Chili Product Reviews - Growing Chillies

Top 3 Chili Peppers Growing Books for Gardeners

Belle Pepper Chili Product Reviews June 1, 2022 0 Comment

If you like to cook spicy food, you’d probably be dreaming of having your own garden grown with all kinds of chili peppers. However, chili peppers are tricky to grow. The first time you grow may not be successful because you don’t know the right way to plant it. This is why you should read chili peppers growing books. These books provide the information you need to know for growing and harvesting chili peppers. The following are the top 3 chili pepper growing books for gardeners.

The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener’s Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking

The Complete Chile Pepper Book by Dave DeWitt and Paul W. Bosland is a large book that attempts to cover all kinds of information on chili peppers. There are short description accompanied with color photos on more than 100 varieties of ornamental chilis and chilies grown for cooking. Some of the descriptions include Scoville rating, which is the measurement for the heat intensity of the chili pepper. It is a resourceful book you can look up if you are trying to decide which chili pepper plant to purchase for your backyard garden.

If you buy seeds from MIT, you will be able to find descriptions on some of the varieties of chilies they are selling. This is because the author work with The Chile Pepper Institute in New Mexico. Even as an advanced chili grower, you will be able to benefit from the information in the book. You will learn about methods of growing and planning your chili garden. You will also learn how to diagnose different diseases and ailments that particularly attack the chili pepper plants.

In addition, the book also offer information on the different ways to use dried and fresh chili. For example, it offers tips on how to blend fresh chilies to make chili juice. It provides some useful information on the benefits of using chili juice. You can find information on how to smoke, dry, and pickle chilies. There are also many free recipes on chili dishes included in the book.

Chilis: How to Grow, Harvest, and Cook with Your Favorite Hot Peppers, with 200 Varieties and 50 Spicy Recipes

Chilis by Eva Robild, and Kerstin Rosengren offers a comprehensive guide on growing chilis from germinating the seed to harvesting the chili peppers. There are descriptions on 5 species and more than 200 varieties of chili peppers. The 5 species of peppers it covers are spanish, berry style, havana/scotch, tabasco, and rocoto peppers. It is a book you want to reference if you are shopping for chili plants or choosing chili seeds for your garden. The book talks about how to make your own hybrid chili variety.

You’ll find information on alternative ways to sow seeds that people don’t know and not just the ordinary method of germination in the seedling tray. It has step by step information on repotting your pepper plant including what pot to use, how much soil to fill, what fertilizer to use and how to plant the young chili plant in it. It offers a handy list of fertilizers you can add to the soil for boosting your pepper plant.

The book also cover information on all kinds of pests and fungi that infest the chili pepper plant and the solutions on how to deal with them. Along with the information is a few photos on the pests. In the book, there are 50 free recipes that you can cook with the hot peppers you harvest from your garden. Overall, the book is a good read for people who are cultivating their first pepper gardens.

Growing Chilies – A Beginners Guide To Growing, Using, and Surviving Chilies: Everything You Need To Know To Successfully Grow Chilies At Home (Inspiring Gardening Ideas)

Growing Chilies by Jason Johns is a resourceful book that include a complete information on chili. It starts with a brief history of chilies on how the native American first cultivated them many thousands of years ago. There are descritpions on different types of capsicum cultivars from capsicum annum to capsicum pubescens. It discusses popular chili varieties and you can also find a list of chilies ranking by their heat level. This book has information on growing chilies in container and hydroponic.

When you first started in chili growing, you can look at this book for what equipment that is needed. It also has some resources on where you can buy the chili seeds. There is also information on the parts of the world that is suitable for growing chilis. It has basic information on germination, transplanting, watering, pruning, and harvesting chilies. You also learn how to save chili seeds so that you can use them to regrow new chili plants.

Healing Fruit: 13 Top Benefits Of Green Chillies

The benefits of green chillies are many and green chillies are absolutely delicious in all kinds of yummy dishes like green chilli chicken curry, and green chilli chutney.

Green chili plants are also easy to grow and tend to be very cheap to buy.

When you think about the benefits of green chillies, you may not necessarily realise that they are packed full of health benefits, as well as flavour. These little spicy powerhouses are not just yummy, they’re extremely healthy too.

In this article we will take a look at green chillies and their health benefits. No doubt by the end you’ll be looking up all kinds of green chili plant recipes so that you can reap the benefits of green chillies in your diet:

Green Chillies: An Introduction

When we talk about the benefits of green chillies we mean chili peppers often harvested whilst they are still green and tender. As they ripen they become yellow and red (some go brown, black and other shades). At their younger age when they remain green they tend to be much more juicy and tender, and less hot too.

The most common green chillies sold are the Pasilla, Poblao and New Mexico Chilli, jalapeño, Chilaca and Serrano chillies. Some varieties also mature as green and will never become red.

