I've been told these (photo included ) are ornamental peppers and I need to know if I can eat them or will they kill me ed ( photo / image / picture from Edlou8181's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Edlou8181's Garden ) moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic
Hi Ed, Where did you get the plant? is this the one you showed us a long time ago or a new one? If you don't have a variety ID available you might want to forgo eating them, UNLESS you like really HOT peppers, the kind that "knock your socks off" hot! Ornamental peppers are usually not suitable for eating because of this. Otherwise , pick one, cut it in half( the membrane is what is really hot) and shave a teeny, tiny, itsy,bitsy piece off and touch it with your finger and then touch your tongue with your finger. that will tell you if it is hot or not... have a glass of milk at the ready if you don't like really hot peppers. But I don't believe it will kill you.... only make you wish you were dead if it's that hot. ps. It is recommended to use rubber gloves when handling peppers.
Many of the ornamental peppers are edible but they are so hot they are almost impossible to eat. Do you know which variety of pepper you have? If you have the variety name, check out their hotness on the Scoville heat list you will find at this website... http://www.chilliworld.com/FactFile/Scoville_Scale.asp I would guess that if you have had a Jalapeno before and those peppers you are growing are hotter then Jalapeno then you probably do not want to be nibbling on them.
The previous posters have answered your question. I'd like to add this information. Super Hot peppers are fine for making organic bug spray. Put on some rubber gloves, Slice the peppers and soak them in water overnight. I strain the juice and freeze it in paper cups. You can also dry super hot peppers and make repellent powder for small animals that chew your plants like dogs, cats and mice. If you put something like this in your food processor or blender, wear eye glasses, a dust mask and gloves. Don't even breathe this stuff. It takes longer with a mortar and pestle but it's safer I think.
I'd recommend NOT eating ornamental peppers. If they were intended for eating, they wouldn't be called "ornamental".
Is this the same one that you sent earlier ? Guess you haven`t read the answers yet. These look like tabasco peppers. Tabasco grow upward rather than hanging down. Where did you get the pepper plants ?
Ed, just to add to pricklypears post.... DO NOT REUSE THE BLENDER FOR ANYTHING ELSE, either. WOOO HOOOO everything will taste like the peppers you use the blender for. And you might want to wear a respirator and goggles to do this, otherwise you might burn out your nostrils and eyeballs . And this is from all of us, if you choose to do this. We all loved you and loved having you here with us.. If you survive this process, come back and tell us all about it.
Rotfl ! Tabasco is my favorite eating pepper. The true ornamentals will set your woods on fire so I have heard.
My parents once tried eating ornamental peppers that looked very much like those ones. I didn't try any but they said it wasn't hot at all, but apparently it makes your mouth go numb. My mom was considering calling an ambulance, but luckily it went away. Many ornamental plants are actually not what the name says. For example, a plant labelled "Ornamental Pepper" might actually be Jerusalem Cherry Then again it could be a real pepper that is really spicy, and excellent in soup. :-D
