Thank you squirrels (not) – lesson learned.
Last week I was really impressed that the last full de arbol plant was looking really heavy with dark red fruit and I was tempted to harvest right then. But the weather forecast looked like another week of hot sunny days and I mentally savored the extra spicy flavor that might result from another week of summer. So I waited, and the weather was hot. And Saturday morning when I went up to the roof that plant was mostly bare and the ground was littered with half-gnawed peppers. There’s either some squirrels or birds that have been hiding a taste for capiscum all this time. Do varmints distinguish between the spiciness of peppers? Have they sampled and rejected the chiltepins? Or are they just waiting for the right moment of ripeness? Anyway, I’ve learned a lesson and from now on would rather pick a pepper when it’s in very good condition and not wait around in hopes of surviving to great.
So the question is, are the remnants of the arbol crop still good to eat? I vote yes and hope no taster gets sick.