The Health Benefits Of Green Chillies

Green chillies have a wealth of health benefits that make them a really incredible fruit to include in your recipes and meals. Here are just some of the benefits of green chillies:

Green Chillies Have More Nutrients Than Red Chillies

As chillies dry out and turn red they lose some of their nutrients and benefits. Green chillies are thought to be more nutrient rich because they are fresher.

Green Chillies Contain Nearly Zero Calories

Green chillies contain more water than red chillies because they are earlier in their journey of ripening. They also contain nearly zero calories, with a small one gram chilli only registering at around one calorie and 100 grams of green chili only registering at around 15 calories. With such a lot of flavour and so little calories, they’re a great fruit to have in a health conscious kitchen.

Proven To Help With Heartburn

In a study with red peppers, people with heartburn found that although initial spicy food exposure caused more pain at first, over time heartburn and acid reflux symptoms improved. The study also showed chili needed to be consumed regularly afterwards otherwise the benefits quickly waned.

As the results related to capsaicin, the benefits of green chillies are still relevant, but because they are not as potent as green chillies, they might need to be consumed in higher amounts for this particular benefit.

A Boost For Weight Loss Efforts

Green chillies have shown to be helpful in weight loss, in part because they help boost fat burning in both sexes, something proven in multiple scientific studies including this one. There are also studies that show that it can reduce appetite and help you to consume fewer calories overall. The study results can vary, though, and more often than not suggest the benefits of green chillies occur alongside healthy lifestyle changes.

Green Chillies Help Keep You Regular

Green chillies are full of fibre which helps to cleanse your colon and keep you regular. Combined with the capsaicin this can sometimes be an irritating effect that causes such uncomfortable times on the toilet the day after a very hot curry.

Green Chillies Are Full Of Antioxidants

Chillies are full of capsaicin which is a natural antioxidant. Antioxidants are important because they protect the cells in your body against free radicals. Free radicals are generally accepted to be negative and associated with cancer, disease and other bodily harm.

A Scalp Boost For Healthier Hair

Green chillies contain silicon which helps to get your scalps blood vessels more active and stimulated. This helps to promote healthy hair growth and good scalp health.

Green Chillies Can Help In The Fight Against Prostate Cancer

Scientific studies have shown that capsaicin in chili has anti-cancer activities in all kinds of cancer cells, including prostate cancer. This means that it can contribute to causing cancer cell death, a bit like a tiny little soldier in your body working against the enemy.

Green Chillies Boost Cardiovascular System

According to studies, the capsaicin in green chillies can help to reduce hardening in the arteries as well as your blood pressure, which helps with heart health. The antioxidants in the green chili are also helpful in protecting your heart against disease and issues associated with free radicals.

Stimulation Of Lower Body Temperature

One of the most unusual benefits of green chillies is their ability to help you cool down.

Despite these tasty fruits being so widely associated with heating us up causing sweating and hope flushes, green chillies are known to actually be able to help cool you down at your core. This is because they stimulate the hypothalamus in the brain, which is the cooling centre, helping you feel cooler from the inside out. This is the reason lots of green chili is consumed in India, to help people cope with the intense heat.

Stimulation Of Blood Flow In Nose & Sinuses

One key green chili plant benefit is that their fruits boost blood flow which helps fluids in the nose and sinuses to flush out, which helps get rid of bacteria and toxins and helps to improve breathing quality overall.

Relieves Pain

Much like the original Scoville study where capsaicin heat was tested as a naturally warming muscle rub, chilies in prescribed creams can actually help reduce pain with inflamed joints and muscles. There are many other studies being performed on the benefits of green chillies and capsaicin at the moment because of their propensity to help with various other kinds of pain.

Big Vitamin Powerhouse

Green chillies are absolutely full of all kinds of vitamins and nutrients like vitamin C, Beta Carotene and fibre. There are more nutrients like this in green chillies because they haven’t dried up yet.

How Will You Include Green Chillies In Your Diet?

The benefits of green chillies are far reaching. Just one small green chili in your meal can make a huge difference to your health, alongside other healthy lifestyle efforts.

The question is, which yummy green chili dishes will you start to include in your family cooking repertoire?

If you are looking for inspiration we highly recommend green chili chutney, green chili chicken and green chili guacamole.

The Pro Guide To Help You Freeze Chili…Like A Pro

Belle Pepper Chili Product Reviews June 1, 2022Freeze Chili 0 Comment

Are you wondering what to do with a big glut of chillies?

Maybe it’s time to freeze chili to preserve the produce and have a healthy supply of spicy treats to use whenever your recipe calls for it.

In this article we will let you know the what, why and how of freezing chili so that you can get it right every time, and hopefully make it a healthy habit to prolong the life of these delicious fruits.

