NuMex Vaquero

Also known as Vaquero Jalapeño · NuMex Vaquero Jalapeño

NuMex Vaquero is a Capsicum annuum stabilized from New Mexico, United States. Capsi’s sourced range is 33,417 SHU (Lab-verified; typical 33,417). Flavor is jalapeño, sweet. Used for Fresh salsa, pickled rings, stuffed poppers, commercial canning, and smoked red fruit for chipotle.. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.

NuMex Vaquero is an open-pollinated jalapeño from New Mexico State University, bred for fresh market, processing, and home gardens. Plants set thick-walled green pods that ripen red.

Growing

~80 days to maturity

Fruit size

6–7 cm

Flavor & Use

Classic jalapeño flavor with sweeter walls. The heat hits at the back of the throat.

jalapeñosweet

Culinary

Fresh salsapickled ringsstuffed popperscommercial canningand smoked red fruit for chipotle.

About

Pods are about 6 cm long and just over 2 cm wide, with rounded shoulders, a blunt or slightly pointed tip, and several seed chambers. Color stays a clean green with no purple blush, then turns red. Skin is mostly smooth, with little of the corking processors dislike, and walls run about 5 mm thick. Green fruit tastes like a classic jalapeño with a sweeter flesh. Heat sits at the hot end of the jalapeño class. Pick green for salsa, nacho rings, stuffing, and pickling, or let pods turn red for drying and smoking. The line resists Phytophthora root rot races 2 and 3 and foliar blight race 2.

Backstory

Paul Bosland and Eric Votava released NuMex Vaquero in 1997 from the chile breeding program at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Vaquero is Spanish for cowboy. They wanted an open-pollinated jalapeño that New Mexico growers and canners could plant without buying hybrid seed each year, with uniform heat and a green fruit that does not purple. Seed is still offered through the Chile Pepper Institute.

Appearance

ShapeConical
ColorGreen · Red
Size6–7 cm
WallThick
SkinSmooth

Growing

SunFull
WaterModerate
ClimateSubtropical
Days to maturity80 days
Plant height50–80 cm
Soil pH6–6.8
Germination7–14 days
Spacing45 cm
HardinessZones 9-11

Heritage

Explore

NuMex Vaquero is a stabilized line from Early Jalapeño and TAM Jalapeño.

Paul W. Bosland and Eric J. Votava · 1997

Parents

Sources

FAQ

How hot is NuMex Vaquero?
Capsi’s sourced range is 33,417 SHU (Lab-verified; typical 33,417). Capsi uses a sourced range and a trust tier, not a single marketing number. How we verify heat: https://web.thecapsi.app/learn/heat-and-capsaicin/how-we-measure-heat
What does NuMex Vaquero taste like?
Classic jalapeño flavor with sweeter walls. The heat hits at the back of the throat.
How do I grow NuMex Vaquero?
NuMex Vaquero: about 80 days to maturity, subtropical climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.
What can I substitute for NuMex Vaquero?
Jalapeño, Early Jalapeño