What is Jalapeno pepper, how is it grown and used

Jalapeno - what is it? Nice name for a vegetable, isn't it? This pepper has been in space as a favorite condiment for American astronauts. Jalapenos are used in almost every Mexican dish. Spicy lovers in our country are familiar with this pepper.

How to grow, where to use, photos and many more interesting things about Jalapeno pepper you will find in our article.

What is this pepper

Jalapeno is a variety of vegetable peppers (lat.Capsicum annuum). It got its name from the Mexican city of Jalapa, where it is mainly grown.

What it looks like, how and where it grows

Jalapeno pepper is a bushy plant up to 1 m high with branched stems, elliptical leaves and white to grayish flowers. The fruits are small, from 5 to 9 cm in length, 25-35 even conical peppers with thick, juicy walls are harvested from one plant per season.

Technically ripe green fruits are appreciated; overripe peppers with a red color are not used, in extreme cases they are dried or smoked.

The most extensive crop plantations are in Mexico. This pepper is also widespread in the southern states of the United States: New Mexico and Texas.

This is a thermophilic plant, so in Russia amateurs grow it in greenhouses and on window sills.

Taste and aroma, pungency

Jalapeno has a characteristic sour taste. The degree of pungency, depending on the conditions and place of growth, varies from strong to burning. On the Scoville scale, it is gaining 2500-8000 units. For comparison, sweet bell peppers - 0 units, red hot peppers (chili peppers) - from 30,000 to 50,000 units.

The sharpest parts of the fruit (due to the high capsaicin content) are the seeds and inner film. After removing them, the pungency of the pepper decreases.

Features:

Jalapeno peppers are prized for their high content of nutrients. It imparts moderate pungency and piquancy to various meat, vegetable dishes and sauces. Eating this type of pepper produces an unusual sensation of warmth and then a pungent taste in the mouth.

Composition, properties, KBZHU

Jalapeno contains a large amount of essential oils, vitamins E, A, C, group B.

It contains carotenoids, trace elements sodium, calcium, magnesium. Due to the relatively low content of capsaicin, it does not have a pronounced burning taste: if you try the pepper, the burning sensation on the tongue will quickly pass.

In terms of 100 g of the product, the calorie content is 30 kcal, the protein content is 1.35 g, the fat content is 0.62 g, the carbohydrate content is 5.91 g.

Harm and benefit

Jalapeno pepper has many beneficial properties.

The substance capsaicin, which causes a burning taste, thins the blood, helps to normalize blood pressure.

This product has a positive effect on metabolic processes, helps in the digestion of heavy protein foods. When pepper is consumed, endorphins are produced, mood improves, sleep is normalized. Jalapenos strengthens the immune system, regular use in food improves the condition of the skin and hair.

However, if you consume this type of pepper in large quantities, you can damage the stomach lining.

Contraindications

You cannot eat Jalapeno pepper for people with individual intolerance, kidney, liver, and gastrointestinal tract diseases. The use of acute is contraindicated in children, pregnant and lactating women.

Jalapeno peppers

There are several varieties, differing in the degree of pungency and the region of growth:

1. Espinalteco has spiky pods.
2. Morita - the most famous Jalapeno pepper in our country with short rounded fruits.
3. Peludo - fleshy long peppers.

Application

Cooking is Jalapeno's primary use. But the burning components contained in the fruits make it possible to use it in medicine and cosmetology.

In cooking

There is probably no Mexican dish that doesn't have Jalapenos in the recipe. It is added to salads, vegetable, meat dishes, soups. Fresh peppers are used in tomato-based dressings and sauces.

A feast for the gourmet - stuffed Jalapenos. For example, pepper pods are stuffed with grated cheese and decorated with rings of the same spicy fruit.

Pickled peppers are used in European countries. They are added to main courses, soups, pizza.

The popular soft drink sangrita also contains this green hot pepper.

In addition, dishes with the addition of Jalapeno stay fresh longer.

In folk medicine

Jalapeno peppers are used to prepare tinctures that improve appetite. They are also recommended to be used for insomnia.

In cosmetology

Thanks to vitamins and substances that improve blood circulation in the skin, Jalapeno is considered an excellent ingredient in anti-hair loss masks and anti-cellulite products. With its antibacterial properties, this pepper bath reduces sweating of the feet.

Attention! The use of cosmetics containing Jalapenos is not recommended for people with increased skin sensitivity. If there are wounds or cracks, it is also worth postponing using such funds.

Growing

A stranger with a sharp character is not whimsical, it is quite capable of growing him on a personal plot or a windowsill. The cultivation technique of Jalapeno does not differ from that used for the usual sweet pepper. At home, it is grown as a perennial.

