How do you make Serrano Chile plants produce hotter fruit?

Answer 1

To answer the gardening question, most Chile growers I know say that the conditions in the field do affect the heat level in some chiles. They believe that stress causes the plant to produce more or stronger concentrates of capsaisin. They may purposefully withhold water, as if in drought conditions, during the latter stages of fruit development. Growing in the hotter and sunnier places with full sun are best; avoid over watering.

I'm providing a link in the related links section to one of the best chile information sites I've found that includes correct information, and pictures of all varieties (all - probably that is close to a literal statement). It is the most chile information in one place that I have found. Look at the bottom of the blue navigation panel on the left of the page when you land from the link below for their "links" section (you'll land on his section about growing). It is Graeme Caselton's page in the UK. Hopefully you will find more on growing your Serranos to be hotter there. If not there, the site has many links to more chilehead pages and each page will likely have a resident chilehead. If you don't find the information you need, write to them and see if they have, or know who has, good information for your growing climate or on your subject.

Chileheads love to talk chiles, so I bet it won't be hard to find a kindred spirit with much helpful information. The small hot sauce producers also usually are in it because they love "El Grande" (one Chilehead name for the chile pepper) and will also typically be able and willing to provide information and advice, once you develop rapport, or may refer you to someone else. Try Mild to Wild, I'll also link there, very good sauces, too.

As an alternative, the links section also provides a link to the US webpage of the Chile Pepper Institute in Las Cruces, New Mexico at the New Mexico State University. The Institute was founded in 1993 by Paul W. Bosland, a well known expert on all things chiles, and leader in the research about this fruit. They have much growing information there at the website.

My personal advice, since I am a "fire eater"/Chilehead and love the heat, is to throw away the Serranos. Simple. You may be ready to graduate to a hotter, and potentially better-flavored, chile. There are so many other varieties in so many different flavors and heat levels, that you may want to grow something else. Ideas for types for your heat level and flavor preferences are at the mentioned websites in the links. (Seeds are also available both places).

I love Scotch Bonnets, no problem with getting enough heat (usually) with them, and Habaneros - both have a wonderful fruity flavor. For Mexican food flavors one of the chiles I prefer is the piquin and they are hot! AKA Penguin, or Bird peppers, little devils - or diablito (this translates to little devil, which is also the name of a shaved ice and chile treat from Mexico).

The other chile that I like in Mexican dishes is the Chile de Arbol, AKA Bird's Beak chile in Mexico (also HOT if you aren't "conditioned").

As an alternative:

Perhaps it's not in the growing but in the preparing. If you want them hot, include the seeds and white membrane inside. For NOT so hot, remove the seeds and membrane.

The seeds are not the hot part, but they get a bum rap as the culprit, they do not produce the heat or contain the heat. It is guilt by association, since the heat (capsaicin) is in the fleshy membranes inside the chiles where the seeds attach and can get covered by the oils containing the capsaicin. Avoid the membranes if you want to lower the heat of a given chile.

Don't test the heat in chiles by nibbling the chile's tip, you may not realize the full heat by testing the tip, as it has the lowest heat level in a chile. The most heat is near the stem where more membranes are concentrated. Take a test from higher on the chile to get the best idea of heat, somewhere around the upper middle.

In An Emergency:

When you bite off more than you can chew, try eating bites of a banana, it kills the heat instantly. See more about that in the related questions.