One cooking tip inspired by your info: the seeds are the hottest part of any pepper. Depending partly on the heat of the pepper you're using (some years I grow several varieties: last year I had some great habaneros), and the amount of heat desired in the dish you're cooking, you may want to wash the seeds out and down the drain, or use them.

Charlie wrote:
> At Plants of Ruskin we grew starts for one of the most potent peppers on the > Scoville Chart. This was the Okie Chili Pepper which is owned by a farmer > in Oklahoma. I may have told you about this before, Sib. This farmer planted > 2,000 acres of these peppers every year. These are the peppers which are > used for the heat in things like Bengay. The girls in the seed lab had to wear > gloves while washing, measuring and handling the seed.... masks also. The > people who planted the seeds in flats also had to follow the same procedure. > This farm is in Hydro, Oklahoma.