Book excerpt: Chile peppers are hot--they add culinary fire to dishes from a variety of cuisines and inspire near-fanatical devotion in vegetable gardeners and collectors. The Complete Chile Pepper Book, by world-renowned chile experts Dave DeWitt and Paul W. Bosland, shares detailed profiles of the one hundred most popular chile varieties and include information on how to grow and cultivate them successfully, along with tips on planning, garden design, growing in containers, dealing with pests and disease, and breeding and hybridizing. Techniques for processing and preserving include canning, pickling, drying, and smoking. Eighty-five mouth-watering recipes show how to use the characteristic heat of chile peppers in beverages, sauces, appetizers, salads, soups, entrees, and desserts. This gorgeously illustrated, must-have reference for pepper-obsessed gardeners and cooks.