Pepper Pointers

This is a jalapeno on the way to maturity. The woody lines are called "corking" and it means that this pepper will be much hotter than a smooth shiny green pepper. To pepper people, this is a good thing!

This jalapeno is also on the way to maturity. The black color is a blush that precedes red. This pepper will also be hotter than a shiny green one.  I'm trying to patiently wait for my jalapenos to turn red so I can make red jalapeno jelly with them. I've heard that it takes four weeks from the time they turn black or cork to be red. I may not have four weeks before the frost. And then I will need about two dozen peppers at the same time. I'm not sure if that will happen.
Fortunately, these two plants are churning out a lot of peppers because we use them every night in our dinner and occaisionally whip up jalapeno poppers for a snack. Yummy!

I had a few of these beautiful bell peppers earlier this summer. But the constant 90 + degree days were not conducive for bell peppers. The plants went into stress mode and didn't set flowers. No flowers, no peppers.

The smallish peppers that did grow looked like these. They are small due to the heat and drought (in spite of being watered.) The spots on them is another thing altogether. It's neither bugs nor a disease - it's sunscald. Basically the peppers got sunburned! It is only on the side that faced the sun and the rest of the pepper is good to eat. Now I know, if it's another record breaking hot summer to rig up shade cloth to protect the peppers! Or, more realistically, I need to buy my plants at a nursery and get a variety that resists sunscald. I bought these at Lowes because I was in a hurry.
I may even plant them from seed. I'll see how my life is going in March.