Stickman's 2013 Glog - Time To Pull The Plug on 2013

I'm pulling things together to get ready for my next growing season. I bought NuMex variety seeds from Sandia Seed company in New Mexico, Hot Paper Lantern Habaneros and Antohi Romanians from Johnny's Select Seeds in Maine and Korean varieties from Evergreen Seeds in California. Due to the unbelievable generosity of a number of THP members I've also gotten seeds to a wide variety of chiles from around the world. Special thanks to BootsieB, stc3248, romy6, PaulG, SoCalChilehead, joynershotpeppers, highalt, cmpman1974, smokemaster, mygrassisblue, Mister No, chewi, KingDenniz, orrozconleche and most recently and spectacularly, Habanerohead with a great selection of superhots and peppers from Hungary!

There are eleven varieties of Hungarian peppers in here, mostly the early, thick-fleshed, sweet ones that range from white through yellow to purple and red.., plus Aji Lemon Drop, BJ Indian Carbon, Naga Morich, Bishop's Crown and TS CARDI Yellow! Now I just have to go through my seed bank and match the space available to what I want to grow. Thanks Balázs!

 

[Stefan_W]

I love the selection of Hungarians in your collection. I just ground up some paprika to use in a chili cookoff, and man does it smell and taste amazing when it is fresh. I can't imagine how good it would be with multiple varieties blended together.

 

[stickman]

I've been researching on the web to try to find a match to the pointed sweet Hungarian Paprika seeds I got from HabaneroHead, and the closest I can find is a Turkish variety called Paprika Antalya'dan. Historically this would make sense. Arche Noah in Austria has these seeds, and a German Etail site called Gaissmayer's Professional Planting Ideas does as well.

 

[Trippa]

What type of Chilli's are ideal for paprika stickman ??? And what is the difference in paprika vs chilli powder??

 

[stickman]

That's a good question, and one I'm not sure how to answer. Wikipedia says this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paprika
I'd probably say it's the dried powder of various aromatic sweet or sweet/hot Annuum varieties. Plant sweet varieties if that's what you want, and leave out the placentas. if you want it spicy, plant hotter varieties and leave them in. Paprika is always 100 percent pepper though. Chili powder is a blend of herbs, spices and ground, dried chiles (with an e) used in making chili (with an i).

I make a chili powder blend with dried, ground Anaheim, Chimayo, Pasilla and Ancho peppers, ground toasted cumin seeds and garlic powder.

This year will be the first time I'll be growing as many Paprika varieties as I can to get the broadest palette possible when experimenting with making Paprika blends.

 

[DocNrock]

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with when making your Paprika blends.

 

[Stefan_W]

I'm definitely following the paprika blends this coming season. Paprikas are among the most versatile peppers out there, and when I add fresh ground paprika when I'm cooking I always get great compliments on whatever it is that I made. But I'm sure that this will bring paprikas to a whole new level that I haven't had the chance to experience....yet.

 

[Indiana_Jesse]

I think I have to give credit to your thread for giving me a slight obsession for paprikas. I had been trying to find a chile that could compare to Aji Panca in flavor/heat/richness/aroma/etc. that could tolerate/set fruit in temps above 85F, or ripen faster during the short moderate weather season (fall). So now I will try some of the different Hungarian chiles (Paprikas) this season and see what happens, might not of thought of that otherwise! I personally think Aji Panca is the best for chile powder/paprika though.

 

[stickman]

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with when making your Paprika blends.

Me too Doc... And I hate waiting! I won't be starting the Paprikas until around the middle of February... about 3 months.

I'm definitely following the paprika blends this coming season. Paprikas are among the most versatile peppers out there, and when I add fresh ground paprika when I'm cooking I always get great compliments on whatever it is that I made. But I'm sure that this will bring paprikas to a whole new level that I haven't had the chance to experience....yet.

