On Sep 24, 10:36*pm, Gunner wrote:
On Sep 24, 9:49*pm, Nil wrote:

An acquaintance gave me some hot peppers from his garden. Can anyone
identify their varieties?

http://home.comcast.net/~esionder/temp/peppers1.jpg

To beat the horse it a bit more, here are a few more databases:

http://www.g6csy.net/chile/database.html

http://www.thechileman.org/

http://www.reimerseeds.com/hot-peppe...tion_1367.aspx

There are so many varieties closely related that it is very difficult
to tell with any real certainty. Often the person planting them does
not know for sure even when from a reliable seed company as the names
are sometimes erroneous. In this case however, I do not believe the
large green one is an Ancho, but Brooklyn may be right about the red
being a Jalapeno varietal rather than a Fresno ( usually broader
shoulder and pointier than a Jalapeno), definitely not a Serrano.
However note tan striations are not always a sign of maturation in a
Jalapeno. Yet as he stated, chiles do cross easily. Cut the last one
to see the seed color, if they are black, it is one of the Rocotos
(rare here in US but they do grow well in cooler more temperate
climates than most chiles) if not, it is most likely one of the Habs/
SB, but definitely a Chinense.

If you have a batch of the Jalapeno try your hand at smoke drying
these to a chipotle or a chile ahumado. Its easier to control your
heat in dishes with the powder. If not familiar with this spice I
recommend you try it in a pot of beans. I believe it lends a better
taste than the Chipotle en adobo.

I usually cook to taste and then let the individual adjust to their
comfort level with other sauces. Nothing worse than swallowing a hot
coal and not being able to taste the rest of the dinner. For the Habs/
SB w/o the heat...DO NOT cut them, use them whole to get the flavor
and them fish out of the dish, the die-hards can then show their
bravado by biting into them.