An Introduction to the Main Producing Regions, Types and Harvest Seasons of Chili Peppers
No one knows exactly when it started, but Chinese people have increasingly come to love spicy food. In China, the planting area of chili peppers has already surpassed that of radishes and tomatoes, second only to Chinese cabbage, making them “China's second-largest vegetable”.So which places are famous for chili peppers? What types are there? And when does each come to market?
In China, the main producing regions of chili peppers are Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Henan (Xichuan County), Jize County in Hebei Province and Togtoh County in Inner Mongolia.
Main Types
Bell pepper (a variety) - sweet pepper
The plant is sturdy and tall. The leaves are oblong or ovate, 10-13 cm long. The fruit stalk is upright or drooping, and the fruit is large, nearly spherical
or cylindrical or oblate, with many longitudinal grooves, truncate or slightly sunken at the apex, truncate at the base and often slightly concave inward, not spicy in taste but slightly sweet or with a slight pepper flavor.
It is cultivated in both northern and southern China, and the bell peppers usually sold on the market are this variety.
Facing heaven pepper (a variety)
The plant is mostly dichotomously branched. The leaves are 4-7 cm long, ovate. The flowers are usually solitary in the dichotomous forks, the flower stalk is upright, the flower is slightly drooping, and the corolla is white or tinged with purple. Both the fruit stalk and the fruit are upright, and the fruit is relatively small, conical, about 1.5 (-3) cm long, red or purple when mature, and extremely spicy in taste.
It is cultivated in both northern and southern China, and among the people it is often grown as a bonsai.
Clustered pepper
The plant can reach 1 m in height. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate, and the leaf stalks are slender. The flowers are often solitary on the lower part of the branch, while at the tip of the branch, because the internodes are extremely shortened, several flowers (up to 8-10 flowers together with several leaves) appear in a clustered form; the flower stalks are slender, upright or ascending, and the flowers are slightly drooping. The fruit stalk is thick and upright, and the berry is finger-shaped or conical, 4-10 cm long, slightly curved, growing upright on the stalk, turning red when mature, and very spicy in taste.
It is cultivated in both northern and southern China, usually as a bonsai, or planted in small quantities as a vegetable or seasoning.
Harvest season of chili peppers:
In the south, chili peppers generally begin to be harvested in June to July and continue until November.
In the north, chili peppers mature in the ninth and tenth months of the lunar calendar. For open-field cultivation in the north, they begin to mature at the end of August and finish in mid-October. But if grown in a greenhouse, they can be produced all year round.
Because chili pepper fruits take 25-40 days from flowering to commercial fruit maturity (green-ripe stage), and the number of days required differs among varieties, early-maturing varieties need 25-30 days, while late-maturing varieties need 35-40 days. From flowering to physiological maturity takes 45-60 days, but in protected cultivation in winter when the temperature is very low, it takes 60-100 days from flowering to physiological maturity, and some late-maturing varieties take as long as about 110 days.
Because regions differ, there will certainly be differences in chili pepper harvest times. Only when we have a general understanding can we combine local conditions such as temperature to choose the appropriate time for harvesting and picking chili peppers. When chili peppers mature, and the maturation time of chili peppers, have now been introduced for everyone, and we hope it is helpful to everyone.
Ten benefits of eating chili peppers
Eating spicy food not only makes people feel happy; in fact, chili peppers themselves are rich in nutrients and have many health benefits. Professor Shen Yanying, vice president of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, points out that, first of all, the types and content of vitamins in chili peppers are exceptionally rich. In one small chili pepper, vitamins including vitamin A, B-group vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, carotene and folic acid are all included. Secondly, chili peppers also contain minerals such as calcium and iron as well as dietary fiber. Combining various studies at home and abroad, the benefits of eating chili peppers total the following 10:
Stimulates appetite and aids digestion. Chili peppers can promote the secretion of digestive juices and increase appetite.
Warms the stomach and drives away cold. “Shiwu Bencao” says that chili peppers can warm the spleen and stomach. If symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and stomachache occur due to cold, an appropriate amount of chili peppers can be eaten.
Promotes blood circulation. Chili peppers have certain medicinal properties, so they can “dispel wind and induce sweating, resolve phlegm, and remove dampness.” Explained in modern medical terms, this means they can promote blood circulation and improve cold intolerance, frostbite and vascular headaches.
Skin beauty. Chili peppers can promote hormone secretion in the body and improve skin condition. Many people think that eating spicy food causes acne, but in fact it is not the fault of chili peppers. Only people whose constitution is already prone to acne will have it made worse after eating chili peppers.
Lowers fat and aids weight loss. Capsaicin can accelerate fat breakdown, and the rich dietary fiber also has a certain blood lipid-lowering effect.
Relieves pain and dissipates heat. Chili peppers are warm in nature and can lower body temperature through sweating and relieve muscle pain, thus having a relatively strong antipyretic and analgesic effect. Research in the United States found that capsaicin can reduce neurotransmitters that transmit pain sensations, making people feel pain less intensely.
Resists cancer. Capsaicin can accelerate the death of cancer cells without harming healthy cells.
Protects the heart. Regularly eating chili peppers can effectively delay the development of atherosclerosis.
Lowers blood pressure. The latest animal experiments in the United Kingdom found that capsaicin can play a role in lowering blood pressure, but the specific mechanism is not yet very clear.
Beneficial for diabetes. For certain symptoms of type 1 diabetes, capsaicin can play a mitigating role.