I have several kinds of peppers growing in my garden....I planted some jalopeno's from seed. How do you know when they are ready to be picked? I actually have some that are turning red. I thought they stayed green?

I also have some hanbenero peppers....same question...at what point/color do you pick these fiery things?

Jalapenos are best when they are young, GREEN, and more tender. If you wait until they start cracking, turning orange/red, you have waited too long. Habaneros should be picked before they are even planted and thrown out! Ha!(And I like pretty hot food/peppers, but habaneros are way too hot for me!)

Pick them now. You haven't waited too long, they'll just be a little hot. You can pick habaneros when they are green and you like the size, or wait until they turn orange. Again, the longer you wait, the hotter they get.

the hotter the better!

so should I wait longer?

expect all your peppers to be a bit spicy if you have them close to the Habaneros. Peppers will cross pollenat with each other. I plated serranos and jalepenos next to my bell peppers once and ended up with spicy bell pepper

What can you do with habaneros? Can you eat the outside...or are you after the seeds only? Sautee them?

Habanero's can be used like jalapenos, you just have to make sure you use a lot less because they are a heck of a lot hotter. Of course, I wouldn't recommend putting half a habanero in a dove breast and wrapping it with bacon, but that is just me. One thing we do is make habanero hot sauce. You combine the peppers with carrots and spices and make a real tasty sauce. You can get a lot of recipes online for it.

Habaneros are excellent for making a pepper tonic. Boil a pound or so of Habs and mash them up and strain the mixture through cheesecloth. Put the tonic in a spray bottle and apply to your garden foliage. It works great for catapillars and other leaf cutting insects. It will also deter grasshoppers to some degree.

BEWARE

It is best to make pepper tea outside as the fumes are extremely noxious.

yes you can use habs to kill little animals also i have no idea how any one can eat them un beliveable

If you let you Japs go too long you can stick them in the dehydrator and them gring them up into a powder.

All great information here. All peppers will turn orange or red when they are mature. It is best to get jalapenos just before they start to turn color. The Habanero's are best after they turn orange. One thing to remember is to wear gloves when you process the Habanero's. And for god�s sake, don�t go the bathroom unless you use extreme caution. Learned that lesson the hard way! Try this web site for some good canning recopies
www.pepperfool.com

Here is what you can do with Habanero's.

hab poppers

has anyone ever planted a whole jalapeno and let it grow? my tomatoes this year were from tomatoes that fell off tge vine last year. i picked my first jalapeno of the year, and planted it to see what happens.

Habanero's are great eaten just like a jalapeno they are a little hotter but lots of flavor. YES I DO EAT Habanero's WHOLE!!!

Bullit, my hat's off to ya. ANYONE who can eat a whole hab has my respect and sympathy. You have prolly burnt off all your taste buds eating them things, and are a great person to invite to a cookout, cuz you can't complain about the taste of the food......since ya can't taste anymore.
That trick with dryin out the peppers then turning them into a powder, now that is a good idea. Will save me a lot on buying cyanne (or how ever ya spell it).