Fresh Trinidad Pimento Chillies (Seasoning Peppers) (10 fruits)

The Trinidad Pimento is also known as the Trinidad 'seasoning pepper'. It is the most popular cooking pepper on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. It turns from light green to dark red or orange-red. 

Seasoning peppers are used extensively when making the famous Trinidad 'green' seasoning. This is a marinade which varies from family to family but almost always includes fresh green herbs such culantro/cilantro/parsley/coriander, thyme, onion, garlic, scotch bonnets and of course lots of seasoning peppers. The bulk of the green herbs and often semi ripe seasoning peppers gives the marinade its distinctive green colour as well as its unique aromatic yet fruity aroma and flavour. The marinade is used on grilled meats and vegetables or as a base for soups and stews.

Information

Weight: 10 fruits

Colour: green to yellow, orange and red.

Flavour: exceptional flavour profile. These chillies are renowned for their deep aromatic and fruity smell and flavour. They smell of the hottest habanero, yet are mostly heatless.

Heat: Mild with the occasional hot one. These chillies are similar to Pimiento de Padron in that there is the occasional odd hot one. Therefore, it is advisable to try a small amount first. The riper the chilli the hotter it can be; although, this is not always the case and there are often exceptions to the rule.

Note: we have taste tested a sample of fruits from all the plants we have grown this season and they are all mild. This of course, doesn't guarantee that every chilli on the plant will be heatless.

If a variety is generally known to be heatless or mild, but is genetically predisposed to produce capsaicin (i.e. have the gene(s) which control the production of capsaicinoids), then they tend to produce more capsaicin when the plant is stressed. This happens to Trinidad Pimentos and Padron Peppers. So, for example, Padron peppers grown in highly controlled environments such as the glass houses in Spain and the Netherlands, tend to be consistently mild. Whereas, if they are grown in the UK in a polytunnel or a greenhouse, they will inevitably experience wider swings in temperatures as well as water and nutrients, and therefore produce more capsaicin. Similarly, Trinidad Pimentos grown in the fields in Trinidad will have consistent growing conditions, especially with regards to day/night temperatures. Our Trinidad Pimentos grown in our British polytunnels will experience more fluctuations in temperature. The result is that some plants are likely to produce some pods which are hotter than others. We can't test every chilli before sending them out, so we test a sample from each plant at the start of the season to make sure we didn't accidentally plant a hybrid cross from the previous season. 

Storage

Fresh chillies keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. All chillies freeze well. Slicing and pickling is another good way to preserve chillies.