Turning up the heat at DT Brown
If you’re a fan of blisteringly hot food, turn up the heat and grow the world’s hottest chilli, Carolina Reaper, from DT Brown. Learn more about super-hot chillies. Available as young plants last season, Carolina Reaper packs a volcanic punch of more than 2,200,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The company’s Tim Jeffries recommends that gloves be worn when handling the plants and fruits. They should always be cooked and never eaten raw.
“It really should be treated with the utmost respect. The fruits are incredibly hot, not for the faint-hearted, and should be used only very sparingly in dishes”, he said. Carolina Reaper is not simply about intense heat. “It has a sweet, fruity flavour with chocolate and cherry undertones.
Carolina Reaper – It’s a bit of a challenge from seed
“All super-hot chillies are a challenge to grow from seed. They need to be sown early and require real warmth to get started. A heated propagator set at 28-30°C is ideal, because the hotter the chilli, the more time and heat it needs. We have seen a surge of interest in growing very hot chillies among our customers. Chilli seed sales were up 21 per cent last season from the previous year.
“When we introduced Bhut Jolokia, the ‘ghost chilli’, which at the time was the hottest we had sold, in its first season, it accounted for more than 10 per cent of our total chilli seed sales. Our World’s Hottest Chilli Plant Collection was also a great success in its first year, and is offered once again. Our World’s Hottest Chilli Plant Collection was also a great success in its first year last season, and is offered once again this year.”
For further information, availability and current prices, visit www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk.
