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The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener's Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking
 
 
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The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener's Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking [Hardcover]

Dave DeWitt (Author), Paul W. Bosland (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book will be the standard reference on chile peppers for a long time to come. I give it my three-chile rating, which translates as hot-hot-hot." (Sunset's "Fresh Dirt" blog )

"This is the most comprehensive chile pepper book I've seen."
(LibraryThing )

"If one must only have one book on chiles, this should be it."
(Austin Chronicle )

“A narrow topic, you say? Not with the 100 top varieties covered and 85 convincing reasons for embracing more than just our beloved jalapenos and serranos.”
(Chicago Tribune )

"This is a nicely done work that will fit well within any culinary or gardening collection and will appeal to both the novice and the expert gardener. Recommended."

(Library Journal )

Product Description

Chile peppers are hot -- in every sense of the word. They add culinary fire to thousands of dishes from a variety of cuisines and inspire near-fanatical devotion in those who have succumbed to their incendiary charms.

In this comprehensive book, world chile experts Dave DeWitt and Paul W. Bosland have assembled all the information that anyone with an interest in chile peppers could ever hope to find. Detailed profiles of the 100 most popular chile varieties include information on how to grow chiles; how to diagnose and remedy problems, pests, and diseases; and post-harvest processing and preservation. The book culminates in 85 mouth-watering recipes that make brilliant use of both the characteristic heat of chile peppers and of their more subtle flavor qualities.

Want to know what the hottest chile pepper in the world is? You'll find it in the fascinating story of 'Bhut Jolokia', acknowledged by Guinness World Records as the fieriest chile on earth. Confused about the identity of those chile peppers you bought? The authors' clear photographs and precise descriptions will clear up the mystery.

The Complete Chile Pepper Book is the only guide to chiles you'll ever need. It's a scorcher.
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Timber Press (September 16, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0881929204
  • ISBN-13: 978-0881929201
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #34,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #2 in  Books > Science > Agricultural Sciences > Crop Science
    #17 in  Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Herbs, Spices & Condiments
    #16 in  Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Vegetables & Vegetarian > Vegetables

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Dave Dewitt
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The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener's Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking
84% buy the item featured on this page:
The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener's Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking by Dave DeWitt Hardcover 4.7 out of 5 stars (15)
$19.77
The Great Chile Book
6% buy
The Great Chile Book by Mark Miller Paperback 4.4 out of 5 stars (12)
$11.55
The Pepper Garden
3% buy
The Pepper Garden by Dave Dewitt Paperback 4.4 out of 5 stars (5)
The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia: Everything You'll Ever Need To Know About Hot Peppers, With More Than 100 Recipes
3% buy
The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia: Everything You'll Ever Need To Know About Hot Peppers, With More Than 100 Recipes by Dave Dewitt Paperback 3.3 out of 5 stars (13)
$13.59
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars the INcomplete chile pepper book, February 4, 2010
By robert davis (arlington virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener's Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking (Hardcover)
this is a good book for those who are not already familiar with chiles (for which "peppers" is a misnomer), have limited gardening experience and/or reference materials, and who want a few recipes wrapped up into a sort of "one stop shopping" text.

it is also a great book for those who wish primarily to concentrate on chile gardening, and who have exhausted more rudimentary texts.

the book offers a modest history of chiles. the cultivation information is pretty extensive and fascinating, and may prove to enhance my gardening experience this season. the canning and preservation sections are very informative, and if you like a sampling of specialty recipes in something other than a cookbook (which i really do not), there are some good looking ones here.

the section actually cataloging individual varieties of chiles left me flat. here dewitt and bosland have listed the "top hundred (or so) chile peppers for the garden", including a brief description of each. the descriptions are often VERY brief, and uninformative. there is no consistency in what can be expected from them, such as quantified heat levels (expressed in "scoville heat units"), flavor characteristics, sizes, expected yields, and typical days to maturity.

the greatest issue i have with this section of the book is the inclusion of only these varieties, leaving out a number of interesting and flavorful chiles, among them hungarians (indeed the only mention of paprika, was in the similarly incomplete "heat scale for chile varieties and commercial products"), and the "fish pepper" (a chesapeake bay favorite). notably, the "peter pepper" IS included, with two sentences ignoring any horticultural, or culinary qualities, and focusing solely on what some might find an unsavory description of its shape and nomenclature (apparently written to enlighten those who might not infer it).

i accept that buying online leaves one with the responsibility for making semi-informed choices and living with them, and that i could have gone to a brick and mortar bookstore, to peruse the contents of this manual. that said, i would have preferred a more exhaustive encyclopedic reference work dealing with the varieties of chiles, and might gladly have purchased as a separate text, the horticultural and preservation information contained herein (the best part of the book). the recipes could have been included in yet another, more extensive specialty cookbook, at a modest price, which i would not have been inclined to put on my shelf.

on the whole, this book is a well illustrated coffee table entertainment, with a 148 page chile horticulture and preservation narrative grafted into the middle of it, and i probably would not have purchased it as it stands, had i leafed through it.

i guess i mainly take exception to the misleading title, as this is certainly not a "complete" chile pepper book.

do not let me stop you from buying it, though- it may be exactly what you are looking for. the gardening and preservation section alone is probably worth the amazon price.








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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Complete Chile Pepper Book, February 5, 2010
This review is from: The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener's Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking (Hardcover)
Like the hot pepper itself, this book is not for the passing admirer. It's meant for those who enjoy the passionate heat of everything pepper-related. This comprehensive guidebook covers a brief pepper history, a top 100 list, detailed gardening recommendations, and recipe ideas. One bite will set you aflame to start growing your best peppers yet!

