Temperatures above 100 degrees and drought-like conditions have taken a toll on corn and soybeans in the upper Midwest for weeks but it has brought a benefit to peppers and other crops: Their flavors have become unusually concentrated, producing some of the most potent-tasting produce in years.

"Peppers really like hot weather," said Irwin Goldman, a horticulture professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "When it's dry and hot outside, you'll get a higher concentration of alkaloids."

Alkaloids, the substance that binds to heat receptors on the tongue, can mean the difference between a lightly tingling tongue and watery eyes. The same phenomenon happens in onions, garlic and some fruits. Genetics plays a role too, but anti-science hippies don't want any sort of genetically-optimized change that would be better than a randomly-mutated cosmic ray kind. So we're stuck with global warming if we want better melons.


Thank global warming for your chance to eat well.  Credit and link: AP

Bruce Sherman, executive chef at the North Pond Restaurant in Chicago, is delighted with the quality boost,  though unlikely to be happy about how it happens. His recent batches of cantaloupes and cucumbers have been exceptionally sweet.

Heat, drought make for more flavorful produce by Dinesh Ramde, Associated Press