Essential Chiles Package 5 varieties

Essential Chiles Pak 3

THEY SHOULD NEVER BE MISSING IN MEXICAN CUISINE!
We put at your disposal a sample of some of the essential chiles that should never be missing in Mexican cuisine so that you always have these delights to the palate on hand in your garden or in a pot.

Serrano Chile

During pre-Hispanic times its cultivation was already known. This variety is also known as "green chili." It has small, elongated fruits about 3 to 5 cm long and cylindrical-conical in shape. Its peel is smooth and shiny green in color and when ripe it changes to bright or pale red, a shade that becomes ocher in dried fruits, the walls are relatively thick and the pleasant seeds almost completely fill the cavity of the fruit.

This variety has a strongly spicy flavor. It is best grown in warm, well-drained soil. Lack of water and low temperatures affect their development.

Small fresh chili with a cylindrical shape, ending in a point. It measures on average 3 to 5 cm long and 1 cm in diameter. It is mostly consumed immature, that is, green, although when it matures it turns red and is used in the same way. It is considered spicy and is generally occupied with its seeds and veins, which are also very spicy. It has a smooth and shiny shell, never opaque or wrinkled. The name of this chili comes from the fact that it began to be cultivated in the mountains of the state of Puebla, Hidalgo and the State of Mexico. Also called green chili; In fact, when the recipes do not mention the type of chile or simply say green chile, it is understood that it is serrano.

Jalapeno pepper

Originally cultivated in the Mexican region of Xalapa, within Veracruz, the place from which they got their name, jalapeno peppers are consumed throughout Latin America, although it is true that they are directly associated with the gastronomy of Mexico, where it is one of the most cultivated and consumed products. We can find numerous recipes that incorporate jalapenos, in their different states of ripeness, dedicating a large part of the production to drying.

And once it passes through the drying rooms, the jalapeño becomes the chipotle chili, which, in this way, can be preserved for much longer and is used in different ways for cooking.

Poblano Chile

 There is ancient evidence of its cultivation in the Tehuacán Valley, a municipality in the state of Puebla, therefore, the poblano chile is indeed poblano.

Specifically, the poblano chile is a fresh, fleshy, large chile, usually dark green in color with shiny skin. It is not exactly considered spicy, but it has a well-defined flavor, which can sometimes be very spicy. The poblano chile is the most used chile throughout the country. It is also an important part of the cuisines of the central states of the country, as it is the favorite for stuffing, since it is used to make the famous chiles en nogada, among many others. varieties of stuffed chilies.

Now, in terms of nutritional properties, we have that the main notable nutritional characteristic of the poblano chile is its high content of vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, its green color indicates that it contains chlorophyll. Like most vegetables, the poblano pepper is also a source of fiber, soluble and insoluble, which helps control blood glucose levels, as well as cholesterol.

Chile Guajillo or Mirasol

The guajillo chili is a dried reddish brown chili, with smooth and shiny skin, elongated triangular shape; It measures on average 10 cm long and four at its widest part. It is widely used because it gives red color and consistency to stews, moles and sauces. When it is fresh it is called mirasol chili. From this we obtain a spicier variety known as chile naughty. The ancho chile and the guajillo chile are perhaps the two most used chiles in the country.

Chile Pasilla or Chilaca

black color

Size 15-22cm

Pungency (low)

Scoville 1,500–4,000 SHU

Related Cultivars

chilaca (fresh)The pasilla chile is a type of dried chile with dark, wrinkled skin. Along with the ancho and guajillo chiles, they are the most commonly used dried chiles in Guatemalan and Mexican cuisine. It is ground to make a wide variety of sauces, such as borcha, moles and adobos, among others.

In its fresh form it is called chilaca. It is believed that its name comes from the fact that, when dried, it wrinkles like a raisin. In some regions such as Michoacán or Baja California it is also known as black chile, and in Veracruz, prieto chile.1 It should not be confused with the Oaxacan pasilla chile, nor with the poblano or ancho, called "pasilla" in Colima.

It is usually 15-20 centimeters long and 2½-4 centimeters wide, blackish brown in color. The chilaca can measure up to 22 centimeters long and often has a twisted shape that usually loses during drying. It changes its color from dark green to dark brown when ripe.

