One of the benefits of not mowing my lawn as often or thoroughly as might be indicated by societal norms is that I get all sorts of interesting and sometimes useful plants that just show up. One of these is Chile Pequin, a semi-wild hot pepper of Texas and Mexico.
Chile Pequin Plant in Front Yard
Sown by birds that do me the favor of encasing the seeds in a small dose of fertilizer, I now have one of these shrubby pepper plants in both the front and back yard of my Austin house. I enjoy supplementing the cultivated hot peppers in the vegetable garden with a few of their wild forebears.
Measuring the Pepper Harvest
Also known as Chiltepin, the plant will actually tolerate a light frost and can make it through some Austin winters.
For those without volunteers, one may also purchase seeds from Native Seed/SEARCH
These peppers have a nice bite. I crush them and add them to soups, eggs and pasta sauces. Now I just need some wild garlic to accompany them.
Chile Pequin and Flower
Aww, they’re cute! Are they very picante?
Chile pequins or chile tepins can be germinated in other parts of the country after an overnight soak in a saltpetre solution (1 tsp. saltpetre to a quart of water). My chile tepin tree finally bit the dust this year after 8 years of supplying muy picante tepins. Use those in spaghetti sauce, soups, etc.