EGG, CHIPS AND RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS! – WITH TOM PATTINSON

Aubergine (egg plant) and capsicum (sweet and chilli peppers) are also members of the Solanaceae group, and they form part of our edible summer harvest.

They grow best under glass.

Both are raised from seed but for maximum output they need an early start.

Best option is to buy young plants in plug form at a garden centre or via mail order.

Sweet peppers are mild tasting, generally turning from green to red as they ripen. Chilli peppers are a different proposition.

They contain a substance called capsaicin which is responsible for their spiciness or heat. This varies according to the variety from reasonably acceptable, to blowing your head off, and is measured on the Scoville Scale in Scoville Heat Units (SHUs).

Those measuring 0 to 2,000 SHUs are classed as mild, 2,000 to 30,000 are medium, and 30,00 to 1.2 million are hot. The current world record holder, Smokin Ed’s ‘Carolina Reaper’, is something else, weighing in at 2.2million SHUs!

I grew this plant to fruit-bearing stage last year, mulled over the general advice to taste only a small morsel of such creations and decided no, perhaps next time.

It is dangerously hot! However, although it’s classified as an annual I have managed to overwinter the plant.Some plant groups do have a perceived dark horse and Solanaceae’s is probably deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna). However, this raises awareness of other family members. We discard any potato whose skin is green from light exposure, avoid consuming raw green tomatoes, and wait until aubergines are fully ripened before harvesting.

Stem grafting of tomato shoots to potato stems is possible. When Thompson & Morgan introduced an aubergine plant grafted onto a potato some years ago, you could say we had the main ingredients for egg and chips!