Care features

Landing produced with seeds. It is best to buy them in specialized gardening stores. Before planting, seeds must be pickled in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 20-30 minutes. Germinate the seeds on moistened gauze for 24-48 hours, avoiding drying out.

Planting both for seedlings and for cultivation at home is carried out in March-April.

Jalapenos are grown on loose, nutritious soils with good drainage. Ready-made soil is ideal for flower or vegetable crops. Seeds should be planted to a depth of 1-1.5 cm; with deeper planting, they may not germinate.

Seedlings grow in 45-75 days. Jalapeno is thermophilic and is afraid of cold and drafts, so boxes with seedlings are covered with foil until shoots appear. Then the film is first opened briefly and the airing time is gradually increased. After several days of hardening, the film is removed completely. Water the seedlings in moderation, but regularly. The first feeding is carried out 10 days after germination.

When the plant acquires 2-3 pairs of true leaves, it is transplanted to a permanent place. To do this, take a plastic or ceramic pot with a volume of at least 5 liters. The soil is used the same as for planting seeds.

For growing peppers in a personal plot, it is better to organize a greenhouse. Seedlings are planted in the ground in late May - early June.

When the sprouts reach a height of 15-20 cm, they are pinched so that the bush branches.

Flowering and fruit formation occurs throughout the summer.

Watering is carried out as the soil dries, but at least 2-3 times a week with settled warm water.

For the growth and fruiting of Jalapenos, trace elements are needed: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Top dressing is carried out at least once every two weeks with complex fertilizers - superphosphate and potassium humate. They should be used according to the instructions.

The most comfortable conditions for a plant are at an air temperature of 24-28 ° C, in a bright, draft-free place.

Caring for a plant in the winter at home has its own characteristics. After flowering and fruiting comes a dormant period. Bushes slow down or stop growth, partially or completely shed their leaves. At this time, the pots with pepper are moved to a cool place with a temperature of 12-18 ° C, feeding is stopped, watering is reduced to once a week.

In the spring, with the end of the dormant period, the plants are returned to a warm place and fertilizing and watering are resumed.

Diseases and pests

Jalapeno peppers are most often susceptible to diseases of black leg and apical rot. Blackleg affects seedlings. The stems become thinner, the leaves wither. Illness occurs with excessive watering or the use of cold water. With top rot, the fruits are covered with black spots. Causes of the pathogenic process: lack of calcium, excess nitrogen and insufficient watering.

It is a mistake to believe that hot pepper varieties are not attacked by pests.Aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites are found on Jalapeno bushes.

To get rid of them, insecticides or folk remedies are used:

1. An effective remedy against aphids and whiteflies - infusion of garlic and dandelion... To prepare it, take one tablespoon of chopped garlic and dandelion stalks, pour it with water and insist for a day, filter and spray the bushes.
2. In the fight against spider mites, a solution of ammonia and laundry soap is used. For 1 liter of water, take 1 tablespoon of ammonia and a spoonful of grated soap, mix thoroughly and process the plants, covering the soil so that the solution does not get on it.

Collection and storage

The bushes bear fruit throughout the summer. Collect green peppers 5-6 cm long. Within a few weeks, the fruits turn red, become sweeter, their pungency decreases.

Important! Gloves are used when collecting and laying, as the sap of the plants irritates the skin.

Fresh pods stored in jars in the refrigerator or in a cellar for no more than 14 days, and dried Jalapenos - in a sealed glass container in a dark place. Suitable for long-term storage pickled peppers.

Spice making

To make spices, Jalapenos are dried and, if necessary, crushed.

Pickled hot peppers are an excellent seasoning for various dishes. The classic marinade of vinegar, sugar and salt preserves the natural flavor of the pepper.

For 15 jalapeno pods, marinade is prepared with the following proportions:

• 240 ml white wine vinegar;
• 240 ml of water;
• 4 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• 2 tbsp. l. salt.

Conclusion

Jalapeno is a medium-spicy vegetable pepper, a traditional ingredient in Mexican cuisine. Most widely cultivated in Mexico as well as in the southern United States. Suitable for those who want to diversify their food with spicy, but are not ready for too "hot" experiments.

There are three varieties of Jalapenos: the spiky espinalteco, the fleshy elongated peludo and the morita, better known in Russia, with short, rounded fruits. This type of pepper is successfully grown in the middle zone of our country in summer cottages, as well as at home as a perennial plant. Care consists in regular moderate watering and feeding.

Jalapeños are eaten fresh, dried and pickled. It also finds application in medicine and cosmetology.