Episode Details

Love them or fear them, hot peppers bring the heat to gardens and kitchens alike. Join us as we dive into the spicy world of peppers with Dr. Jack McCoy. Learn about what makes peppers hot, why some people love to eat them, how to grow them, ways to use your harvest, and more!

Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/llkA3W2adiY

Skip to what you want to know:  

  00:28 – Welcome. Do we like to eat hot peppers? 

  03:33 – Jack, tell us about what you are currently teaching/working on at U of I.

  04:48 – Student Sustainable Farm at University of Illinois

  10:19 – Jack, how did you get into hot peppers?

  13:22 – Why is there so much interest in hot peppers?

  17:04 – Why are hot peppers hot? Why did they evolve to be hot?

  20:08 – How do capsaicin levels relate to Scoville units?

  23:47 – Which came first, hot or sweet peppers? Are they all the same? 

  25:53 – How do we grow peppers?

  30:05 – Suggestions for starting pepper seeds indoors

  33:15 – Do peppers need any kind of special fertilization or irrigation routines?

  34:18 – Is there anything that happens during the growing season that affects the pepper's heat?

  39:44 – What pests do we need to watch out for?

  44:31 – Do we need to protect ourselves when harvesting hot peppers? 

  47:50 – Any peppers to recommend for chiliheads? What about beginners? 

  50:43 – Favorite way to use hot peppers

  54:30 – There seems to be a hot pepper arms race, is there a limit to how hot peppers can be?

  56:01 – What's the hottest pepper we’ve ever eaten?

  1:01:41 – Wrap-up, what’s up next week, and goodbye!

Allerton Supper Club

Contact us! 

Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu

Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu

Emily Swihart: eswihart@illinois.edu

Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

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Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

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