Bhut Jolokia, The World's Hottest Pepper

Bhut Jolokia, The World's Hottest Pepper

I've received several inquiries about seed from a couple of plants I grew this past year. The bhut jalokia, also known as the naga jalokia, is still relatively hard to find in the U.S. Originally from Sri Lanka, tested by the Univ. of New Mexico prior to being listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the world's hottest pepper, I have seed to sell for anyone interested. $5 for approximately 25 seed.

Also I have seed of the fat baby achocha, from the Bumthang Valley of Bhutan. These make a great vine for arbors and produce hundreds of fruits during the season. Best if started indoors then transplanted out after danger of frost. They're used like green bell peppers in stir fries, but the traditional method is to stuff them and bake in tomato sauce. Each pod has 6 - 8 seeds and I'm charging $2 a small packet of approx. 8 seed. Prices include postage and you can order with check or money order, sending it to me at P.O. Box 127, Blue Eye, MO 65611. I have a limited supply of seed so if you're interested, order now.

Here's a recipe from my recipes blog, for a great tasting crab dip (it's actually from my book, Easy Dips Using Herbs) and you can use some of the chopped, fresh fat baby achocha, and just a tiny bit of bhut jalokia in the recipe if you're adventurous. Enjoy it with chips.

Baked Crab Dip
Serve this while hot with your favorite crackers or toasted bread pieces.

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 6 1/4-ounce can crab meat, drained, flaked
2 tablespoons onion, grated
1 tablespoon half and half, or milk
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Dash salt and black pepper
Few drops hot sauce
1 green onion, sliced

Combine everything except green onion and mix together. Place in an ovenproof serving dish and bake at 350 degrees F. for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and top with sliced green onion and serve. Makes about 1 3/4 cups.

Bhut Jolokia Arrives

It's like Christmas in April! The much anticipated Bhut Jalokia (aka, world's hottest pepper) plants have arrived. When you order from a nursery you've never dealt with before, you never quite know what to expect. These folks, Cross Country Nurseries, far exceeded my hopes and expectations. The plants are top quality, ready to plant in the garden. They shipped promptly, just like the promised, and their packaging is some of the best I've ever seen.
Often when I order from a plant nursery, the plants have lost their tags in shipment, or come wrapped in plastic wrap and rubber bands, soggy and too wet. These folks know how to ship.

Check out the photos of their shipping cartons, how the pots fit the cartons, how the pots are both taped in, and the soil held in place with a little cardboard collar. They arrived moist, but not wet, and the name tags are attached, AND taped in place. A big THUMBS UP to these folks for their care in shipping. I'll be posting some thumbs up and thumbs down to other plant nurseries in the days ahead, my own rating system of the good, the bad and the ugly in plant handling from the professionals.

And look at the size of the pepper plants in the photo. Check out Cross Country's website, they grow hundreds and hundreds of varieties of peppers, tomatoes and eggplants.
More information about the world's hottest pepper is here.

Bhut Jolokia, The World's Hottest Pepper

(The photo to the left shows the peppers I'm growing, but none of them are the Bhut Jalokia, yet).

One of the hot new plants this year (ok, it's not new, it's centuries old, but we in the West have just "discovered" it) is the Saga Jalokia. Also known by the names of Naga Jalokia and Bhut Jalokia, this so-called “new” pepper, comes from northeastern Assam, India, near the Equator (where all of the hottest peppers originate around the globe), and is also known by the names, “ghost chile,” and Bhut Jolokia.

The University of Mexico has been testing this new pepper and proved beyond a doubt in 2007 that this was, indeed, the world’s hottest pepper. (In India, according to my friend Puneet, who comes from New Delhi, this pepper is called "tatayyia mirch," which translated from Hindi, is "wasp chili," because he said, it is like having a very big wasp sting your tongue).

To read my complete article about this amazing pepper, and how it will keep elephants from trashing your garden this year, go to my Columns link on my website.