Lemon Drop (plant)
Lemon Drop (also Hot Lemon , Aji limón or Aji lemon ) is a variety of the Capsicum baccatum plant . It belongs to the genus Paprika ( Capsicum ) in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Lemon Drop is one of the best-known varieties within the Capsicum baccatum species.
description
Plants of the Lemon Drop variety are typical representatives of the Capsicum baccatum species . In the first year they can reach a height of 1.50 to 2 meters. The plant grows upright and has many branches. The leaves are dark green and relatively narrow, the petals are whitish-green and have the yellow-green spots on the base that are typical of this species. Lemon Drop are very high-yielding chilli plants; one plant can produce over 100 fruits in a year. The time between fertilization of the flower and the ripening of the fruit is about 80 days.
The fruit is usually 4 to 10 cm long and quite narrow, the wrinkled surface and occasional “spur-like” growths are striking. The unripe fruits are green, when ripe they show a bright yellow, are thin-walled and contain comparatively few seeds.
origin
Like most of the Capsicum baccatum species, the variety comes from South America. It was almost unknown outside of the country until the mid-1990s, since then it has been increasingly grown by hobby gardeners in North America and Europe.
use
Lemon drops are preferred for seasoning dishes because of their spiciness. On the Scoville scale , which is commonly used for determining the heat , the fruits are between 15,000 and 30,000 units. This makes them much milder than, for example, habanero pods , on the other hand, they are a good deal above the widely used jalapeño . In addition to the spiciness, a distinctive citrus aroma is typical for Lemon Drop, which is what gave this variety its name. They can be consumed fresh, but due to their thin flesh they are also suitable for drying, which results in a very eye-catching chilli powder due to their bright color. Because of their fruity aroma, they are sometimes used fresh as part of salads.
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