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The Jalapeno
The jalapeno pepper is a popular medium-sized chili pepper frequently used for cooking. A ripe pepper is around 2–3½ inches (5–9 cm) long. It is a cultivar of the species Capsicum annuum and is produced in large quantities in Mexico and to a lesser extent in parts of the United States such as New Mexico and Texas. This pepper goes by different names in Mexico, such as huachinango, and chile gordo. The growing period for this variety is 70–80 days. Mature plants are two and a half to three feet tall and produce twenty five to thirty five pods. Plant are picked multiple times during the season. Commonly sold green, these peppers start to turn red as the growing season comes to an end. The photo below shows a ripe pepper that is reddish orange and exhibits thin, tan-colored lines knows as corking (Photo credit: Blooms n'Twigs). Once picked, individual peppers ripen to red on their own. The peppers can be eaten green or red.
This pepper is between 2,500 and 10,000 SHU on the Scoville scale Peppers increase in heat level as they mature and ripen.
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