Peppereater and Christina , everyone!!!!
Tell me what is your favorite hot pepper and why.
I had some last year that I dearly loved, but being a newbie, I didn't pay any attention to the name of the pepper. I liked it because it was very small, very hot, came on pretty early in the season, the plants were very hearty, and healthy, never seemed to need 'special' care. As I harvested them , a few each day from each plant, I just popped what I wasn't using into a ziplok bag, and put them into the freezer as... is. They lasted all winter, and I used them several times a week. The heat was somewhere between a jalapeno and a serrano.

That's exactly what I do with mine...then I slice them in half and just let them simmer in soups, stews, sauces, stir-frys..anything really. And I STILL run out before winter is even over!
Did this pepper look like a chili or more so like an jalapeno?
Here's a great link showing many varieties of hot peppers. Maybe you'll find your pepper here. Let us know which kind it was.

hot pepper varieties

Oh...BTW..my favourite hot pepper is the Thai Chili...and simply because I love the heatness of it as well as the flavour. They're much smaller than the Kung Pao, Cayenne, etc..but I find them hotter. Oh yum...It's only 9am and I'm already cravin' a hot pepper.

Hmmmm This is like searching for the holy grail, lots of dead ends.

OH - MY - GOSH Is my face red!!!!!
After all kvetching and whining I have been doing about my Kung Pao Peppers I just went down to the garden and looked for one that might have turned color a little, I picked one that was really big and a little lighter than the rest, it also has a little darker coloration near the top. This baby is a scorcher.
But now I wonder if I should start picking these guys and freezing them right away or can I leave them on the plant for awhile for even more heat?
The plants are loaded.

My favorite is also the Thai chili but a close second is serrano. I am very fond of serrano because it is not quite as fiery as Thai or habanero but it has so much flavor and can be used in many types of cuisine. Thai produce really well and are nice and hot for Thai cooking without being over the top pain.

You could pick some and leave some to change color. It is nice to use them at varying stages, but that is just my opinion. I like having both red and green serranos.

Ok..I do like Hot Peppers...But I am a sissy I perfer Jalapeno or milder hotness then most of the pepper lovers here. I dry mine and then add them to what ever I want to spice up a bit. It seems like when they are dried a small piece goes a lot farther then if it was fresh.

Comfrey,
I am sure you are right about the drying, I will eventually get into that, but for now I am lucky to get them into a ziploc and into the freezer
Next year I think I will keep it simple and grow just the stuff that I love the most, The peppers, maybe 2 types, tomatoes 2 or 3 types, and lots of spinach, snow peas and beans,.... and OH yeah the ever popular zucchini. I haven't made zuc bread yet but we love it
I plan to grow the favorite hot peppers from this forum.
Tamara You make so much sense!!!
I'm off to pick a few peppers now

I like Banana peps and jalapeno,but they do not like me much

My favorite would be a serrano. I think it has the best overall flavor and is so versatile in cooking. And it has enough heat to make it fun.