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Hot Hot Hot: Bhut Jolokia Peppers

May 16, 2008  |  vegetables
Bhut Jolokia Peppers

Recently recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the World's Hottest Pepper, the Bhut Jolokia is taking the pepper-eating world by (fire)storm. 200 times hotter than the jalapeno, it is almost indescribable how this pepper can affect you! Knollwood Garden Center is growing a limited number of these plants if you would like to try one this year, but be warned! It is recommended that you wear plastic gloves when planting and tending to the plants, as well as when handling the peppers. Some fun facts and articles:

  • Often used in India to repel elephants in the garden.
  • One pepper can last an entire family a week in their everday cooking.
  • Peppers are eaten pickled, in curries, and for the very brave, raw.
  • Plants produce a small amount of pollen; hand pollinatin of the blooms with a small paintbrush is recommended.
  • The heat of any chile pepper you grow is affected by the growing conditions: the more, sun, heat, and "stress" in the form of semi-dry conditions after fruiting, the greater heat your peppers will produce. You can read a complete story about the peppers from the Wall Street Journal here, and watch their journalist, Stan Sesser, eat and describe one right here.

What do you think? Want to try one? Leave your comment here!