Cayennes are easily grown in S.E. Wisconsin gardens, especially in containers. If our growing season is long, cayennes will turn red while on the plant, making a striking display in your garden. In autumn when frost is expected, containers can be moved into your garage or home, near a sunny window to turn red and develop their hot, but mellow flavors. The active ingredient capsaicin is concentrated in the flesh and pith of each pepper, and is a multi-functional component of the cayenne. Capsaicin is alleged to contribute to heart health. Also, when working with dried cayennes (wear disposal vinyl gloves), we scrape the pith and seeds and save in a glass jar to sprinkle around tender shoots of aster plants in spring (this discourages bunnies from snacking on tender young shoots!)
Cayennes have numerous culinary uses—either fresh or dried— and are a flavorful addition to Mexican and Thai cuisine. From the genus Capsicum, this vegetable when dried is considered a spice. The photo above shows some cayennes grown in our home garden in 2011; they are fully dried and ready to be ground into pure cayenne pepper. (I store ground cayennes in glass jars in our freezer to preserve flavor intensity.) HOT SALT can be made easily with one TBSP of ground cayennes plus two TBSP coarse sea salt. CAYENNE OIL can be made by mixing two TBSP ground cayennes with one cup canola oil. These condiments will add zip and zest to your recipes! Cayennes have been an integral part of our garden for years, and we hope you will include them in your veggie garden soon.
M. Lynn Schmid - Certified Master Gardener, A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture
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