---

Jalapeño pepper (Capsicum annum) is one of the most representative foods of the Mexican diet. This chili pepper is consumed at the rate of 7-9 kg per year, per capita. It is mostly consumed fresh but also in different forms such as pickled, dried and smoked. Jalapeño varieties differ in size and heat. Typically, a grower passes through a jalapeño field many times, picking the unripe, green jalapeños for market. Jalapeños are green for most of the season but in the Fall, which is the end of the growing season, they naturally ripen and turn bright red. In Mexico and the United States, there is a growing market for ripe red jalapeños (the last stage of maturation). They are kept on the bush as long as possible. When they are deep red and have lost much of their moisture, they are picked to be made into chipotles

---