If you want a pepper that has just a bit of zing but not so much that it overwhelms your dishes, Anaheims might be the perfect thing.
Also known as California chilies or Magdalenas, they’re large enough that you can easily stuff them, flavorful enough to stand up to other ingredients when sliced and served with fajitas or chopped and added to salsa, and fleshy enough for roasting and canning.
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In other words, these are do-it-all peppers. And because they aren’t too hot, your spice-adverse mom can enjoy the same chile relleno dish that your pepper-loving cousin relishes.
Anaheims are fabulous fresh out of the garden, and this guide aims to help you in that endeavor.
Here’s what we’ll be covering up ahead:
Ready to add a bit of zing tour garden? Let’s go!
What Are Anaheim Peppers?Anaheim peppers are part of the Capsicum genus, and specifically belong to the New Mexico cultivar group of chiles. This group also includes Hatch chilies, which are similar.
Anaheims aren’t hot hot. But they aren’t mild like sweet bell peppers, either. They have just a little bit of heat.
On the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) scale, which measures the concentration of capsaicin in a pepper, they’re between 500 and 2,500. That’s below the heat of a jalapeno and above a poblano pepper.
Let’s clarify a few terms before we get into the weeds.
We’ll call Anaheims “peppers” in this guide, but botanically they’re chilies. The term “pepper” technically applies to plants in the Piper genus, while “chili” refers to plants in the Capsicum genus.
Since we all call them peppers anyway, we’ll keep using
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