Home Topics Chili PeppersMedium Peppers

Medium Peppers

These medium heat peppers range from 3000 to 6000 Scoville Units and include the hot variety of banana peppers and jalapenos. These chili peppers have a full range of uses from fresh to drying and are some of the most popular for stuffing—especially the jalapeno (try the recipe below for Jalapeno Poppers).

Christmas Peppers

Christmas peppers are very prolific, beautiful, compact plants producing upright 1 1/4 inches long by ½ inch wide peppers in white, yellow, orange, red and purple. All five colors often appear on the plant at the same time. The Christmas pepper is typically grown as an ornamental plant, but its fruit does have a mild flavor with a bit of bite when eaten fresh.

Hot Banana Peppers

Hot banana peppers—also called Hungarian hot wax peppers—are productive, stocky, ever-bearing, colorful plants. Although they prefer heat, they will grow well in cool climates either in the garden or in a container. Growing no more than 18 inches tall, banana pepper plants produce upright, banana-shaped, 4-6 inches long chili peppers that are fully mature in 70-75 days. As banana peppers mature their flavor develops, with the fully mature red peppers having more tang than the immature green ones. These are tasty peppers for stuffing.

'Inferno' is a very productive variety: it produces uniform fruit, and is excellent for pickling.

Rocotillo Peppers

Rocotillos are clustered, bell-blossom-shaped peppers with a pleasant flavor, often served fresh to accompany roasted meats or cooked beans. These one-inch-long chili peppers are among the slower maturing peppers, changing from green to red over a period of 150 days. Rocotillo pepper plants grow taller than most peppers and develop into a thick canopy.

Jalapenos

The jalapeno is an ideal container plant reaching 2-3 feet high and producing fully mature chili peppers in 65 to 75 days. The 2 to 3½-inch cone-shaped fruits can be eaten green or red. One of the hotter medium heat chilies, at 3500-6000 Scoville Units, they are popular in Mexican cooking—fresh, pickled and dried. When smoke dried, jalapenos are known as chipotles.

Jalapeno Poppers
Jalapeno poppers are popular restaurant and party appetizers. Make your own poppers following this simple recipe:

24 fresh jalapenos
1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup cream cheese, softened
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups fine breadcrumbs
Ranch or blue cheese dressing

Cut the stem end off each pepper and scoop out seeds and as much of the ribs as possible. In a small bowl blend the cheeses together. Stuff each of the peppers with the cheese mixture (a pastry piper or small spoon is helpful). Beat eggs gently. Pour breadcrumbs into a shallow pan. One by one, coat each popper with egg, shake off excess and roll gently in the breadcrumbs. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow the breading to set up. Transfer the poppers to a greased baking pan and bake in a preheated 300 °F (150 °C) oven. Bake 20 minutes for spicy jalapeno poppers, 30 minutes for medium heat and 40 minutes for a mild flavor. Serve immediately with dressing for dipping.