Matt Bray

If you are a fan of chili peppers and lack the sunny outdoor space to grow your own, you should know that pepper plants can be grown indoors. In addition to providing you with their delicious fruit, pepper plants are attractive enough to serve as decorative plants as well.

Indoor pepper plants may actually be easier for novice gardeners to maintain when compared to outdoor ones. You will have greater control over a number of factors that influence your plant’s health including heat, light and moisture. You will need to balance these effectively for a successful harvest.

Read more

Commonly used for dishes like rajas con crema and chiles relleno, Poblano peppers are large and heart-shaped. Many cooks see them as ideal for stuffing because of the sturdiness of their walls and the mildness of their flavor. Most poblanos clock in at about 2,000 on the Scoville scale, which makes them a little milder than the jalapeño. When dried, poblanos are called ancho chilies. Uses for ancho chilies include as the main ingredient in sauces for enchiladas and in some moles. Like most other chili peppers, poblanos are considered highly nutritious and contain many compounds that support health.

Read more

Chili peppers are believed to be among the earliest plants cultivated by humans. Their use goes all the way back to the beginning of civilization. Archeological digs have found evidence of chili peppers being eaten as far back as 7,000 BC. Several millennia later, chili peppers would be domesticated. It was around this time that the earliest hot sauces were invented; this shows that humans have a long history of using them as condiments to enhance the flavor and nutritional value of foods. Early hot sauces would have been consumed on early versions of the corn tortilla. They consisted of the peppers along with water and perhaps herbs. In short, the Aztecs are who invented hot sauce.

Read more

Cayenne pepper is best known for its ability to increase the heat level of dishes and is prized by lovers of spicy foods the world over. This type of chili pepper is especially popular in Mexican and Mexican-influenced cuisine. However, the cayenne pepper is much more than a mere flavor enhancer. Cayenne peppers provide an array of nutritional benefits along with their heat. Those benefits result from high levels of nutrients and health-improving compounds. Let’s break down why this chili is so good for you. 

Read more

Jalapeños are popular in the United States (and around the world) largely because of their moderate level of heat and their relatively mild flavor. But did you know that there’s a lot to be said for jalapeño nutrition as well? These Mexican peppers contain significant amounts of several nutrients that help to improve your health, along with giving your nachos and salsa a tasty spark. Let’s break down the many jalapeño benefits. 

Read more

Freezing is an important technique for preserving ripe, in-season fruits and vegetables. Bell peppers are among the easiest types of produce to freeze. For starters, you do not need to blanch them before you freeze them, which makes the process a lot easier. You can also use frozen bell peppers in many of the same ways that you use them when fresh; however, remember that they can lose their crispness after thawing. As a result, they are better for cooked preparations rather than raw ones. Add them to your soups, stews, and to chili.

Freezing bell peppers may seem simple, but you will need to follow the right steps to make the process as efficient as possible. The step-by-step below will ensure that the peppers taste their best after thawing and that they retain both their color and their flavor.

Read more

There are more bell pepper benefits than you may know…

Bell peppers often get less attention among peppers because they do not contain capsaicin, the substance that makes hot peppers hot and that provides a range of cancer-fighting benefits. Despite their inability to make your eyes water, bell peppers do provide their own set of compounds for enhancing health. Their nutrients include minerals, vitamins and a range of antioxidants. These health-boosting compounds are essential for the treatment and prevention of certain serious diseases.

Here are some of the many bell pepper benefits and how they can improve your health:

Read more