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.
Thanks - we did get some spells of rain. I’ve had corking before, but never this bad & when the peppers are fat/stubby to start with, you don’t have a lot of ‘salvage’ room!
Hot is not an issue with the folks getting the JPJ :-) Mucho Nacho sounds ‘good’ to me!
BTW, speaking of Jalapenos .... my little niece, when she got her horse yesterday, mistook “Palomino” for Jalapeno. The horse’s new name is now Jalapeno. She also named their boar pig “Nacho” ... I wonder if she’s getting too much Mexican food??
Cowboy Candy is a different story. I made it with jalapenos only ONCE, several years ago - my Cowboy Candy was accused of:
- Causing such bad heartburn it mimicked a heart attack
- Caused the sensation of fire shooting out of peoples’ rear ends
- Was accused of causing hemorrhoids
Even if I used “Sweet Heat”, I don’t think those who made the comments above would trust my Cowboy Candy again, regardless of the peppers I used. I do have some guys ‘new’ to the family ... they might give it a try!