Serrano pepper plants
One serrano. Smaller than a jalapeno, thinner walled, and a step up in heat.
By Debra Austin
Species: Capsicum annuum
The mountain pepper
Serrano means from the mountains, after the sierras of Puebla and Hidalgo where the pepper became a market staple. It is a Capsicum annuum, like a jalapeno, and it is not a jalapeno. The pod is shorter, the wall is thinner, and the heat runs higher.
We grow one: Monte d'Oro. The name is Italian for mountain of gold, which is a later label on a Mexican pepper. It is listed at 10,000 to 25,000 SHU and the pods color to red.
Against a jalapeno
The jalapenos we grow are listed around 2,500 to 8,000 SHU, aside from Fooled You, which had the heat bred out. Monte d'Oro starts where those leave off. You will notice it in a salsa. You will not stuff it. The wall is too thin to be worth hollowing out.
A grocery serrano is usually sold green. This one ripens red, and the red pod is sweeter than the green one off the same kind of plant. Heat does not drop when the color comes in.
How hot Monte d'Oro is
Monte d'Oro is listed at 10,000 to 25,000 SHU. The jalapenos we grow, aside from heatless Fooled You, sit around 2,500 to 8,000. A Fresno, which we do not grow, usually lands between them.
Growing them
Same culture as a jalapeno. Annuum, so it fruits on a normal season, and a 3 gallon pot is enough if you keep up with water once it is loaded. Pick often if you want a green crop. Leave pods on if you want them red.
If you want the thick-walled pepper for poppers, that is the jalapeno page, not this one.
serrano on WikiPepper
The Serrano we grow
Questions people ask
How hot is the serrano you sell?
Monte d'Oro Serrano is listed at 10,000 to 25,000 SHU.
Is a serrano a jalapeno?
No. Both are Capsicum annuum. A serrano is smaller, thinner-walled, and hotter. The jalapenos we list run about 2,500 to 8,000 SHU, except Fooled You, which is heatless.
How many serranos do you grow?
One. Monte d'Oro.
Related types