Peppers

September’s NH Harvest of the Month: peppers!

Chili peppers are eaten by a quarter of the earth’s population every day, in countries all over the globe. They are perennial shrubs belonging to the Capsicum family.

Peppers originated in South and Central America. Use of chilis may date as far back as 400 BC .The use of chilis spread around the world in the 15th and 16th centuries with European explorers and traders. They made their way into the US with slavery and were planted in southern farms and gardens. There are at least 4,000 varieties of chilis divided into 5 species and 28 wild forms. They range in flavor from sweet to fruity and mildly hot to extremely hot.

Peri Peri or Pili Pili is a hot sauce made from scotch bonnet or cayenne peppers and is used in Portuguese influenced African cuisine.

In Bhutan, chilis are burned during prayer or festivals to keep evil spirits away. Chilis are also used in almost every dish there.

Guatemala is the origin of many chilis where they are made into sauces and salsas.

Indonesian sambals, a chili sauce or paste, is a condiment served with most meals.

The jwala chili is one of the most common peppers eaten in India.

This webpage includes a variety of educational materials, activities, recipes, and more about peppers for use at home, in youth or family programming, in the classroom, and in the cafeteria. For more New Hampshire Harvest of the Month resources for September, click here.

Additional resources for peppers:
“How to Use Chili Peppers In The Kitchen,” The Habitat

Lesson Plan for Peppers

Developed in partnership with UNH Extension, NH Farm to School, and the UNH Education department, the Harvest Lessons lesson plan and curricular activities can be used by education professionals to incorporate peppers into dynamic, long-lasting learning in the classroom and other education-based settings.

Lesson Plan Supplements
Click to download the lesson plan supplements to support learning through the activities in the lesson plan.
Indonesia