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1. What causes
Chiles to be hot? |
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Heat
(or pungency) is caused by chemical
compounds called capsaicinoids. Capsaicin
levels in a pepper pod
 are controlled by the
genetics of the variety and environmental
interaction of the plant while the plant is
setting the pod. Each variety of pepper has
its own propensity to generate heat, and the
heat it generates can only be within that
propensity. A pepper with a low propensity
for heat and exposed to stress in the field
will become more pungent. A pepper with a
high propensity for heat grown under
favorable conditions will only produce
moderate heat.
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2. What is
Scoville rating or unit?
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A Scoville rating or unit is a scale to rate
the heat of a pepper. The higher the
rating the hotter the pepper. Border
Foods uses a High-Performance Liquid
Chromatograph, or HPLC. In this
method, the pods are ground and the
capsaicinoids are chemically extracted.
The extracted chemicals are injected into
the HPLC machine for analysis. This
produces a much more accurate rating.
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3. Is there such
a thing as a "no heat" Jalapeño?
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Yes.
As a matter of fact there are several. We
are currently using one particular variety
with great success.
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4. Can we
purchase Green Chile year 'round?
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Yes,
but the best quality Chile is grown in our
local area. Chile grown out side our "local
area" doesn't have that great southwest
desert flavor, or the wall thickness
customers prefer. Additionally Green Chile
doesn't hold up to long distance trips.
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5. Can we
purchase Jalapeños year 'round? |
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 Yes we can! Jalapeños are much better
adapted to growing well in other areas.
They also hold up to the trip a lot better
than a Green Chile does. Border Foods is
currently sourcing Jalapeño 12 months out of
the year.
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6. Where do
Green Chiles grow?
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The best tasting Green Chile is
grown right here in the high desert
of southern New Mexico, Southern
Arizona, and Northern Chihuahua,
Mexico.
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7. Where do
Jalapeños grow? |
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Jalapeños will also grow all over
the United States and Mexico.
Jalapeños are a little better
adapted to growing well in more
diverse areas.
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8. Are Green
Chiles and Jalapeños all hand picked?
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Well . . . yes and no. Currently
all Green Chile is hand picked, but
not all Jalapeños are hand picked.
The mechanically harvested Jalapeño
pepper business is still in a
learning stage, but it is rapidly
making progress.
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9. Is there
something that can be added to a salsa to
make it hotter? |
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Yes, there are two things. One, add
more Jalapeño! Second, Capsaicin
can be extracted from other peppers
and then added as a liquid to salsas
to make them hotter. |
