Grow It, Catch It, Cook It

This has to be the most attractive chili plant I have in my collection. Despite the fruit’s small size they pack a real punch and the plant is a heavy producer.

The fruit starts off as deep oxblood colour that ripens to a rich red.

So if you’re into landscaping with beautiful, unique plants, or you love chilies that are mid range on the pepper scale, this is plant is for you. The heat is more than a jalapeño but less than a cayenne.

Taste:

The heat creeps up on you, similar to the much hotter ghost pepper in that way. The initial bite provides a mild citrus-like taste, but that’s followed up within a minute with a building spiciness going from back of throat to tip of tongue. The heat peaks within a few minutes and slowly begins to dissipate.

Flower:

Fruit:

Small globes packed full of seeds. The skin is firm and has a crunch.

Plant:

Fruiting Months:

November to June

Planting/Care:

It took a while for the seedling I bought to fruit initially so don’t panic. Apparently this is a fickle variety of chili but I have not done anything special and have had great luck.

I use a middle range nitrogen and high potassium fertiliser regime during the summer months. Soil is improved with compost and manure and has a ~5-10% by weight of clay to sand ratio. Drainage is still good.

I usually spray my chili plants with Dipel and pyrethrum (my go to natural insecticide spray) if I notice any grub damage. The tomato grub in particular likes the larger fleshier chilis like the Trinidad Scorpion.

Enjoy,

PK

Check out GICICI’s Chili Collection for more info on chili growing.

 Here are some more chili varieties and some examples of cooking with them: