Anaheim Chilli

The big mild chilli of the American Southwest, and probably the most useful one here for everyday cooking. The pods run 15 to 25cm, tapering and thick-walled, at 500 to 2,500 Scoville units. That is milder than a jalapeno, a soft warmth rather than a kick, which makes it the one to grow when you want chilli flavour and aroma without setting the table alight.

It descends from a New Mexico landrace grown for generations by Pueblo and Hispanic communities, refined by the horticulturist Fabian Garcia and then carried to southern California around 1900 by a rancher called Emilio Ortega, who liked it enough to start canning it at his mother's house. The city gave it the name. Pick the pods glossy green for roasting and stuffing, or leave them to turn red and the flavour deepens and sweetens.

Worth knowing that heat is not fixed. Grown hard, in poorer ground with less water, an Anaheim will come out noticeably warmer than one that has been fed and watered generously, so you have some say in it. The plant is a compact 60 to 90cm and happy in a large pot, and this is one of the few chillies that will crop well outdoors here in a decent summer.