Awesome harvest! I took the seeds out of 8 orange habs. In between my fingers are still burning.
Randal

Toolstack, I know what you mean. I usually use gloves, but I was just cutting these in half to put in the dehydrator, so I thought it wouldn't be too bad, but still had a slight burn to my fingers...especially under my wedding ring. These are the hottest I have dealt with. I'll definitely wear gloves when time to harvest my Ghost's or Carolina Reaper's. =O

Orange habs are always prolific producers. Nice batch. They should make for good powder.

Tak2w,
Yeah I'm gonna have to get some gloves. I wasn't thinking and scratched my cheek and had a flaming spot for the next 30 mins. All were hot but one had a nasty looking placenta it actually made my throat burn when I cut it in half.
Randal

I made habanero chili this weekend for a picnic I went to. After I finished cutting up the habanero peppers, I rubbed an itchy spot on my forehead. It started burning and was still burning an hour or two later!

Usually habaneros don't burn my skin, so I was surprised! But the chili was really good and I got lots of compliments on it at the picnic. :)

Angie

Beautiful, and so rewarding isnt it?!

The only thing worse is taking your contacts out after handling the chilis. I use gloves every time now.
John A

Those look a lot like my Bonnie Plants Worlds Hottest SomethingOrOther, which are also hotter than your average pod. Where did you get plant/seeds?

Dennis

Great looking habs! I love those peppers, upset I didn't plant any myself this year...

Jay

Wow! That plant needs to be tested for steroid use!

Congrats.
Dennis

Silly question, but I have never made powder and I have a ton of peppers coming.

After dehydrating, just run through a coffee grinder? Does anyone use a method other than a spice/coffee grinder?

Lastly, any recommendations for a good grinder? I have a dehydrator, but no grinder.

You might have more luck posting a new thread looking for advice on grinders. But for myself, I just use the grind setting on my blender. I guess it's not necessarily the perfect solution, but it works well enough for me. :)

Just be careful by letting the powder settle before you take the top off the blender. If you open it right up, you will be inhaling habanero powder and that is not fun at all!

Angie

This post was edited by HotHabaneroLady on Mon, Aug 11, 14 at 21:54

Wow, nice plant and a great harvest.

What is your growing secret to get it to look that nice?

I think the secret is this is a second-year plant. The first year it was much smaller, but it was a nice plant....so, I cut it WAY back last fall and put it in a pot. I kept it in a sunny window all winter and then in May I put it back in the ground. It produced peppers earlier than any of this year's plants.

Last year it was grown in a 4x8 raised bed and was probably a little overcrowded with other plants. This year it is in it's own 2x2 raised bed. The soil is mostly compost that has been in this bed for a few years....nothing special. Not much fertilizer...a little 10-10-10 early in the summer and some fish emulsion in July. It definitely hasn't been babied.

I'm going to try over-wintering more of my pepper plants this year, since this one did so well.

I use a coffee/spice grinder to make powder, and a blender to make flakes. Not sure what grinder I have, I just got a cheap one with good ratings from Amazon. I made sure to get one with a detachable bowl to make it easier to wash.

Brian6464 - I recommend any of the $15/$20 coffee/spice grinders you can find on amazon.

I've had trouble getting the peppers 100% dehydrated (seems a little water always remains), but I leave it in a good 15 hours...

As soon as they are dehydrated, just start grinding them up... might want to get a small paint brush to help get the powder into a jar.

SIDE NOTE: Awesome harvest. How long can you leave the peppers on the plant before they start falling automatically? I've wanted to leave them on so I can start harvesting everything together, but it seems the maturing is so sporadic.

To grind up peppers, I use a standard Mason jar with my blender. The screw threads are the same. Since it's completely sealed, there's no risk of getting pepper dust in the air. It's smart to go outside to take it apart.

That Habanero is really nice.My Habanero seeds did not come up this year.Seems like there was a shortage here for those seeds,forget trying to find the plants.

salevene - I don't know how long I can leave them on before they fall off. They seem to stay on a long time. I had a bunch that were ripe before I left on vacation and they were still on the plant when I came back. I've picked enough peppers to last me a while, so I'll try to leave the remaining ones on the plant as long as I can.

My cayenne peppers tend to hang on the plant forever. They will actually dry on the plant if you let them. I'm thinking these habs might do the same thing. We'll see!

tak2w, please tell me how your habs did when left on the plant. did they dry up okay ? i am growing some for a far-off friend and need to know how to keep the early-ripening habs until i can harvest them all and make one trip with them. i am in ct. so we still might get some humid weather. in 4 to 6 weeks i'll pick every pepper, red and green.

Good morning PattyPan, I'm 6a in Taxachusetts.

how your habs did when left on the plant. did they dry up okay ?

My experience is no, peppers will not "dry" on the plant, they will eventually start rotting with very small/thin skinned peppers being the exception.

hello, neighbor of connect-no(tax)cut ! i used to deliver habs in batches when my friend lived closer. so saving them wasn't an issue. what would you do after picking the few ripe ones ? no way i'm dehydrating them here. i could put a slice in them and string them up (with gloves) on a sunny porch, but will the inevitable humidity ruin them ? will they keep in the fridge ? if i freeze them whole, can they be thawed and dried ?

Why not dehydrate them? I think thats the best and most efficient way. All the peppers I don't eat fresh, I dehydrate them and then turn them into a powder when I'm ready. I use a dehydrator... it was like $60.

that's what my friend does, but i don't eat them- and i couldn't handle the fumes.... also my philosophy is : i'll grow and give ( that's a lot of work) , but once i process- it's mine ! besides, my excalibur is full of tomatoes.

The peppers that were left on the plant last year mostly rotted, so I wouldn't recommend that. Just pick them once they are ripe.

i'll have to pick them. will they last longer in the fridge or at room temp. ? and, any guess how long they will keep ? bell peppers do well in those green bags in the fridge crisper bin. thanks to everyone for the info !