Cayenne pepper is an indispensable seasoning for preparing various national dishes of Indian, Mexican and Oriental cuisine. In dried and crushed form, its fruits can be used for making sauces, and canned pods will become an adornment of any festive table and a great snack for vodka.

Cayenne pepper - what is it?

Cayenne pepper is a type of hot pepper. This perennial plant native to South India is grown in Latin America, Mexico, India, the United States and other countries with a tropical climate. Plants in the wild reach a height of about 120 cm, and in industrial greenhouse conditions there are specimens more than three meters high.

Few people know that cayenne pepper is a plant from the nightshade family.

  • The leaves of pepper are oval and dark green in color.
  • The stem becomes stiff over time.
  • Small flowers, have a different color. Depending on the plant variety, both white and cream inflorescences, as well as purple and yellow, are found.
  • Fruits bush abundantly, while there are fruits of various shapes and shades of green, yellow, orange, red and brown flowers.

Pepper pods vary in severity. Some varieties have a mild flavor, while others, on the contrary, have a strong spiciness.

Cayenne pepper and chili, what's the difference?

Usually, people who do not understand the varieties of this plant, call chili any kind of hot hot peppers. However, this is not true. In order to understand the difference between cayenne pepper and chili, it is necessary to refer to the Scovilla burning scale.

If we correlate all types of peppers in terms of hotness, then the sweet indicator is Bulgarian, and Pepper X deserves the highest value of 3180000. Cayenne peppers are assigned from 30,000 to 55,000 units, and Green Chile peppers have a less pronounced burning taste - they are assigned a value of 500 - 1,500 units.

Ground cayenne pepper in its pure form is rare, the cost of such seasoning is very high. Often it is diluted with powder obtained from cheaper raw materials.

The nuances of growing cayenne pepper in the garden

The technology for growing cayenne pepper in the garden is not much different from growing any other hot pepper variety.

  • The plant is photophilous and loves moist, light soil.
  • It can be planted both in open ground and in small pots.

If the pepper is planted in a pot, the bush will not grow significant size, and its fruits will also be small. But with the onset of cold weather, the pot can be removed to the windowsill, where the plant will continue to bear fruit.

In the open ground, this perennial shrub can bear fruit before a cold snap.

Outdoor landing

Cayenne pepper is a heat-loving plant, so it is not suitable for growing in the open ground of the northern strip of Russia. Here it should be grown in a greenhouse. Seedlings can be grown independently. To do this, you should purchase a bag with seeds of your favorite plant variety and, following the indicated recommendations, plant seeds.

It is necessary to pay attention to the value of the index of hotness of the variety (SHU), which is indicated on the package with seeds. The larger it is, the sharper the fruits. If you do not want to wait until the plant begins to bear fruit, you can buy ready-made seedlings.

  1. When planting a plant in open ground, you should choose the sunny side of the site, while it is advisable to protect the pepper from direct sunlight. The side where the sun is in the morning is best suited.
  2. Before planting in open ground, the plant must be tempered. To do this, home seedlings are taken out onto the street at first for several hours, gradually increasing the duration of her stay in the fresh air.
  3. When the seedlings are accustomed to daytime take-outs, and night temperatures are quite high (above + 12 ° C), you should leave it on the street for the night. After the plant has passed adaptation, you can transplant it into open ground.
  4. When planting seedlings, it is allowed to alternate bushes of cayenne pepper with bushes of tomatoes or other types of peppers. This planting technique will save on fertilizers.
  5. The plant loves light, loose soil. For cultivation, a ready-made mixture for tomatoes is suitable, but you can prepare the earth yourself. To do this, sand, humus and loam are mixed in equal proportions.

How to care for cayenne pepper

Pepper care is quite simple, the plant is unpretentious and great for home growing.

  • Despite the fact that cayenne pepper is a light-loving plant, it should be protected from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, especially in summer. Active sunshine can damage the leaves and leave burns on the fruit.
  • Pepper loves moist soil, but do not flood the earthen lump - excess moisture can lead to decay of the root system.
  • The plant is well formed. To grow a small and bushy plant, pinch the upper buds on the shoots.
  • To increase the size of the pods, with abundant flowering, part of the peduncles should be removed. So the plant will not spend nutrients on the development of flowers.

If the fruits are smaller, the leaves have lost their saturated green color, and the flowers are crumbling, perhaps the plant lacks nutrients and it is time to make fertilizer. In this quality, you should use ready-made feeding for nightshade, sold in specialized stores.

Harvesting and storage

The fact that the pepper has ripened is indicated by the active red color of the pod.However, in cooking, for cooking, fruits of any degree of maturity are used.

  • Green and yellow peppers can be preserved and pickled with or without vinegar. Various honey-based marinades can also be used.
  • Red vegetables are good for drying and seasoning sauces and main dishes.

The fruits should be dried as a whole, threaded and hung in a well-ventilated room, and cut into pieces, and laid out on paper or a baking sheet.

When drying in slices, seeds should be removed from the pod, as they are especially sharp.

Well-dried fruits should be chopped and stored in a glass container with a lid.

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