Thai Hot

[organichris]

I purchased a Thai Hot plant at a local nursery a little over a month ago. I basically just bought it because I didn't know anything about it, and it would be a conversation piece between my father-in-law who grows and pickles peppers.

Any information about this pepper would be appreciated, you know heat, flavor and such. When looking it up, it appears that there may be more than one chile known as "Thai Hot". Some of the pictures I have seen show a long thin pepper, the shape like something between a Serrano and a Cayenne. Other pictures show something with a shape like a Jalapeno.

I hope they're hot so I can send my father-in-law running to the can begging for mercy.

[macmex]

I've grown two different peppers called Thai Hot. My guess is that the Thais have a good variety of hot peppers! One, I grew in the early 80's it was from Park's Seeds. The plant itself was a low growing mound and there were two variations of pods, both quite small. One was slightly thinner than the other, but neither were long, like a Cayenne. Park's Thai Hot was pretty hot.

The other "Thai Hot" I've grown, is one which my kids got me for Fathers' Day in 2003. The plants can get up to 30" tall, though sometimes they stay considerably shorter. This one has pods which resemble miniature cayenne peppers about 2" long. These too are pretty hot. I like this version better because it is easier to pick. I'd say that either kind is a bit hotter than a Jalepeño.

I have saved seed and grown this larger version since 2003. It's a joy to work with since it begins producing very quickly and produces until frost. The plants are literally a mass of peppers. Plus, the peppers themselves are easy to dry. At the end of the year I simply cut the plants and hang them in an out building, and we have dried peppers, for cooking, all winter.

Here's a picture of this pepper.

I've grown these in groups, in place of flowers. The plants are quite striking when covered in peppers!

If you want to "get" your father-in-law you might try Habaneros. They are hotter yet. Though, Thai Hot is nothing to sneeze at.

George

[organichris]

Thanks, George. You're from Tahlequah, eh? Beautiful country down there. I used to float down the Illinois when I was a kid. I'm a displaced okie myself.

I may have to call the nursery to see whether they can tell me who their seed source was. The little picture tab thing that came with the plant shows a more rounded shaped pepper like a jalapeno. But who knows whether the peppers will actually look like that.

I take it that the pepper in the picture is of an unknown seed source, right?

[organichris]

Oh yeah, and Habaneros are out of the question for my father-in-law. He won't go near them. He grew a bunch one year, and they were all wasted because no one ate them. I made pepper spray out of them to keep pesky insects off of my plants.

[macmex]

Mine came from Frank's Nursery, in Howell, NJ. I don't know if only that particular store closed, or if the whole chain closed down. I'm thinking of offering seed for this one through the Seed Savers Exchange and differentiating it by dubbing it "Frank's Thai Hot." If you should want any seed drop me a private e-mail. I have plenty.

Habaneros actually have a nice flavor, once you get around the heat. I'd never eat one just plain. But I love to use them in soups and salsa.

[organichris]

Yeah, I love Habaneros. But I have to build up a tolerance to them. I used to eat them every day, but only with food - never by themselves. Talk about rippin' you a new one!

[Earl]

George,
the pepper in your picture looks [if it was dried] like the Thai peppers sold in grocery stores. So it's a safe bet that what you have is the real thing. Sure is a beautiful plant you have there.

Chris,
since you like the Habanero taste but not the heat you should try Trinidad Perfume or Trinidad Seasoning or Datil Sweet since they have the flavor but not the heat. They even look like a type of Habanero. The bushes are covered with fruit and they dry fine. You can then add a milder hot type to get what your taste buds like heatwise.

[macmex]

Yes, I'd grow this one even if just for the beauty and satisfaction it gives every time I walk past it in the garden. One year we decorated our Christmas tree with nothing more than strings of dried Thai Hots and popcorn!

George

[organichris]

My Thai Hot is just now making baby peppers, so it will be interesting to see what they look like. It took it a while to get acclimated after the transplant, but now we're off and running. It looks like it will quite prolific, not unlike George's picture. In fact, my guess is that it is a similar plant to the one pictured but its a little too early to say for sure. If it is it will be quite different from the picture provided by the nursery, which exhibited the rounded Jalapeno-like phenotype.

Earl, for the record I like both the flavor and the heat of habaneros. Its just that I haven't eaten them in some time, and I am somewhat afraid of them. But thanks for the suggestions of other peppers.

[organichris]

Yeah, so I found my lone Thai Hot plant on the ground one morning. The stem was severed in a very clean manner. I have no idea how it happened. It is almost like it was sawed down but not quite. Its like it was just broke off very cleanly. It completely beats me. There was no moisture where it was severed. It was totally dry on both ends. I was thinking about posting pictures of it. It was definitely the same plant as the one George pictured. Oh well...

[beef1020]

cutworms maybe? sorry to hear you lost the plant

[macmex]

That's so sad! Maybe it'll sprout again from the base. If you would like seed, let me know.

George