{"id":122725,"date":"2023-09-19T21:00:54","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T01:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=122725"},"modified":"2023-09-21T22:09:35","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T02:09:35","slug":"blistering-national-competition-ahead-at-2023-at-easton-farmers-market-14th-annual-hot-pepper-eating-contest-sat-sept-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=122725","title":{"rendered":"Blistering national competition ahead at 2023 at Easton Farmers\u2019 Market 14th annual Hot Pepper Eating Contest, rescheduled for Sat. October 21"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hot Pepper Eating Contest (Paul Puleo photo credit)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Competitors to battle each other and nature\u2019s hottest creations<\/b><\/p>\n

What: 14th<\/sup>\u00a0Annual Hot\u00a0Pepper\u00a0Eating Competition at Easton Farmers\u2019 Market<\/p>\n

When: Sat., Oct. 21, 11 a.m.<\/p>\n

Where: Scott Park, Easton, Pa., riverfront<\/p>\n

Two-time defending champion, Kelly Joel Myers will try to make it three blistering wins in a row against other brave souls who willingly set fire to their tongues and torture their digestive tracts to reign as the captain of capsaicin at the Easton Farmers\u2019 Market 14th annual Hot\u00a0Pepper\u00a0Eating Competition.<\/p>\n

The winner will be awarded a hand carved, engraved wooden\u00a0pepper\u00a0trophy, a leather champion\u2019s belt and a prize bag full of sizzling foods from the Easton Farmers\u2019 Market.<\/p>\n

Notable entrants scheduled to appear on October 21:<\/p>\n

Kelly Joel Myers<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Lehighton, Pa.
\nDefending champion. Easton native, Wilson Area High School grad (2002)
\nFour wins in nine pepper-eating competitions
\n2021 & 2022 Easton Farmers\u2019 Market. (Runner up in 2019)
\n2022 Philadelphia Taco Festival Pepper Eating Contest
\n2022 Highland Park, N.J. Pepper Eating Contest<\/p>\n

Kris (The Scoville Unit) Fragale<\/strong>, Avoca, Pa.
\nAmericas Belt Champion 2023 – League of Fire (San Diego, Calif.) on June 18, 2023\u00a0 www.thescovilleunit.com<\/a>\u00a0https:\/\/leagueoffire.com\/user-details\/?userId=422<\/a><\/p>\n

Matthew Leto<\/strong>, Lyndhurst, N.J.
\nEaston Farmers’ Market 2022 Runner-Up<\/p>\n

Charles Brennan<\/strong>, Douglasville, Pa.
\nHas beaten Meyers and Fragale in other pepper-eating contests<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s competition ended when Myers bested Leto after three tie-breaker rounds that included two Carolina Reapers; followed by two Dragon\u2019s Breath; and then, a Carolina Reaper\/Dragon\u2019s Breath combination.<\/p>\n

Pepper sequence and event enhancements\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given the pepper heavyweights in this year\u2019s competition, we will increase the pepper quantity once we hit the 5th round compared to previous years. We\u2019ll increase the number of peppers with each round starting with the Malaysian Habenero.<\/p>\n

Another change will be the ability to earn \u201cpepper points\u201d throughout the competition. These pepper points will be earned by answering pepper trivia. Contestants will find out Saturday how they can be applied to their contest strategy. (For examples: enjoy a cup of ice cream prior to the next round, deduct one pepper from a round or get an extra minute to down their pepper.) It will test the contestant\u2019s deteriorating cognitive ability and communications skills as they get more and more intoxicated by the peppers.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the official 2023 line-up:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Jalape\u00f1o<\/li>\n
  2. Serrano<\/li>\n
  3. Red Rocket Cayenne<\/li>\n
  4. Lemon drop<\/li>\n
  5. Goronong (Malaysian Habenero)<\/li>\n
  6. Scotch Bonnet<\/li>\n
  7. Ghost<\/li>\n
  8. 7 Pot Douglah<\/li>\n
  9. Morunga Scorpion<\/li>\n
  10. Carolina Reaper<\/li>\n
  11. Dragon\u2019s Breath (2.48 million Scoville heat units, 300 times hotter than a jalapeno)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    All of the hot peppers in this year\u2019s competition will again be grown by Easton Urban Farm, part of Easton Area Neighborhood Center in Southside. Easton Urban Farm will have a fiery selection of peppers available at its tent for purchase.<\/p>\n

    About Easton Farmers\u2019 Market\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Holding the title of America\u2019s oldest, continuous open-air market, the Easton Farmers\u2019 Market has been a destination for fresh and locally grown and prepared foods since pre-Revolutionary times. A program of the nonprofit Greater Easton Development Partnership, the Easton Farmers\u2019 Market, presented by Capital Blue, is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday (May-December) at Scott Park along Larry Holmes Drive.<\/p>\n

    The EFM features 45+ vendors in the spacious, outdoor setting bordered by the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. The market moved to Scott Park from its longtime home in Centre Square in 2020 to accommodate COVID-19 health protocols.<\/p>\n

    Market details<\/p>\n

    Free parking for Easton Farmers\u2019 Market will be available in the two lots adjacent to Scott Park, thanks to Riverstar Properties and the Law Offices of Florio-Perrucci. Vendors accept cash, credit, Venmo, PayPal, checks and EBT. Visit\u00a0eastonfarmersmarket.com<\/a>\u00a0for online ordering information for participating vendors.<\/p>\n

    EFM \u2013 as well as the West Ward Market and Highmark Farmstand inside Easton Public Market — welcome Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Additionally, Philadelphia-based The Food Trust (thefoodtrust.org<\/a>) will double purchases up to $10 through the use of Food Bucks for fruits and veggies when shoppers spend at least $2 using SNAP at all three markets.<\/p>\n

    Sponsors for the 2023 EFM season include: Capital Blue, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Air Products and Martin Guitar.<\/p>\n

    About Easton Farmers\u2019 Market<\/p>\n

    Easton Farmers\u2019 Market (EFM) is a program of the Greater Easton Development Partnership (GEDP) and part of Easton\u2019s Market District. EFM is America\u2019s longest continuously-running open-air market. It is a producer-only market that features fresh, local produce – the vast majority of which is naturally or organically grown. Customers will also find antibiotic and hormone-free, pasture-raised meats, fresh baked goods, and ready-to-eat items. More:\u00a0eastonfarmersmarket.com<\/a>. GEDP is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization focused on Easton\u2019s economic well-being, historical integrity, vibrant culture, and hospitality. More:\u00a0eastonpartnership.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Information provided to TVL by:
    \nMichael Drabenstott (for GEDP)
    \nDrabenstott Communications Group<\/p>\n

    \n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hot Pepper Eating Contest (Paul Puleo photo credit) Competitors to battle each other and nature\u2019s hottest creations What: 14th\u00a0Annual Hot\u00a0Pepper\u00a0Eating Competition at Easton Farmers\u2019 Market When: Sat., Oct. 21, 11 … Continue reading Blistering national competition ahead at 2023 at Easton Farmers\u2019 Market 14th annual Hot Pepper Eating Contest, rescheduled for Sat. October 21<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":122727,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5718,69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-easton","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Kelly-Joel-Myers.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122725"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=122725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/122727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=122725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=122725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=122725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}