Thai Chili
 

When I first started growing Thai Chili peppers this year - I didn't do much of any research. I planted them in a bed to be ornamental. I thought I'll give them away - after all, they're too hot to eat...blah blah...I get so stuck in false beliefs, but I am willing to admit that I was wrong.

It turns out that they are a beautiful plant well worthy of calling ornamental. They are hot (50,000-100,000 Scoville). Then it hit me one day, if I give them away - that means someone else is eating them. So I went to the grocery store and bought some Ramen noodles just to try cooking with the Thai Chili peppers. I figured Ramen costs 17 cents - so why not experiment? I wish I had tried this years ago. I now cook Ramen with 5 cut up Thai Chili peppers seeds and all. I don't know what happens to the heat when peppers are cooked, but I really like how they flavor Ramen noodles.

Thai Chili is a beautiful plant that grows low to the ground. It starts producing flowers and peppers very early here in Texas, and they are doing better in the 100+F days than all the others. To me, they look like mini Tabasco pepper plants, and they grow pretty, edible, ground cover plants.

I'm thinking about growing them in a raised bed next spring/summer planted thickly along with onions and good salsa type tomatoes. I'll call it, "The Salsa Garden"

That's my 2 cents on Thai Chili. Here's a picture of them in full sun growing in the Texas August heat. It is so bright outside that I couldn't see the viewfinder on the camera - so the picture is a little off center.

Was there a variety designated outside of just "Thai Chili" for those plants? Just wondering because those definitely grow differently from my "Thai Dragon" Thai chili plants. "Thai Dragon" is seriously upright & with much longer, thinner fruits.

The seeds I have came from the MMMM swap here at Tomatoville. The pack just says Thai Chili. I will be saving seeds from them to grow and to trade/give away.

This is called Thai bird peppers.I have grow then for years

Has anyone grown Thai chilies that are not spicy?

When I have these chilies, it seems that sometimes they are spicy and sometimes not at all.

Does anyone know why that happens?

They have great flavor, love those very much.

[QUOTE=KC.Sun;496598]Has anyone grown Thai chilies that are not spicy?

When I have these chilies, it seems that sometimes they are spicy and sometimes not at all.

Does anyone know why that happens?[/QUOTE]

I have no idea why that happens, but have had it happen frequently with Poblano peppers. I can pick Poblanos from the EXACT SAME PLANT & have some be mild & others nearly blow-the-top-of-your-head-off hot. Go figure.:?!?:

[QUOTE=GardeningCook;496523]Was there a variety designated outside of just "Thai Chili" for those plants? Just wondering because those definitely grow differently from my "Thai Dragon" Thai chili plants. "Thai Dragon" is seriously upright & with much longer, thinner fruits.[/QUOTE]

The ones I got in Bangkok are also on a bigger plant, with longer and thinner fruits. But I think there are many varieties - probably hundreds.

Yeah, I know. Lord only knows what the varieties are that I buy at the local Asian markets when I can. I figure if they look the part, they'll work in my cooking - lol! Have yet to be disappointed.

Salt what you have grown is called the Thia hot ornamental.

There are several chiles known as Thia chiles.
The most common one being the birds eye pepper with a drooping fruits as opposed to the upright fruit on your plant.

Worth

Worth, I looked them up and I agree with you. I'll mark the seed bags I use correctly now :)

That explains why they look ornamental.

However, mine are also upright, but are not ornamental. I think there are many variations.

I just tried Ramen with a nice ripe Datil pepper chopped up in it. :insn:

Nope, I'm not ready for 300,000 Scoville heat. I hope it doesn't melt the compost bowl or catch the compost bin on fire when I get it there. :lol:

Looking good Robert!

I'm also growing a couple of Thai chilies. I tried them before (got the plant from a big box store). The pods grew upright, were small, juicy when ripe with great flavor. Kinda like Tabasco peppers that I like so much. Although that plant grew to about 1 1/2 feet.

This year I bought some seeds from SSE, labeled as Thai Hot. They taste the same as my previous plant. But, the plant looks like yours, close to the ground. I'll send you some seeds if you like.

My Datil hasn't gotten hot yet. I'm hoping, and hope my climate isn't to far north to affect it's hotness. I'm not totally sure that's even a factor though.

But, my Moruga Trinidad Scorpion knocked my socks off the other day. It reminded me of my first bite of a raw habenaro, oh so many years ago. Other than cooking with, I eat my peppers raw with food (like pickles). Yes, I've had a couple of head down on the table experiences, and always going back for another taste. :panic:

-Jimmy