Is TAM Jalepeno open pollinated

clkingtx · July 5, 2016

I bought a Tam jalepeno plant a few years ago, and grew it that summer. I dug it up and put it in a pot in the fall, and it lived in my house till the following summer. While inside, it bloomed and set fruit. I am 99 percent sure the peppers I saved seed from were from the fruit that developed from bud to ripe fruit inside the house, where no other peppers were growing. I planted some of that seed this year, and am growing one plant. The fruit appears as I remember the Tam fruit, but is sweet, and completely without heat. So I am curious as to whether my memory is faulty as to what fruit I saved for seed, or if Tam is a hybrid.

I have checked online, and I find different sites saying it is one or the other, about equally represented. I haven't been able to get a definite answer. Anyone know this for sure?

Thanks!

AlittleSalt · July 5, 2016

I have grown them from seed I saved, and they grew the same as the year before.

Worth1 · July 5, 2016

I am sure you went to the Texas A&M site as this is where it came from.

Worth

Worth1 · July 5, 2016

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...GEYvrzrxjJVCVQ

ContainerTed · July 5, 2016

Carrie, in a word, yes it is OP. I also have grown it with saved seed and I've also grown it with new seed plants beside saved seed plants and there was no difference. It also seemed to not have a tendency to easily take pollen from hot peppers like jalapeno, Serrano, poblano, and other peppers with heat in them and give back something that you don't want.

I grow TAM jalapeno and Zavory Habanero often to make flavorful salsas and picantes without the heat.

Worth1 · July 5, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

Carrie, in a word, yes it is OP. I also have grown it with saved seed and I've also grown it with new seed plants beside saved seed plants and there was no difference. It also seemed to not have a tendency to easily take pollen from hot peppers like jalapeno, Serrano, poblano, and other peppers with heat in them and give back something that you don't want.

I grow TAM jalapeno and Zavory Habanero often to make flavorful salsas and picantes without the heat.

Ted this is what I like about the San Marcos brand jalapeno peppers.
They aren't burn your lips off hot.

Worth

dmforcier · July 5, 2016

Technically it is OP, but I wouldn't bet on a cross. The chances of that are small even with true OP.

Rather, the very first pods of the year tend to be mild. Try another.

clkingtx · July 5, 2016

We have tasted probably 6 pods now, and all taste sweet, and without heat. It was in a small container(less than a gallon)and the pods it produced then, even when drought stressed, were sweet. I will make sure and be careful, in case the peppers do turn hot later on.

Cool, maybe it is just a fluke thing that I ended up with a plant that makes sweet peppers. It must have been crossed at some point. I bought the mother plant at walmart, maybe it was a hybrid. I can't understand why else it would have produced offspring that is sweet, and without any heat at all. I was growing sweet peppers as well the year I had it outside(the original store bought plant), but am nearly certain it didn't have any flowers on it at all when I brought it in(but I guess I could be remembering wrong).

In any case, I have some Tam Jalapeno seeds I purchased from The Seed Plant, an amazon seller, so as long as they are true to type, I am set.

containerted, your salsa and picante sauce sounds good, is there a specific recipe? I have been wanting to get zavory habanero seeds, they sound really great! They are definitely on my want list. I don't like a lot of heat, but do like a little burn with some foods. I recently bought Trinidad perfume seeds to use with the tam jalapenos, for pickled peppers, and salsa. No recipe in mind, just thought they would be good together.

Thanks for the answers, that is a relief that they are op!

zipcode · July 6, 2016

As you know the TAM is milder, about half the spice of normal jalapeno. I'm growing one this year as well, can't wait to taste. I put it for pickling (along with a few others, trying to see which ones are the best for this task).

Now a strange story about pepper heat. I grow some so called 'bulgarian hot peppers', a general name in Romania for a certain shape of mildly hot peppers, very good, long and crooked, with thin skin and a light colour. Now two years ago they were mild, like completely, we got the seedlings from market, and even if they looked the same as the ones year before (which can get rather hot when ripe), we just assumed it must be a different strain. We just wanted some to add to the cucumber pickles, so we went to the market and bought some, the woman selling them swore they're serious hot. Went home, completely sweet. Also my aunt said her's (also from random seedlings) were completely sweet that year.
It wasn't even a wet year, not particularly dry but less wet than average. I'm thinking something about maybe to do with light, like less UV than other years, or who knows what else.

dmforcier · July 6, 2016

Carrie, are you eating young pods? The younger the pod the less the capsaicin. That's one reason I don't grow jalapeño. The best flavor and full heat isn't achieved until they ripen, but they take forever to ripen.

Or at least it feels that way...

Worth1 · July 6, 2016

Fresno much better Pepper.

Worth

clkingtx · July 6, 2016

dmforcier I am eating ripe pods, bright red. I did try some in various stages of ripeness, out of curiosity, because they look almost purple/black before they turn red, and tasted one of that color, but everything has been the same, sweet and not hot.

worth, Fresno I don't think I have heard anything about. Is it a mild hot pepper? Thick or thin walled? I might put that on my list and give it a try.

Thanks

Worth1 · July 6, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by clkingtx

dmforcier I am eating ripe pods, bright red. I did try some in various stages of ripeness, out of curiosity, because they look almost purple/black before they turn red, and tasted one of that color, but everything has been the same, sweet and not hot.

worth, Fresno I don't think I have heard anything about. Is it a mild hot pepper? Thick or thin walled? I might put that on my list and give it a try.