I hear ya brother... Looking at how my powders are beginning to fade a bit even though they've been stored in airtight jars out of the sun, I'm thinking maybe I should store the paprikas whole once I've dried them, and just grind what I need each time. That's what I do with the spices for curries.

I think I have to give credit to your thread for giving me a slight obsession for paprikas. I had been trying to find a chile that could compare to Aji Panca in flavor/heat/richness/aroma/etc. that could tolerate/set fruit in temps above 85F, or ripen faster during the short moderate weather season (fall). So now I will try some of the different Hungarian chiles (Paprikas) this season and see what happens, might not of thought of that otherwise! I personally think Aji Panca is the best for chile powder/paprika though.

Hi Jesse
Thanks for dropping by! I had no idea what Aji Panca was like, so thanks for bringing it up. My current garden plan has it pretty full up this coming year, but maybe next year it'll try it. Thanks!

 

[MisterNo]

What type of Chilli's are ideal for paprika stickman ??? And what is the difference in paprika vs chilli powder??

That's a good question, and one I'm not sure how to answer. Wikipedia says this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paprika
I'd probably say it's the dried powder of various aromatic sweet or sweet/hot Annuum varieties.

Good question with many correct answers

In my country word paprika is used for the whole capsicum genus, and what is called paprika on this link - we usually call it minced/ground pepper or pepper/chilli powder.

There is no rule on what chiles to use for powder/paprika.
I usually make a few variations.
I.E. - if you want your paprika to have only heat with no distinct aroma, you can use only ornamental peppers like purple jalapeno
- if you want aroma with heat you can use fatalli or purrira peppers.
- if you want your paprika to have heat aroma and some sweetness, you can use ripe jalapenos and cayenne peppers.

I made few chilli powders this year:
- only cayenne peppers
- only fatalli peppers
- only hungarian wax peppers
- superhot pepper mix (bhut jolokia, trinidad scorpion, red savina, fatalli)
- sweet chili mix (habanero, jalapeno, cayenne and some sweet peppers)

You can do the same with sweet peppers

From my experience, it is better to use a blender to make chilli powder/paprika, then to use a coffee mill.
Blender makes slightly bigger pieces, wich preserves the aroma better.
Also, in order to use coffee mill, peppers must be 99% dry, while blender alows a little moisture.

 

[Jeff H]

[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]And I hate waiting! I won't be starting the Paprikas until around the middle of February... about 3 months.[/background]

Why wait? If you are growing in Feb, you obviously have a light. Why not start earlier? You will just have more of a head start in the spring.

I started my 2013 grow as soon as I pulled the plants out of the ground and have been planting a new seed as the mood hits me. My plants range from 1" to about 8". By May they will be huge.

 

[stickman]

Hi Jeff
The Annuums are all short to medium season plants... plenty of time to start them indoors by the end of February for planting outside around the middle of April. If money was no object, I could start all my chiles in January, but in the real world I have to watch the bottom line. Cheers!

 

[stickman]

Five weeks until late-season chile seed planting here. I finally got off my arse and ordered some Mucho Nacho, Hot Paper Lantern, Holy Mole Hybrid and Hungarian Sunshine II sweet peppers from Peppergal.com and some 7-pot yellow, large from Judy at Pepperlover.com

Anybody know anything about root pruning starter trays?

 

[Trippa]

Five weeks until late-season chile seed planting here. I finally got off my arse and ordered some Mucho Nacho, Hot Paper Lantern, Holy Mole Hybrid and Hungarian Sunshine II sweet peppers from Peppergal.com and some 7-pot yellow, large from Judy at Pepperlover.com

Anybody know anything about root pruning starter trays?

Once my seeds hopefully reach your shores you might just have a few more long season and short season varieties as well (friendly warning)

 

[stickman]

Once my seeds hopefully reach your shores you might just have a few more long season and short season varieties as well (friendly warning)

Thanks Trippa! Looking forward to it!

Good question with many correct answers

In my country word paprika is used for the whole capsicum genus, and what is called paprika on this link - we usually call it minced/ground pepper or pepper/chilli powder.

