Hey everyone!
Sorry for being incommunicado. Had some life stuff come up, and just got back from vacation. Well rested! But, alas, the growing season is over.
PaulG said:
Nuthin' but likes for your grow log, John!
You are getting some good results from your urban garden,
and putting the pods to good use! Way to make the PNW
look good!
Hey thanks Paul! Love your blog and your supportive ways! Now I gotta catch up on the blog part
Roguejim said:
Your ferment is very chunky, not something I usually see. Most seem to run everything through a processor/blender first. I'm on my third try, so I'm taking notes. After you put the water-filled bag on top, do you put a lid on also? I wonder if the bag keeps O2 out.
I like to ferment chunky because it's easier to keep everything submerged. I don't keep a lid on the ferment, and the weight of the water in the bag makes a pretty cheap and easy airlock. Alton Brown also uses this method. I get some kahm yeast on top, but you just need to skim that. It's a pellicle formed by the lacto. Lets you know they're doing their thing!
LowDrag said:
What does the ferment do? And what is it used for? I have never heard of a ferment before finding this site.
Thanks,
Dave
The ferment is a different way of pickling veggies. Instead of using vinegar (acetic acid) you rely on microbial action to create lactic acid. This has a bit of a different flavor, and is a natural way of souring food. Kim chee is an example, as is saurkraut.
Season Wrap Up!
Rainy season has begun in Portland. Not freezing yet, but cold nights/wet, grey days. But what's amazing is that the peppers are still producing! Aside from the collards, it's the only summer plant still chugging along!
I was really hoping to overwinter a few of these, but it looks like I've run out of light, and time to build some manner of structure. Don't have a space inside, or a garage. I'd need to build a greenhouse of some sort. Don't think it's gonna happen
My close-to-last harvest!:
Now it's time to pick the winners and losers of the season, and to make some unscientific observations. Should be fun!
Winners
These guys get a slot in next year's garden! In order of my favs.
White Bullet Habanero
Worried me at the start because it dropped flowers forever before setting, but once it set, it SET. Loved the flavor, heat and size. With these tiny firecrackers, once could easily adjust the amount of heat in a dish. Using 1/16th of a superhot is much less efficient.
Aji Lemon
Took the longest to ripen, but bursting with lemony flavor, crunch, and heat. Too hot for my non-chili heads, but great picked for my own usage! But man, talk about a looooong ripening time.
Black Hungarian
Really great, raisin-y flavor, prolific, early fruiting. Used them in everything from salsa, to salads, to pickles.
Cracked Jalapeno
Great jalapeno, good flavor, lots of heat, and reasonably prolific. Didn't crack for me, but that's okay!
Goat's Weed
One of my earliest, prolific pod setters, and ripeners. Exactly the level of hot I like: Hot!!, but not Insane Hot!! Makes great flakes. Beautiful plant that thrived in the raised bed.
Pequin
The little plant that could. Slow grower, but once it set, it was off to the races. Ripened later season. Hot, sharp flavor. Pretty plant as well.
Yellow Rocoto
Set and ripened earlier than I expected. Great, sweet flavor and crunch that worked well in everything that I put them in. Much hotter than I expected, but heat could be completely removed by coring.
Yellow 7 pot
My first superhot had a great floral scent that perfumed any dish I added it to. Reasonable to cook with once cored and cleaned out with a paper towel. Made great fermented sauce, powder, and added kick to salsa.
Good, would grow again!
But probably not next season.
Aji Habanero
Loved the flavor, but this wan, sickly plant was not prolific enough for me. Maybe it would do better in a root pouch.
Fish Pepper
Took longer to ripen than the other annuums, and had a bit of a generic flavor. Not hot at all.
Alma Paprika
Had a bit of a savory, smoke-ish flavor that didn't quite make it a multi-tasker. Great pickled. Not great grilled.
Datil
Late ripener, but prolific! Made a great, basic cooked sauce. Good heat, not insane.
Losers! (For my situation, in this one year. Not passing judgement on these fine plants! Probably would have got better results if I were a better gardener.)
CGN21500
I got one pod. Gave my brother the other plant, and he had more than he knew what to do with. A bit too hot for my uses.
Scotch Bonnet, Red
No pods!
Scotch Bonnet, Brown
Very late podder, and to be honest, I haven't made the sauce I was planning on with this yet. So the taste jury is still out. Maybe I will grow again.
Mako Akoskrade
Not my favorite, flavor-wise, but prolific! Early to set, early to ripen, and dutifully produced fruit continuously all season.
Joe E. Parker
Did not do well in it's location. Might have been the soil. It was the only plant not in the pepper plot. Not prolific, and aside from it's first perfect fruit, all subsequent fruit were matte and stunted.
Tunesian Baklouti
Got one pod. I think this guy likes much cooler temp. After being almost dead for the entire year, it finally perked up now, with the cool weather. Flowering again.
Trinidad Beans, Gold and Cola
Did not grow true to color (which ended up being some strange shade of peach), but very prolific. Nothing wowed me about the taste. Not a bad pepper, but there are lots for me to try!
Experiments
Raised beds vs Root Pouches
Plants of all stripes simply did better in the root pouches than the raised bed. Some chinense did not fruit at all in the RB. I have a suspicion that the difference in the soil may be the culprit, but that's only a guess. Annuums did the best in the RB.
Ocean Forest vs. Roll yer own potting soil
No difference. Both did great. Results exactly the same. Roll yer own is preferable, unless you don't have a month to cycle the soil. Then go with the expensive solution!
Germination
Next year... later in the year. My late 7 pot I started in Feb did great, and all the plants I started in Jan stalled out for months before growing.
I think I my new method is going to be germination in paper towel, then transferring three to a peat pot, and culling the weakest. Last method tried, and worked well. Cheap, and easy.
Once the seedling is chosen, transfer to solo cup using Miracle Grow Moisture Control potting soil.
Looking to 2015!
Already ordered a big selection of seeds from Judy. Lots of her new Turkish varieties, and of course, freebies!
TL
R Results!
- Grew too many hot peppers! Going hard with Baccatuum and Annuum next year!
- Root pouches did better than raised bed.
- Successful season! I owe a lot of that to THP! Thanks!
Thanks everyone for reading! See ya next year, and around the forum!
