Capsicum frutescens

For various reasons, I have been grossly neglecting my plants the last couple of months. Which is why I noticed the chili plant that had sprung up in one of my pots only after it threw up its distinctive white flower a couple of weeks back.

I thought no more of it, till I saw the gentle swelling that indic.ated successful pollination. The tiny green chilli is growing bigger every day, and if the birds don’t get at it, I would be able to put it into a dish by weekend.

But would I want to? A handful of chillis cost less than a tiny bar of chocolate, and I use so little of it in my normal cooking, I end up throwing out dried out chillis every few weeks. I would love the idea of eating a chilli from my own garden, but wouldn’t it make much more sense to let it mature, and plant the seeds, and hope for many more plants?

After all, if a seed that came from nowhere grows up to bear fruits, how many more could be nurtured by seeds that are lovingly cultivated?