Let’s take a look at everything there is to know about freezing chilli peppers like a pro:

What Are Frozen Chili Peppers?

Frozen chili peppers are where we freeze chili and then consume the fruits far beyond their usability when they are fresh.

They can be contained in all kinds of containers (see below) and they can be frozen whole, although it makes sense to freeze them sliced up so they can be used right out of the container.

Why Freeze Chili Peppers?

As members of the nightshade family, chili peppers are related to tomatoes and bell peppers and come in a huge range of heat, flavour, texture and colour types. There are multiple reasons to freeze them including:

Making the most of a glut of chili peppers you might have grown or been given. They last a lot longer when frozen, which stops them rotting down and helps to prevent your household adding to the 3 billion tons of global food wastage we make as a planet every single year.
Further preserving the health of chili peppers, which is far reaching. They are full of vitamin C, B6, K1, potassium and copper, plus antioxidants and active plant compounds. Although some nutrients can be lost with the freezing process (especially if blanching is done before), many are still preserved with freezing.
Having the convenience of frozen products in your freezer ready to use in recipes. If you freeze chili peppers (if sliced) you can just chuck them into a red arrabiata pasta sauce or spicy jalapeño chilli without having to prepare them, which is really helpful if you’re a busy person.

Since the pandemic, many people have also spent some time ensuring they have food inside the house that they can use if they are unable to leave the house or if supplies run short.

Freezing chillies and other items can ensure you have lots of fresh produce to lean on if you do need to isolate, or other events happen that mean you are short on food supplies.

How To Freeze Chili Like A Pro

Freezing peppers is a really easy process that you can do anytime you want to, especially because there’s no need to sterilize anything as with pickling.

Even better, is that there are multiple ways for you to freeze chillies so that you can choose the easiest method for you at any time.

As long as the chili is fresh, washed and not showing signs of rotting, it can be prepared to freeze in any of these ways:

Chopped Chillies

To freeze chopped chillies you just need to chop up the chili, remove the stem, seeds and seed membranes. You can then freeze chili by placing them on a baking tray and leaving them in the freezer for a few hours.

Once they are dried out and the water has been removed, they can be placed in any clean sealed freezer bag or plastic tub.

Blanched Chillies

Some people prefer to soften their chillies a little by blanching them before freezing. All you have to do for this method is to put your peppers (ideally sliced) into boiling water for a couple of minutes then allow them to dry and cool before bagging or boxing them up and putting them in the freezer.

Whole Chillies

To freeze chili whole you just need to bag them and box them up as needed. It is important that all the water is removed before you do this to avoid ice forming on the chillies, which can damage them.

Ice Cube Chillies

Some people like to slice up their chillies and then place them into ice cube trays with water so they have individual chili portions to use in cooking.

You can do this just with chili, or you could even make little spicy herb cubes by mixing your chopped chili with basil, oregano and parsley and then you can drop that right into all kinds of dishes with ease.

Extra Tips To Help You Freeze Chili

Here are some extra tips to help you freeze peppers like a pro:

Consider using protection for your hands when you prepare to freeze chili because the heat can stay on your fingers and might cause pain if you wipe your eyes or nose. This is particularly important if you are freezing very hot chili, like Carolina reaper.
Put the date that you have frozen the chili on the bag or box to make sure that you use it up before around four months.
Keep the chili you freeze in small portions so that if any mould or freezer burn affects one batch, it won’t take out the whole batch.

You’re Ready To Freeze Chili!

With all the information in this guide you’re set to freeze chili for use in delicious home-cooked recipes whenever you need a spicy hit.

Whether you slice them, freeze chili whole, or turn them into instant favour cubes, you’re sure to have some delicious, heat-filled meals in the next few months!

Grow, Grow, Grow! How To Grow Chilli Plants Faster

Belle Pepper Chili Product Reviews June 1, 2022Chilli Plants 0 Comment

Would you love to know how to grow chilli plants faster?

In this article we are looking at all things chilli plant, including how to start them off right, how to care for them properly and how to get them zooming up at speed ready to positively gush with fruits and delicious crops.

Keep reading if you want to know how to grow chilli plants faster:

Why Grow Chilli Plants?

There are a few reasons that growing chilli plants is a great idea.

Primarily, you get to grow your own fruits and when you know how to grow chilli plants faster, you get those yummy fruits sooner!

You can then do all sorts with the chillies including: pickling, making hot sauce, whipping up a chutney or using them in everything from curries to guac.

Growing your own then saves you money, and enables you to benefit from the numerous health benefits of chillies with ease.

It’s also important to understand just how phenomenal gardening is for you, no matter what it is you grow. Sure, it is fun knowing how to grow chilli plants faster, to get those spicy fruits and cook up a storm with your crops.

