I found this growing in the backyard, actually there are four of the plants contributing to this mass. I know it's a pepper because it smells like one and from the pain in my eye from the little bit of juice I didn't remember having on the finger I later used to rub my eye. I am guessing a bird or two planted the seeds for me and I really hope the bird didn't 'feel the burn' like my eye did.....poor bird. Pepper plant ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) The pepper, maybe 3/8ths of an inch long ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden )
Toni, that looks like Chili Pequin or Bird Chili. Want to guess why it's called "Bird" chili? They are frequently planted by birds, especially mockingbirds who seem to love them. I don't know their rating on heat meter, but they are hot, hot, hot!
Thanks MG, that's the name that kept coming to mind but I don't eat them or grow them so I wasn't sure. My hubby, his dad and our oldest daughter and her hubby love hot peppers...boy are they in for a surprise when I hand them some of these. They are pretty much in the middle of the Scoville scale in hotness which puts them 10 times hotter than Jalapeno 15,000,000-16,000,000 -- Pure capsaicin 50,000-100,000 ----Bird's eye chili/Thai Pepper/Indian Pepper, Malagueta Pepper, Chiltepin Pepper, Pequin Pepper 0 --- No significant heat, Bell pepper, Cubanelle, Aji dulce I think I will have to keep the ripe ones picked before the birds get to them. Since the Mockingbird really likes them, next year I will have to have several plants just to attract them to the garden.
Could be a tepin pepper strain as well. I just stumbled on them as well. a google "image" search may help as well. 8)
I found photos of the Tepin/Chiltepin Pepper but that doesn't give a conclusive ID. One photo showed the peppers as long and thin and others showed them looking just like mine, but then I found Chile Pequin looking just like mine too. And a site or two that use the two names for the same variety. Peppers are difficult to nail down an ID on apparently. But at least I know they are edible even if they are too hot for me to even consider eating.
I think I would be afraid to try it -- somehow I just have a feeling it's like a little hot pepper bomb! Will you tell us how it is when you try it?
It took my eye about 30 minutes to stop hurting when I forgot the juice was on my finger and rubbed my eye,....so I won't be trying it. I do plan on saving some seeds, I'll send you some and let you try it. I think it is the same type that my F-I-L used to grow, he would chop one up put it in a whole pot of Chili and that would fire it up pretty good.
I remember as kids picking hot jalapenos in our family's garden. I was about 10 years old and little brother was about 7. Dad and I were rolling on the ground laughing as little bro emerged from the house screaming that his (insert body part name here) was on fire! I learned a lesson that day about handling hot peppers. We still rib him to this day, LOL!!!