There is no rule on what chiles to use for powder/paprika.
I usually make a few variations.
I.E. - if you want your paprika to have only heat with no distinct aroma, you can use only ornamental peppers like purple jalapeno
- if you want aroma with heat you can use fatalli or purrira peppers.
- if you want your paprika to have heat aroma and some sweetness, you can use ripe jalapenos and cayenne peppers.

I made few chilli powders this year:
- only cayenne peppers
- only fatalli peppers
- only hungarian wax peppers
- superhot pepper mix (bhut jolokia, trinidad scorpion, red savina, fatalli)
- sweet chili mix (habanero, jalapeno, cayenne and some sweet peppers)

You can do the same with sweet peppers

From my experience, it is better to use a blender to make chilli powder/paprika, then to use a coffee mill.
Blender makes slightly bigger pieces, wich preserves the aroma better.
Also, in order to use coffee mill, peppers must be 99% dry, while blender alows a little moisture.

Hi Robert, thanks for clarifying.

 

[Stefan_W]

I have never used root pruning starter trays, but Lee Valley sells something similar and I put it on my Christmas wish list. Sorry I can't give you feedback right now, but I'll know all about it next year when it is too late to help you LOL!

 

[stickman]

I have never used root pruning starter trays, but Lee Valley sells something similar and I put it on my Christmas wish list. Sorry I can't give you feedback right now, but I'll know all about it next year when it is too late to help you LOL!

It's the story of my life... but not entirely, eh?

I've heard that the Orange Manzano I'm going to plant produces better if somewhat rootbound, so I'm going to perform my initial experiment with root pruning pots with it. It'll also make it easier to bring inside at the end of the season. If I like the results I'll expand to the varieties I want to overwinter the following year. Cheers

 

[DocNrock]

I've heard that the Orange Manzano I'm going to plant produces better if somewhat rootbound, so I'm going to perform my initial experiment with root pruning pots with it. It'll also make it easier to bring inside at the end of the season. If I like the results I'll expand to the varieties I want to overwinter the following year. Cheers

I'll be interested to see what happens with the root pruning pots. When I plant out in the late winter/early spring, I'm thinking of that route, as well. I think I'm going to use Root Pouches. Relatively inexpensive and they also air prune. I'm wondering if air pruning will mimick rootbound conditions, though. I'm not sure of the specific biochemical signal rootbound conditions send to the plant, but teleologicially speaking, if the plant somehow senses it is rootbound, that may be its signal to reproduce or lose its contibution to the gene pool. With air pruning, I get the impression the roots will continue to grow as if there is no impediment to their growth. I'm wondering if they will send the same biochemical signal to the plant. If nothing else, you should be able to grow larger plants in smaller pots. It will just take more frequent watering and fertilization. Looking forward to following this and seeing your results first-hand.

 

[megamoo]

Interesting list I'll be watching to see how it goes.

Planning is a good idea. If I had my stuff sorted midwinter I'd be harvesting chinense pods right now. I started a bunch of seeds early but lost them whilst developing and tweaking the system. You sound like you know what you're doing, and with the short season you need to because you don't have much room for error.

I wish you good luck... in growing and converting the missus

 

[stickman]

Hi Moo
Thanks for dropping in. This is actually chile garden mk III for me... the first year I only planted 8 Korean chiles, this year I planted about 40. Most of 'em Annuums, but I did grow a couple of Habaneros. This coming year I plan to diversify my Annuums even more, triple my Chinense varieties and try a Pubiscens as well. My wife is convinced I have a serious "Jones" going here, and half the time I agree with her...
Cheers! And good luck with your grow as well.

 

[Stefan_W]

I think diversifying is the way to go, but it is often tough in a smaller garden space. When it comes to a choice between two varieties I sometimes pick by checking which one will give me more or bigger pods. We'll definitely have to compare notes with the Pubiscens, because they can apparently be quite finicky.