just plain ‘sucked’. They were short/stubby & they got the ‘age’ lines (corking?) on them while still green. By the time they turned red, they looked awful & I just didn’t want to use them. Niece’s hubby said they had the same issue with their jalapenos this year ... were not all that prolific & got the corking problem early.
I did as always & bought the jalapenos in a 4-pack from the local nursery. They were only marked as jalapenos & ‘hot’, no variety name or anything. The plants themselves did great & I actually had quite a few peppers, but the size/quality was the issue. I managed to make 2 batches of jalapeno poppers but I had to scrounge through a lot of smaller, stubby ones to find larger, longer ones for stuffing/wrapping with bacon.
Any thoughts about the corking issues - from what I read, after looking for info, it appears to be caused by ‘stress’ (for example - not enough water, too much water). Also, I’m thinking about starting some peppers from seeds myself this year .... very unhappy with whatever jalapeno plants I got last spring due to the short/stubby peppers. After no JPJ this year, for sure I will have to make a couple of batches next year - my brother gets JPJ too .. even bought me jelly jars last year so I would have enough to give him at least 2 batches!
If I’m remembering correctly, you guys got a LOT of rain this season - more than normal? That, right there, would lead to the ‘corking’ problem. Not much you can do about that, unfortunately. Peppers like it hot and dry, for sure.
They act that way, just like tomatoes ‘split’ if they go from being too dry to being too wet. Of course, the Jalapeno has a different cell-wall make up, so the corking happens, versus them splitting open like our friend, the thin-walled tomato. ;)
I don’t grow them often - Beau doesn’t like spicy foods, but when I have, I’ve grown the ‘Mucho Nacho’ variety. (Burpee has them, for one.)
“Mucho Nacho Jalapeno
The Mucho Nacho Jalapeno is a larger variety of jalapeno pepper as it grow up to 4 inches long.
You’ll find that these chillies tend to be longer and wider than standard Jalapenos, which makes them ideal for stuffing.
These peppers start off green and then turn red. I’ve found both colors to be extremely hot.
This is the Jalapeno pepper you want if you love heat.”
Year before last (and I will again, this year) I grew ‘Sweet Heat’ pepper and it made THE BEST ‘Cowboy Candy’ bar, none. Not as hot as a Jalapeno - so it was perfect for us.
‘Bonnie’ sells ‘Sweet Heat’ plants, (at Walmart) or you can get seeds from Jung’s.
https://bonnieplants.com/product/sweet-heat-pepper/
But, go with the ‘Mucho Nacho’ for really big, hot Jalapenos.