Thanks

Mild hot gets red fast first to produce sort of thick walled.
Look for it at your local HEB in the pepper section sometimes they have it they will be red.

Looks like a Jap with pointed end.
Save the seeds right from them.
Better then any Jap I have ever had.

Worth

imp · July 6, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by clkingtx

dmforcier I am eating ripe pods, bright red. I did try some in various stages of ripeness, out of curiosity, because they look almost purple/black before they turn red, and tasted one of that color, but everything has been the same, sweet and not hot.

worth, Fresno I don't think I have heard anything about. Is it a mild hot pepper? Thick or thin walled? I might put that on my list and give it a try.

Thanks

Carrie- if you save seeds from your TAM peppers, would like to do some trading this fall. I like the jalapeno taste, hate the heat. LOL.

clkingtx · July 7, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by imp

Carrie- if you save seeds from your TAM peppers, would like to do some trading this fall. I like the jalapeno taste, hate the heat. LOL.

Sure, be glad to.

My 8 yr old was glad they turned out this way, only likes sweet peppers.

July 5, 2016	#1
clkingtx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Wichita Falls Texas Posts: 446	Is TAM Jalepeno open pollinated I bought a Tam jalepeno plant a few years ago, and grew it that summer. I dug it up and put it in a pot in the fall, and it lived in my house till the following summer. While inside, it bloomed and set fruit. I am 99 percent sure the peppers I saved seed from were from the fruit that developed from bud to ripe fruit inside the house, where no other peppers were growing. I planted some of that seed this year, and am growing one plant. The fruit appears as I remember the Tam fruit, but is sweet, and completely without heat. So I am curious as to whether my memory is faulty as to what fruit I saved for seed, or if Tam is a hybrid. I have checked online, and I find different sites saying it is one or the other, about equally represented. I haven't been able to get a definite answer. Anyone know this for sure? Thanks! __________________ Carrie

July 5, 2016	#5
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Carrie, in a word, yes it is OP. I also have grown it with saved seed and I've also grown it with new seed plants beside saved seed plants and there was no difference. It also seemed to not have a tendency to easily take pollen from hot peppers like jalapeno, Serrano, poblano, and other peppers with heat in them and give back something that you don't want. I grow TAM jalapeno and Zavory Habanero often to make flavorful salsas and picantes without the heat. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

July 5, 2016	#7
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	Technically it is OP, but I wouldn't bet on a cross. The chances of that are small even with true OP. Rather, the very first pods of the year tend to be mild. Try another. __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

July 5, 2016	#8
clkingtx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Wichita Falls Texas Posts: 446	We have tasted probably 6 pods now, and all taste sweet, and without heat. It was in a small container(less than a gallon)and the pods it produced then, even when drought stressed, were sweet. I will make sure and be careful, in case the peppers do turn hot later on. Cool, maybe it is just a fluke thing that I ended up with a plant that makes sweet peppers. It must have been crossed at some point. I bought the mother plant at walmart, maybe it was a hybrid. I can't understand why else it would have produced offspring that is sweet, and without any heat at all. I was growing sweet peppers as well the year I had it outside(the original store bought plant), but am nearly certain it didn't have any flowers on it at all when I brought it in(but I guess I could be remembering wrong). In any case, I have some Tam Jalapeno seeds I purchased from The Seed Plant, an amazon seller, so as long as they are true to type, I am set. containerted, your salsa and picante sauce sounds good, is there a specific recipe? I have been wanting to get zavory habanero seeds, they sound really great! They are definitely on my want list. I don't like a lot of heat, but do like a little burn with some foods. I recently bought Trinidad perfume seeds to use with the tam jalapenos, for pickled peppers, and salsa. No recipe in mind, just thought they would be good together. Thanks for the answers, that is a relief that they are op! __________________ Carrie Last edited by clkingtx; July 5, 2016 at 09:19 PM.

July 6, 2016	#10
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	Carrie, are you eating young pods? The younger the pod the less the capsaicin. That's one reason I don't grow jalapeño. The best flavor and full heat isn't achieved until they ripen, but they take forever to ripen. Or at least it feels that way... __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

July 5, 2016	#2
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I have grown them from seed I saved, and they grew the same as the year before.

July 5, 2016	#3
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I am sure you went to the Texas A&M site as this is where it came from. Worth

July 6, 2016	#9
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	As you know the TAM is milder, about half the spice of normal jalapeno. I'm growing one this year as well, can't wait to taste. I put it for pickling (along with a few others, trying to see which ones are the best for this task). Now a strange story about pepper heat. I grow some so called 'bulgarian hot peppers', a general name in Romania for a certain shape of mildly hot peppers, very good, long and crooked, with thin skin and a light colour. Now two years ago they were mild, like completely, we got the seedlings from market, and even if they looked the same as the ones year before (which can get rather hot when ripe), we just assumed it must be a different strain. We just wanted some to add to the cucumber pickles, so we went to the market and bought some, the woman selling them swore they're serious hot. Went home, completely sweet. Also my aunt said her's (also from random seedlings) were completely sweet that year. It wasn't even a wet year, not particularly dry but less wet than average. I'm thinking something about maybe to do with light, like less UV than other years, or who knows what else.