Jalapeño Pepper
Botanical Description

Capsicum annuum is the scientific name for the jalapeno pepper. The jalapeno pepper belongs to the solanaceae family, which includes at least a additional 1,700 species of plants and herbs.

Plants are annual shrubs, which grow as single plants to a heigth of about 3 feet.

Cultivation

Jalapenos are fast producers, taking on average about 90 days to reach maturity, and they can be very high yielders as well, as some hybrid varieties have been said to produce up to 100 tons per acre.

These peppers are planted in well-drained soils with adequate amounts of water. They do not like heavy rains or flooded ground. This pepper is very well suited for machine harvesting.

Uses

Jalapenos have various uses but jalapenos are mostly known for the chipotle, which is a smoked red jalapeno. Chipotles are extremely popular in Mexican cuisine and are starting to catch on in international markets now. Jalapenos are also very popular as pickled peppers cut in slices, and also the green mash of this pepper is popular for hot sauces.

Jalapenos in Ecuador:

Jalapenos are commercially cultivated mostly in the coastal regions of Ecuador where dryer climates allow for a longer harvesting season. The most commonly grown variety in Ecuador grown is the TAM jalapeno.

What we offer

Our company processes jalapenos into a mash and pickled red or green in brine.

The pepper mash is made of green or red peppers ground with 15% salt. This mash is left to ferment at least 60 days prior to shipping.

Brined peppers are made by selecting ripe red peppers or mature green peppers. These peppers are placed in a pickling solution made of water, salt and sodium benzoate.

Once the peppers are cured the solution is drained and the peppers are placed in plastic drums where a new pickling solution is added.