Great article about one of our fave chile peppers in the whole world. Article quoted in whole.

Try growing these fiery capiscums in a patio container

By Nancy O’Donnell
ALBANY TIMES-UNION

If you love habanero peppers (Capsicum chinense Jacquin aka chile pepper “Habanera” aka extremely hot), you might want to thank Christopher Columbus. Many historians believe he may be responsible for discovering these spicy little gems and introducing them to European gardeners upon his return to Spain.

Translated, “habanera,” also spelled habanero, means “from Havana.” Today habaneros are commercially grown throughout the Yucatán where annual harvests of 1,500 tons are the norm.

In addition to the Yucatán, Belize, Costa Rica, California and Texas weigh in with some pretty hefty harvests. As with all peppers, habaneros are warm season crops; they love the soil and air temperature to be warm before they are planted. They need seven weeks or so to get established.

Again, like other pepper varieties, habaneros prefer partial to full sun and a well-drained, organically rich soil, with a pH around 6.0. To make an end-run around the alkaline soils of Central Texas, try planting them in a patio container — they’re perfect for gardeners with space constraints.

Immature habaneros are green; as they ripen they’ll begin to turn a beautiful orange or red, making the plant strikingly ornamental. The peppers themselves are about 2 inches in length. The “heat” or substance that makes any chile pepper hot is a compound found inside the pepper called capsaicin. Many believe it’s the seeds themselves that are hot, but actually it’s the lining along the inside of the pepper that the seed clings to that packs the wallop.

However, the seeds can provide a kick. Use habaneros raw, add to recipes or dehydrate then crush them into a chunky powder. You must use extreme caution when handling cut peppers as the capsaicin is nothing to take lightly. Scrub your hands thoroughly after preparing any hot pepper.

How hot is hot? The heat is measured in what’s called Scoville units — the higher the measurement, the hotter the pepper. Habaneros score between 200,000 and 300,000 units, cayenne comes in at 35,000, jalapeño around 3,500 to 4,000 and green bells at 0.

For those with deer problems, a habanero pepper spray made from home-grown ground peppers works wonders.

We simply boil about a quart of water, then take the pan outdoors (even the fumes are potent), and place about a tablespoon of ground habaneros in a piece of cheesecloth and let it seep like a tea for an hour or so. Wearing rubber gloves, remove the cheesecloth, being careful not to touch your eyes.

Once cooled, pour into a hand sprayer and apply in early evening to plants deer are known to frequent. Be sure to re-apply after a rain.

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