Fresh jalapeños

Last fall I experimented with something.

I had an amazing pepper plant that I harvested twenty-two green peppers off of at one time. The frustrating thing was that I pulled them all because we were to have a frost that night. I really wanted to leave them on until I had red peppers, not green ones.

Someone then suggested (luckily before our frost) that I dig the whole plant up and invite it into my home to be a houseplant.

All. Winter. Long.

Peppers can live for years in warmer climates. Who knew?

If I start this Spring with last year's fully grown plant, I likely will get my red peppers!

So I dug up my pepper. Then I looked over and saw one of my jalapeño plants. Why stop now? While I potted them, a sweet hen named Penny sat on my shoulder. I wish I had a picture of that.

I was warned not to expect them to produce fruit in the house, we just don't get enough light for that. The goal was to keep these plants alive until winter was over, and then send them back to the garden.

The jalapeño, particularly, has been a fabulous houseplant. It's leaves are small and dainty, and it doesn't insist on bolting straight up toward the ceiling like the pepper does.

And look what happened!


Yet that one wasn't the first. I was so excited about the first one I named him José.

José Jalapeño. It was a joke for my mother.

Oh, nevermind.

Neither of these two is José, either.


Oh, goodness! There is another tiny one above them!

But José, he has been hanging around for over two months now.

I rather like him. He brightened my dreary long winter, and gave me the joy of watching something green grow.

Somehow, in just the last two days he has become a really colorful character.


My relationship with José Jalapeño is going to come to an extremely delicious end very soon. Of that I am certain.

Also, I am certain you will not find a jalapeño fresher than José. It can't be done.

You Capture - Fresh