Pepper - Tabasco
I got these seeds from a trade. The pepper behind the world famous hot sauce, Tabasco (Capsicum frutescens) is originally from Mexico but is now commercially farmed in Louisiana. Plants grow 3-4 feet tall and produce hundreds of 1-2 inch long hot peppers per plant. Peppers start light green and turn yellow, then orange, before finally reaching red. You can grow these in containers, but a word of warning, size matters! Put these in the biggest container you can so as not to stunt them and limit their pepper production. Some people use Tabasco pepper plants as an ornamental because of the colorful peppers they display. If you have a long hot growing season, this pepper will probably do well for you; in fact they are perennial in frost-free areas. If you live in a colder climate, you'll need a greenhouse or to grow it in a container you can move indoors when your weather starts to cool down. Tabasco peppers can take their time growing and are so late in their production that short season growers will be challenged to get any ripe peppers (without the aforementioned tactics). Tabasco peppers are fairly hardy and can take a bit of abuse, but the more you abuse or neglect them, the hotter the peppers will be! These thin walled peppers don't keep well on the counter once they're picked, so be ready to use or process them within a day or two of picking. Classic use is to make pepper vinegar or pepper oil (soaking peppers in vinegar or olive oil), but they can be used fresh or in cooking, or of course as a sauce. I found mixed reviews on making Tabasco pickles or drying them. It seems that pickled Tabasco peppers should only be in the brine for a short while before being eaten as they won't stand up to the long-term soak like a jalapeno will. These little peppers carry 30,000 - 50,000 Scoville heat units, wear gloves when picking and processing. Avoid contact with your face, the oils will burn!
80-90 days to maturity
80-90 days to maturity