How to dry chilies?

To dehydrate a chili there are traditional and industrial methods. For the traditional one, it is enough to let the chili mature on the plant and then let it dry in fields. It is important to avoid overlapping the chiles, as they could spoil. As for the industrial sector, there are dryers that, with a temperature of 70º C, allow the dehydration of the chili in 30 hours. Another way of artisanal drying is on clotheslines or by smoking them over wood, which gives the dried chiles a special flavor.

. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CULTIVATION OF CHILLIES OR PEPPERS. They require temperatures of at least 18-20 ° C. It is recommended to grow in 30 to 40 cm pots to restrict growth and produce fruit sooner.   Direct in the ground or in seedbed? Nursery or Small Pot When to plant? End of Winter How long in the nursery? 10 weeks When to plant? Mid Spring How long does it take to harvest from planting? 130 - 150 days Recommended volume for planting in pots: 10-15 Lts Minimum pot depth: 20cm Distance between one plant and another in the garden: 40cm Distance between planting lines in the orchard: 70cm Land Type Pepper plants prefer light, fertile soil, but too much nitrogen in the soil can cause peppers to never flower. It is recommended to add Hortyjardin ® worm humus in the place where the pepper is going to be planted or add compost to the soil mixture that goes in the pepper pot. Germination The ideal time to sow pepper seeds is in spring or before the last frost of the season. Place 1 to 3 pepper seeds in a small container with soil. Then it is left somewhere that is protected from the cold and wind, this may be a greenhouse or in a temperate area of ​​the house. When the small pepper plants have reached 13 cm in height, the weakest ones are removed to leave the strongest ones. Then we transfer these to our garden or some other destination pot. Sun exposure Pepper plants love the sun. If you want to plant a variety of these plants in your Urban Garden or in a pot on your terrace, at least a long period of warm weather and a space that receives enough sun is required. A minimum temperature of 19° is needed in the flowering season so that the pepper plant can produce fruits (Chili Pepper, Paprika, etc.). Irrigation Pepper plants in general do not need too much water, it is preferable to water them not very frequently but give them plenty of water when doing so. It is worth mentioning that when it is too hot the pepper plant may need more water than normal. When watering pepper plants, you must be especially careful not to wet their fruits as they may rot. Basic Tips The flavor and concentration of spiciness in chiles is totally sensitive to climate. In very sunny summers these characteristics are enhanced, but in cold and humid summers the Chiles lose a lot in these aspects. That is why it is recommended to find a place with plenty of sun to put the plants. When the plant reaches 40cm, it is recommended to put a rod or stake to guide its growth. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS The most important thing is that your plants receive plenty of sunlight with a suitable temperature and that planting is done well at the beginning of spring or even a little earlier so that the chili plants are well developed at the beginning of summer. This way most growth problems are also avoided. Depending on the weather, we recommend always keeping them outside in the sun or behind glass if it is too cool. It is good to know that chili plants also gradually get used to different climates, so you can “get used to” your plant. It is a process that we repeat a lot when it comes to fragile seedlings that still have a tendency to burn their leaves in the sun: every day we take them outside for a little longer, so that they get used to it and can grow without wilting. During the growing season, it is best to limit watering the plant (although on very sunny days it is impossible not to water the next day) to avoid giving them too much water since, like hot peppers, the rule is the more you water, the less spicy your chiles will be. Yes, they really grow well; It is a good idea to support the plants with short sticks to protect them from the wind. The stem of the plant will also form a thicker outer layer when outside and this is because the plants receive a little bit of wind every day and will protect themselves from breaking. Leaving your plants outside will definitely strengthen them quite a bit. At the end of summer, when the pods are bright red or yellow, they are ready to harvest. It is important to take into account how to protect your plants against winter, because chili peppers do not survive a frost, so you have to make sure to harvest at the end of summer and then prepare the plant for winter. At the end of the summer we always harvest everything and then we dry some chiles and freeze the pods along with other chiles, to use them later in dishes and sauces without losing their fruity flavor. Chili peppers stimulate the metabolism and have anti-cancer properties and are also good for diabetics. They contain many vitamins, which is good for the immune system and also contain antioxidants. And thus reduce cholesterol… this applies to almost all chilis! We recommend consulting our blog for additional information