However, the process of growing plants itself is such a worthy activity. It is proven to help you; build strength, stay a healthy weight, keep your memory in check, boost your mood and it can even help beat loneliness.

Lastly, chilli plants are suitable for anybody who wants to grow. You can get bigger plants that need to grow outside like the Hungarian Black or Yellow Scorpion, or more compact chilli plants like a Thai Dragon or Zimbabwe Bird which are perfect for a sunny windowsill.

Many are incredibly easy to nurture, and you can squeeze at least one plant in your home somewhere. Chilli plants really are perfect for everybody.

How To Grow Chilli Plants Faster

If you have decided to give growing chilli plants a go, the great news is that there are lots of things you can do to learn how to grow chilli plants faster.

By learning these tips and putting them into action, it means you get some healthy and happy chilli fruits sooner, which is fantastic news for your cooking plans!

Here are our top tips to help you grow chilli plants faster:

Pick The Right Seeds

Overall it can be assumed that the hotter the chilli is, the longer it will take to grow and then develop, eventually ripening to its spiciest self.

If you choose a milder chilli like a jalapeño, serrano, yellow hot wax pepper or a cayenne you’ll likely get them sooner than your hotter chillies like the habanero and the scotch bonnet.

Invest In The Plants/ Seeds

When you consider how to grow chilli plants faster you might just buy the first seeds or plants you find, thinking they all have an equal chance at strong, speedy growth.

Cheaper seeds and plants are actually more likely to struggle with disease or growth issues, and weak seeds might not even germinate at all.

If you pay a little more for the best possible plants and seeds won’t just grow chilli plants faster, but you’ll also avoid losing your crops and wasting your time on seeds that come to nothing.

Soak Your Seeds (scarification)

One way to get your seeds to germinate faster is to soak them in cold black tea to soften the case that protects the seed. Doing this for about 24 hours before planting your seeds should get them off to a really great start.

Snuggle Your Seeds

Snuggling your seeds in warmed compost will encourage them to germinate faster. You can use a heated propagator for this, or if it is sunny, leave your compost out in the sunshine for a few hours before planting.

Don’t Over Water Early On

When your seeds are working hard germinating they are sensitive to overwatering. They do need moist soil to swell and pop open, but too much water will encourage rot, which could kill your chilli right off.

Consider Grow Lights

One of the key tips when you’re wondering how to grow chilli plants faster, is using grow lights.

Many people swear by grow lights to encourage germination, and to help chilli plants grow faster.

You can get setups that are really cheap and they need to be about 450-495nm in wavelength to help promote early germination and nice healthy root growth.

As the plant grows it will need 680-750nm in wavelength to replicate late summer light. You can get fluorescent lighting, high intensity discharge lights or LED’s that are designed for growing chillies.

They often have easy switches and directions to help you choose the right wavelength for the plants to grow strong and at speed.

It is also worth mentioning that some of the most expensive options do end up being cheaper to run, like LED setups.

This is worth bearing in mind as it can be a bit of a sting to setup a grow light only to receive a hefty electricity bill in exchange for a few beautiful, but very expensive chillies.

Pot Your Chillies On As Soon As You Can

As soon as your chillies have five pairs of leaves they can be potted on, which will help your chilli plants grow faster. Their roots can stretch out and grow, creating a strong system of support for the above soil part of the plant.

Be Careful With Nitrogen

You might be into feeding your chilli plants to help them grow faster, but this can actually inhibit their growth.

Too much nitrogen actually stops a chilli plant fruiting naturally, so it is important to hold back to prevent slowing down those yummy crops coming through.

Do Feed Your Plants

Feeding chilli plants properly helps them to grow big and strong and can help chilli plants grow faster. Do your research and try to use a chilli specific product where possible, or listen to the advice of experts. We like this Youtube video with a secret chilli fertiliser mix recipe.

Water Regularly

Watering your chilli plants as needed, regularly, will prevent stress, which can inhibit growth. If you want to help chilli plants grow faster you have to both avoid them drying out, whilst also keeping the soil moist.

Ideally, the soil is dry for the first couple of inches (with a finger test) when you water it.

Trim & Top Your Chilli Plants

When you wonder how to grow chilli plants faster you might not automatically assume trimming them is a good idea. That’s cutting away that precious growth right?!

Well, it is true that trimming the plant does take it back a few steps, but the results will be better airflow, boosted growth and better, bushier growth.

You can see exactly how to trim and top your chilli plants in this handy video.

“Gardens are not made by singing ‘oh how beautiful’ and sitting in the shade” – Rudyard Kipling

Hopefully you now feel confident that you know how to grow chilli plants faster.

With the tips and tricks above, you are sure to have plenty of healthy, juicy, spicy chilli crops sooner rather than later, for endless yummy dishes out of your home kitchen.