Authors Dave DeWitt and Paul W. Bosland are experts from true chile pepper territory: New Mexico. Their deep knowledge comes through in this well-laid text. If you have any gardening or cooking experience, you are bound to gain keen insight into the world of peppers with new techniques you can easily follow.

For the gardener (the clear audience for this book), you'll find guidance on composting, solarizing, seeds, and diseases. This is the type of book you'll want to return to again and again over the years as you gain in experience. For instance, you may begin by implementing best-practices for crop rotation, and build momentum to breeding. You'll even learn how to grow container chiles in your home year-round. If you've grown peppers in the past, you're sure to discover where you've gone wrong--and importantly, you'll learn how to mend your ways. Rest assured that if you want to hone your pepper growing skills, this is the book for you. It's filled with details that any gardener can follow.

For the cook, you'll find a host of uses for chile bumper crops. Make your own chili powder. Pickle, juice, and even candy your peppers. You'll find recipes for sauces, spicy cocktails, appetizers, soups, main dishes, and even pepper-punched desserts like Kahlua, Ancho, and Chocolate Fondue. Each home-cook-friendly recipe builds on standard ingredients, making peppers the star of each dish. You'll find Satan's Blood, a pepper-infused Bloody Mary. How about The Perfect Fish Tacos, studded with diced Serrano chiles? If you love to invoke heat in your cooking, you'll find some new twists and methods here.

Because this book is built on learning, you'll also find a helpful resource guide for further reading, buying pepper seeds and plants, a glossary, and a user-friendly index. The book is also filled with bright, color photos to help you learn about each pepper variety, some diseases, certain planting techniques, and of course, the recipes.

From a gardening standpoint, there are few questions this book leaves unanswered. In fact, the gardening section is the most comprehensive part of the book. This is more for the gardener who enjoys cooking than for the cook who shops at the market. So if you do garden, grab this book! It's certain to become your hottest go-to guide for peppers.

Reviewed by Amber K. Stott
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A fairly good effort, June 2, 2010
By mikecz "hardware man" (the other Washington) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener's Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking (Hardcover)
Like reviewer Davis, the greatest problems I have with this book are the lack of indications of a range of plant sizes and a range of days-to-harvest for the chiles that they deign to cover. They describe the "top hundred (or so) chile peppers for the garden" in fewer than 50 pages (with quite a few excellent photos, though). The amount and type of information given for each chile variety is too variable. For some, but not all entries, you MIGHT find out how big the plant can get, how big the fruit is, what is the heat level (in Scoville units), is it ever a perennial? Both the authors are professors at New Mexico State University. I would be amazed if they would accept a graduate student's thesis with such a degree of inconsistency.

Because they are at NMSU and author Bosland is the Director of the Chile Pepper Institute, I must give credit for their considerably better than usual descriptions of a good number of the "Numex" chiles. For anyone who doesn't know, these were all originally developed at NMSU, with some going back to the late 1800's! (yeah, they have history!) The "Numex" breeding program continues in several directions today.

The cultivation chapter, the longest in the book, is the best. Based on experiences with commercial growers and home gardeners of variable expertise, the book discusses soil preparation and amendments, seed starting and growing on, water issues, too cold, too hot (? surprising!), too little light or too much (again, a surprise). There are some pages on container growing, and just a few hints about hydroponic, aeroponic, and other soil-less grow systems. There is a very good section on diseases and pests. This chapter also includes short sections on chiles as bonsai (yes!) and breeding and hybridizing chiles.

The chapter on processing and preserving chiles has some good points.

The chapter on cooking with chiles should have been left out to make way for a more encyclopedic listing of more varieties of chiles. Get a book written by Diana Kennedy or Rick Bayless if you want recipes.

I've reviewed this book from a library copy and it should probably be recommended to your library if there are many home gardeners in your area. At Amazon's price, I'll probably get a copy for my own library.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Here Comes the Heat!
The major regret I have is that I didn't buy this book BEFORE buying my chile pepper seeds. It is so jam packed with information about chile peppers that it even helps you decide... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Abdulla M. Al Qasim

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading.
Very nice book. Quality printing. The best publication I've seen so far on chile peppers. Contains a lot of interesting and usefull information on chiles from cultivation, to... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Jeffrey Homan

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
The book was interesting. The name "The Complete Chile Pepper Book" of this book corresponds to the object-matter. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Galina Krivenko

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Guide to Growing Chiles
What more could one ask? The Pope of Peppers, Dave DeWitt, and the Arch Bishop of Pepper growing, Dr. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Pierce Watters

5.0 out of 5 stars Hot, Hot, Hot
Everything you ever wanted to know about chile peppers coupled with sumptuous photography. First, you learn about the top 100 (yes, you read that number correctly) peppers to grow... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Julie Hedlund

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than I expected
I have a number books on chiles and all of them fall short in one area or another. I suppose that is normal with a crop that is more addiction than food, and each addict has his... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Richard Rankin

5.0 out of 5 stars Chiles anyone??
This is one of the best collections of information about chile peppers--the different types, how the they're grown, how to use them. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Jon ben Ish

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource!
This was a great place for my wife and I to start when we became obsessed with chiles. I highly recommend it. Read more
Published 8 months ago by J. Graml

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding survey
The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener's Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving and Cooking provides detailed profiles of the 100 most popular chile varieties, from growing... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Midwest Book Review

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Complete" in the title says it all!!
As an amateur gardener, avid cook and, most importantly, a spicy food aficionado, this book really has it all for me. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Constantreader23

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