Quote Originally Posted by jordy View Post
I've run through hundreds of pounds of jalapenos over the years for Taco and Tequila Tuesday and have run across the same issue. Typically when making pico I'm using 4-6 of them so law of averages takes over. An old wise messican once told me it had to do with how much water they received while growing the peppers. The less water, the hotter the pepper. Is it true? Hard to say. I typically make a regular batch of pico and then one with some habanero to wake it up a little bit.

If you want to get really gutsy (pun intended) add a ghost pepper to the mix. That will eat a hole in whatever you try and contain it in, including you. Crazy hot!
The wise old Messsican was right. The seeds add some to the heat but nothing like the veins. Peppers are watered sparingly so that they retain the water in the veins. Experiment, take the seeds out and most peppers are still rather hot. When I grow mine I water them right when the leaves start wilting. Serrano's and Jauitos(sp)(yellow) are my favorite, Jalapeno's are so inconsistent.