The Scoville Scale

Which is hotter: a Serrano pepper or a Jalapeno?

Let's take this question to Science.

Believe it or not, there is a scale to measure specifically the relative amount of "spicy heat" in a chili pepper -- or scientifically, the amount of capsaicin (cap-SAY-sin) in a given sample.  Capsaicin is the chemical that creates the burning associated with the spiciness or hotness of a chili pepper.

Side note: if you do ever get capsaicin in your eyes or nose or wherever -- it is a hydrophobic compound -- which means it will not wash-off with water very well.  The best way to rid yourself of the burn asap is to use some type of oil -- which will remove any capsaicin which has not already been absorbed by your skin.  Milk or sugar-water are also better than water alone.

The Scoville Scale is the tool used to rate the hotness and, usually, a helpful resource if you want to know which pepper is more or less hot than another.  Just incase you were curious -- the measurements are made by incrementally adding the sample of a dried pepper (or even more specifically, a capsaicin extract of the dried sample) to simple sugar water until the spice or hotness is detected by a panel of judges.  Yep, just human people.  

Here's a helpful cheat sheet:

So, going back to our original question -- it is most likely that the Serrano pepper is hotter -- but there is a chance that the difference could be very small.  In this case, it may likely depend from pepper-to-pepper.

Another indicator of spice or heat is the coloring of the pepper.  Peppers are red (or purple, or brown, or not-green) when fully ripe.  A green pepper is simply a pepper that was picked prematurely for one reason or another.  The riper or darker the pepper, the hotter, spicier and/or sweeter it will be.  That's why green peppers cost less.  So, as I have personally learned, a red Jalapeno is very much hotter than a green one -- and I have no idea why anyone would prefer a green Bell to a red one.

Seriously.

You can ripen your prematurely picked green pepper by putting it in a paper bag or wrapping it in newspaper -- although it may take a week or two -- and will not be as delicious as if it was ripened on the plant.

Besides being hot and spicy -- fresh peppers are also very, very, very rich in Vitamin C (a water-soluble antioxidant).  Fresh peppers have way more Vitamin C than citrus fruit!  Green peppers having about 2x as much, red as much as 3x, and some chilis up to 3.5x!

Peppers are also rich in alpha & beta-carotenes (which are then converted into Vitamin A) and lutein (protects eyes and skin from sun damage) -- as well as minerals like potassium (maintains body's water balance), magnesium (proper functioning of muscles and nerves), iron (plays role in carrying oxygen to all of body's cells), and manganese (proper thyroid function).

Whew -- and as a disclaimer -- all of these vitamins and minerals and enzymes found in fresh fruits and vegetables do a lot more than just the things I note in the parentheses.  I like to just highlight a few general example-functions when I drop them so perhaps they will become more familiar over time.

On a final note, when you're selecting peppers at the store you mainly want to ensure that the vegetable is firm and without blemishes.  Moisture leads to rot -- so keep them dry and refrigerated!

Thanks Petey for the question!

Possum Living

In celebration of having the internet back in my home life, I'd like to share this lovely documentary about inspirational, young Dolly Freed.

After "living off the land" successfully with her father for a number of years, 18-year-old Dolly Freed wrote a guide to self-sufficiency and personal economics called Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and (Almost) No Money.

Enjoy!

The Best Zest

Let's get this post rolling with a culinary secret from the start -- if a recipe calls for any amount of citrus juice -- put in some zest too!  It enhances the citrus flavor, adds texture, and aromatics!  How nice.

Now, how do you select your citrus to maximize your zesting potential?

• Skin Texture & Feel
• You want citrus that has a thick, rough skin, and is firm overall -- without any soft spots.

• Aroma
• Lightly scratch the citrus -- it should reveal a strong, citrusy aroma.

After selecting a firm, aromatic citrus, here's some how-to zest tips:

• Wash your fruit with warm water to remove any waxes or resins (which have been applied to beautify and preserve the produce -- more on produce-waxes to come!)

• Do not zest down to the pith (the white part) -- this adds a very bitter flavor to the zest. 

• The best tool for zesting is a microplane -- but you can use a cheese-grater, or just remove the citrus' skin with a peeler, cut strips, then cut the strips into tiny, zest-resembling pieces.

(Buddha's Hand Citrus)

A Ripe Avocado

People love avocados.  They're buttery and delicious, and so good for you!  Avocados are high in unsaturated fats which are GOOD and important to have in your diet -- regardless of all this lipophobia noisy nonsense that is popular in our modern Western society.  The American Heart Association recommends getting at least 30% of your calories from fat, and as long as it's primarily unsaturated you are doing your body good.  Think about it -- your brain is like 60% lipids/fats!

Avocados are super high in nearly all of the 20 amino acids your body needs to perform critical life functions -- including very important roles in cell metabolism (i.e. LIVING).  They also include potassium -- an electrolyte that aids in digestion and functioning of the heart, kidneys, nerves and muscles; as well as Vitamin E -- which is a fat-soluble antioxidant (must be eaten with fat to be absorbed).

Ingesting unsaturated fats can also increase your body's ability to absorb other fat-soluble vitamins and minerals -- such as alpha and beta-carotene (provitamins) and lutein (another awesome antioxidant).

Enough about why you should eat it -- now let's talk about how you can select the perfectly ripe avocado.  I decided this was an appropriate first post after watching people tip-toe nervously around the avocado display and either grabbing the first avocado that caught their eye -- or testing more than probably necessary.

Did you know there are over 500 varieties of avocado?  But only the Hass avocado is consistently available year-round from California -- which probably is why it makes up 95% of California's avocado production and therefore is the most common variety sold across the nation.

A Ripe Avocado:

• Color 
• Generally, the lighter green, the less ripe.  The darker the fruit, the more ripe.  However avocados that become too dark or blackish may be overripe!  

• Skin Texture
• Firm skin is a good sign (indicating either a just-a-bit-early or just-right avocado), but once the avocado is over-mature it's skin will become looser and develop wrinkles and air-pockets.

• Firmness
• With the fruit in your palm of your hand, apply gentle, even pressure with your whole hand (try not to localize the pressure at your fingertips).  
• If the fruit gives ("like refrigerated butter") then it is ripe and should be used within the next 24 hours.  If it is rock-solid it may need 4 to 5 days to ripen.  Any fruits in-between hard-butter and hard-rock will probably take around 2-3 days.  

To speed up ripening:

Put a few avocados together in a paper bag or wrap in some newspaper.

To increase speed, add a banana, apple or tomato.  These all release ethylene gas which encourages fruit to ripen!

Once ripe, place in the fridge to slow down the process and keep from rotting until they're used.

Now -- take your school smarts to the street!

Nutrition Facts for a Hass Avocado