My ghost peppers are making the news. Kinda.
And I might say that “limited” is a relative term. There are 25 red hots on the vine right now, so let me know and I’ll undercut my price at Local Harvest, ‘k?
My ghost peppers are making the news. Kinda.
And I might say that “limited” is a relative term. There are 25 red hots on the vine right now, so let me know and I’ll undercut my price at Local Harvest, ‘k?
Appropriate literary tangent to your post, Craig Arnold’s poem, Hot.
While I’m VERY excited for Jason and his discovery of The World’s Hotest Pepper I have to say I may possibly loathe them.
It’s so wonderful to see Jason so happy when someone updates him on how their plants are doing, how many peppers their plant is yielding, and how you have managed to help spread the word like wild fire (pun intended.) And yet… his happiness does not compare to the frustration that wells up within me when he is cooking with ghost peppers. Upon them being added into a heated pot I, myself, get thrown into a coughing fit bordering on an asthmatic episode. I’m not sure how many people are aware, but it’s been confirmed to me by my Allergist that peppers release some kind of particles into the air when heated and/or cut (the hotter the pepper apparently the more noticable.) Some people are more sensative to them than others. I can be in another room – knowing that Jason is cooking but not the ingredients he chooses, and the second that he’s added them I get the tickle. The first few times I felt like a lab rat when he cooked because he was amazed that I knew exactly when he added them without being in the same room. Loving as he is, he is now sure to be very cautious about cooking with them. The only woe I feel anymore is when he he cooks with them (though he is sure to be safe and use gloves in handling them) it never fails that if he’s touched the counter, the faucet, a cutting board, or knife I will find the precise spot. I find out either by touching something later on and rubbing my eye or touching my lips. Hours later – the “oils” still burn. Not a scorching heat as if having acid poured on my skin but hot nonetheless.
For Jason’s sake, and for the Bayer’s Garden Shop business – I thank you for telling people about the plant. But please make bistanders and users beware: Safety must come first at all times. Be aware of your surroundings, your loved ones, and all surfaces. If you touch something make a mental note to yourself to clean it well. Water is not enough to rid yourself of the “oils” from the peppers so use a good soap and some elbow grease to be sure.
Oh and if anyone has a problem with skin burning from the peppers I found online some suggestions that rubbing alcohol can help take the sting away but the burn could last on the skin a few days.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_Jolokia_pepper