44MMERCURY June 13, 2008
email: mercury@hertsessexnews.co.ukChilli peppers aren8217t just the
8216flavour of the moment82178211
they8217re positively essential
for spicing up your summer
patio and showing off culinary
prowess.Enjoyed for thousands of years in
central and South America, today
there8217s a bewildering range of types and
varieties available to keen gardeners
willing to search.
Thanks to Christopher Columbus8217s
voyages, chillies were welcomed to UK
shores and have become one of the
world8217s favourite spices, closely akin to
tomatoes, potatoes and similar sweet
peppers, as part of the solanaceae
family.
Their fiery intensity is a matter of taste,
governed by a group of pungent natural
chemicals called capsaicinoids. Even
tiny concentrations can cause a burning
sensation to the mouth, throat and eyes.
Different cultivars and species vary in
intensity, but levels are also affected by
growing conditions and ripeness.
Although their leaves can be used as an
added ingredient in famous dishes, it is
only the juice inside their fruit that
possesses the fiery 8216heat8217.
Chillies have their uses, too, in a
variety of medical preparations,
especially for the treatment of skin
ailments. The warming, prickly
sensation on the tongue is due to a
variety of capsaicinoids, the primary
ingredient in over-the-counter topical
ointments for muscular and joint pain.
When ingested, they are rich in vital
vitamin C and pro-vitamin A, B and
B6. Their high vitamin C content aids
absorption of iron from meal
ingredients, such as beans and grains,
aiding a balanced diet. The pleasant
8216pain8217caused by capsaicin stimulates
the brain to produce endorphins, a
natural analgesic giving a sense of well-
being and producing a natural high.
Chillies are sensitive souls, reacting
badly to cold air or compost. Treated as
annuals in Britain, they are truly tender
perennials, requiring more heat than
tomatoes to do well.
A sheltered sunny patio, warm
courtyard, unheated poly tunnel or
greenhouse, provides ideal conditions
for maximum growth. A sunny kitchen
windowsill will also suffice, providing
plants are turned daily to receive even
exposure to sunlight.
Pots provide valuable root restriction,
channelling the plant8217s energies into
flowering and fruit production.
Once established, chillies are always
hungry for nutrients, although ration
their food if spicy fruits are a must.
Outdoors, plants flourish on a dressing
of pelleted chicken manure worked into
the soil prior to planting, or a weekly
dose of balanced liquid feed.
Never allow to go short of food or
water if grown in containers, pinching
out the tips of young plants to
encourage bushier growth if necessary.
Stress increases the 8216heat8217production in
the peppers 8211 flooding the ground a
couple of days prior to harvest or
allowing plants to wilt slightly will
ensure super-hot fruits.
Harvesting may begin as early as the
end of July as fruits reach full size 8211
either in their un-ripe green or colourful
ripened red, brown or purple. Regular
picking increases yields, with more
fruits produced as pods are removed.
For an inferno of flavour or sweet
peppery warmth, test out four of the
best chilli varieties below to set your
garden ablaze with spicy interest this
summer.
Thai Dragon 8211
not for the faint
hearted, this 75,000-140,000 SHU
variety gives spicy Habanero a run for
its money. With yields of up to 200
fruits, the 3.5in (9cm) thin-fleshed
fruits are prolific, ripening from green
to red. Harvest singularly or cut the
entire plant and hang upside down to
dry in the kitchen for use all year
round. A rampant grower benefiting
from tying or regular stopping to
encourage bushiness.
Super Chilli
8211 compact and very
productive chilli plants produce
plentiful 4cm upright fruits, similar to
'Thai Dragon', ripening from light
green to orange and red.
Cheyenne
8211 heavy crops of medium-
sized orange fruits are produced on
45cm plants - ideal for the kitchen
windowsill, greenhouse on a sheltered
patio.
Numex Twilight 8211
one of the most
beautiful chilli plants in fruit 8211 with
novel rainbow ripening effects of green,
yellow, amber, rose, purple and red
fruits at every stage. It8217s time to get spicyCROSSWORDCryptic clues and quick clues 8211 use the same grid, but
remember the answers are different amd must not be mixedACROSS:
7. Freshwater fish (5) 8. Ingredient (7) 9.
Contrary (7) 10. Deserves (5) 12. Shelter (10) 15.
Singer (10) 18. Healthy (5) 19. Local (7) 21. Sailor (7)
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Fruit (4)ACROSS
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because no profit
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(10)
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DOWN
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for crossword and
Sudoku solutionsSUDOKUSevendays
gardens/ puzzles1.What days of the week is there a market in
Royston?
...........................................................................
2. When was the A10 bypass between Wormley
and Ware opened?
...........................................................................
3. Britain8217s first recorded paper mill was in theMercurypatch, but where?
...........................................................................
4. When was Cuffley station built?
...........................................................................
5. Where is this bell tower?
...........................................................................
6. Essendon Camfield Place was previously
occu[pied by which famous British author?
...........................................................................
7. When did Cheshunt Grammar School change
its name to Cheshunt School?
...........................................................................
8. In which decade was Hertford8217s Castle Hall
built?
...........................................................................
9. What is Stratton8217s Folly in Little Berkhamsted?
...........................................................................
10. Six people were injured when what
happened during a performance at Hertford8217s
Castle Hall in January 1920?
........................................................................... ANSWERSBY CHRIS
ROBERTS
managing
director of
Van Hage of
P
epper Hill,
Great
AmwellJOBS TO DO
AT THE
WEEKENDqScented roses are reaching
their peak. If rain-soaked,
blooms may 8216ball8217' and not
open fully as dampened petals
tightly wrap the central bud.
Deadhead and hope for dryer
weather to allow blooms to
blossom fully.q With strawberries under
glass yielding their last
pickings, those outside are just
beginning. Tightly stretch bird-
proof netting over the crop to
protect ripening fruit, but
ensure it is kept taught to
prevent entrapping blackbirds.q Flag iris have been
exceptional this year 8211 lift and
divide over-crowed clumps as
flowers fade, halving the foliage
for speedy re-establishment.TASTY: Red peppers, decorative in the garden and delicious in your cooking(s)www.hertsandessexobserver.co.ukLooking for a new car?www.hertfordshiremercury.co.ukwww.hertfordshiremercury.co.ukLooking for a new car?Looking for a new car?Looking for a new car?www.hertfordshiremercury.co.ukwww.harlowstar.co.ukLooking for a new car?1. Wednesdays and Saturdays
2. 1974
3. Hertford
4. 1910
5. St Clement8217s Church, Cheshunt Wash
6. Dame Barbara Cartland
7. 1971
8. 1970s
9. A 100ft-high tower built by Admiral John
Stratton so he could see ships on the River
Thames
10. The skylight fell inTest your local
knowledge10 taxing
teasers to
make you thinkCompiled by Dan Peters1223456778910111213141515161917181920212122
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