June 9, 2024 – Several of you just said to yourself, “What is pepper corking?” I know I did the first time I saw the name! I have no idea who came up with the name, as it makes no sense to me.
OK, so what is pepper corking? Actually, it’s nothing more than scar marks on the pepper surface. They give the appearance of the pepper not receiving enough water, but the opposite is true. The scarring is caused by excessive water. I suppose it could occur on any pepper species, but I’ve never seen it on any species other than jalapenos, although almost any hot pepper is susceptible.
Tomatoes have the same problem, but it is much more pronounced. When too much water is pushed into a tomato, it tries to expand, but with its thin skin, breaks and deep cracks occur. They don’t ruin the fruit, but those cracks certainly reduce the fruit attractiveness.
Jalapenos have a much thicker and tougher skin. Corking begins with excess water filling and stretching the inner portion of that skin. The stretching extends to the outer surface, which cannot stretch as far without breaking. The skin, however is much tougher than a tomato, so the stretch becomes a minor scar instead of an open break.
A tomato usually has one vertical or perhaps a horizontal crack. The jalapeno, however, will usually have many vertical or perhaps numerous horizontal scars all over the outer skin. While they may detract the skin somewhat, they aren’t seen as detrimental. For whatever reason, many seek and prefer the scarred peppers. Taste is unaffected. The myth that scarring makes the pepper hotter is false.
To prevent, pick tomatoes before they’re fully ripe and peppers while smaller. With all the rain we’re getting, however, expect numerous cracked tomatoes and scarred peppers!
