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Sawyer's 2013 Glog - Last Harvest/First Sauce

I haven't done a grow log before, but thought I'd give it a try this year. I'm growing mostly super hots, so I feel like I'm already behind schedule. Anyone know where January went? No pictures yet, I'll add some later when things (hopefully) start popping.

My setup is a basic home-made 2-tier 1" PVC plant stand. Each tier can accommodate 4 standard 1020 nursery flats and has three 2-bulb T-12 4' 40W fluorescent shop lights suspended above. The bulbs are a mix of Daylight, Wide Spectrum, and Power Twist. (I can't give you a K rating on these off the top of my head.) I use heater mats to try to keep the flats in the comfort zone for germination. They are wired to a dimmer switch so I can adjust the current. Even with the dimmer switch, in the past I've had trouble keeping uniform temperature, so this year I've put a layer of aluminum foil on top of the mats to spread out the heat and a layer of kraft paper on top of that. The flats go directly on the kraft paper. If anyone has any tips or tricks for controlling the temperature of heater mats (without purchasing an expensive thermostat), I'd love to hear about it.

I use standard 1020 nursery trays with 1206 (72-cell) inserts. I filled the inserts to planting depth with Sushine Mix #1 and planted anywhere from 2 (new) to 4 (old) seeds per cell. I then topped off the trays with some peat-based germination mix. I intended to use Fafard 3b germination mix, but didn't want to open a new bag for only four flats. I had a small bag of Miracle Grow and one of Ferry Morse left over from days past so I used one of those, I forget which.

The germination stand is in a back room in the warmest part of the house. As plants geminate and become established they'll be moved, either in whole flats, or potted out separately, to a 3-tier, 5 flat/tier stand in front of a bright picture window on the south side of the house. No lights on that yet and may not need them since the window gets direct sun for several hours per day. I'll be starting a lot of other seeds besides hot peppers, so I can't just leave them on the heater mats 'til plant out.

I started four flats today, one whole flat of self-propagated, pure-strain red Bhut Jolokia and up to 12 cells each of the following (note - I prefer the term 7 Pot to 7pod, but am keeping the 7pod nomenclature here out of deference to the vendor):

(First parenthesis is # of plants from first planting on 2/11, second is # plants/# soaked on 3/4)

Red Bhut Jolokia (my own isolated) (75)
Yellow Bhut Jolokia (PL) (0)
Brown Bhut Jolokia (PL) (1)
White Bhut Jolokia (PL) (8), (15/20)
Yellow Fatalii (RFC) (11), (6/10)
Giant White Habanero (RFC) (7)
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend (PL) (10), (28/35)
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend (RFC) (14)
T. Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend Yellow (PL) (6), (19/25)
T. 7pod Congo SR Gigantic (PL) (9), (2/7)
T. 7pod Large Red (PL) (4)
T. 7pod Large Yellow (PL) (1)
T. 7pod Brain Strain (PL) (10), (2/9)
T. 7pod Brain Strain Yellow (PL) (4), (11/12)
T. 7pod Brown (PL) (17)
T. 7pod Burgundy (PL) (8)
T. Douglah (PL) (5), (4/20)
T. Scorpion Butch T. (PL) (7)
T. Scorpion Yellow (PL) (18)
T. Scorpion Original Strain (PL) (1)
T. Seasoning (PL) (4)

New strains/sources started on 3/4:
Red Bhut Jolokia (PL) (45/50)
Scotch Bonnet Brown (PL) (22/34)
'12 7 Pot Yellow (RFC) (0/11)
'12 Bhut Jolokia Chocolate (PL) (0/14)
Datil (PL) (7/22)
Bhut Jolokia Orange (PL) (15/20)
T. Scorpion CARDI (PL) (7/20)
Tobago Treasure (PL) (8/20)

Started on 3/6:
Red Bhut Jolokia (own isolated) (>50)
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion (CPI) (13)
NuMex Pinata (CPI) (40)
White Bullet Hab (PL) (13)

Unrecorded plant date:
Orange Hab (PL) (2)
TS Cardi (PL) (7)
Dorset Naga (PL) (5)

Started on 3/25:
Yellow Bhut Jolokia (PL) - 8/?
Long Choco Habanero (AjiJoe) - 17/42
Pimenta da Neyde (PL) - 14/30
Giant Mexican Rocoto (PL) - 0/40
CAP 1144 (PL) - 0/21
(old) Yellow Habanero (Trade Winds) - 0/24
(old) Jamaican Red Mushroom (RFC) - 0/18
Trinidad Congo Red (PL) - 10/12
Datil (PL) - 9/22 (4 hh)
7 Pot Primo (PL) - 5/18
Early Jalapeno (PL) - 19/36
Cracked Jalapeno (PL) - 33/36
Large Hot Cherry (PL) - 33/36
Surprise Hot Mix (AjiJoe) - 97/144

Edit 4/3: add sources PL=pepperlover, RFC=Refining Fire Chiles, CPI=Chile Pepper Institute
Edit 4/3: (in blue)
Edit 4/29: Edit title (again)
 
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John, you are blowing me away with these harvest shots.  
Harvesting in 5 gallon buckets.  That's what I call production!
 
Hope the temps hold for you and that you get another pull or two.
 
Penny said:
:shocked:  Holy cow!!!
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 LOL!
 
Devv said:
Very nice finishing pulls there John!
 
We didn't get to see much of the garden shots this year, but you definitely did well production wise. Process and share with friends, there's no way you can eat all of those!
 
Enjoy the processing, it's half the fun!  Maybe, but it's becoming a smaller half by the hour!
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Thanks, Scott.  Yeah, there's not much around here, inside or out, that's photogenic, but I hope to make some progress in reclaiming the garden before plant out time next spring.  In any case, nothing much changed in the garden after these shots, except the volunteer turnips in the middles got much bigger.  Definitely going to do some sharing.  Gotta get this stuff processed first, though.
 
PaulG said:
John, you are blowing me away with these harvest shots.
Harvesting in 5 gallon buckets. That's what I call production!

Hope the temps hold for you and that you get another pull or two.
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Thanks, Paul.  I'm settling into a routine of deseeding, grading, drying, pureeing, etc.  I've already got a lot of dried pods, so the best of what's left is going into puree for later sauce production.  Too ripe or not ripe enough pods are getting dried for grinding into animal repellent powder (or subsequently processed into spray). 
 
It's below freezing here now and it's clear, so I think tonight will be a really cold one.  I couldn't handle another pull anyway, so it's just as well.
 
 
Sawyer said:
 Thanks, Paul.  I'm settling into a routine of deseeding, grading, drying, pureeing, etc.  Just finished that myself.  My nostrils are burning.  I've already got a lot of dried pods, so the best of what's left is going into puree for later sauce production.  Too ripe or not ripe enough pods are getting dried for grinding into animal repellent powder (or subsequently processed into spray). That is a great idea!
 
It's below freezing here now and it's clear, so I think tonight will be a really cold one.  I couldn't handle another pull anyway, so it's just as well.
Sometimes the weather does us a favor, eh?
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Have a good week, John!
 
Thanks, Paul.  You, too.  It got down to 18ºF last night, so the outdoor grow is definitely finished now.  It even froze the Brown Congo plant I accidentally left just outside the front door.  I had intended to bring it in, but if that is the only mistake I've made (and I'm not saying it is), I'll be happy.
 
So I'm still deseeding pods.  (That's my refrain for the rest of the week, at the least.)  Also trying to document as many of the different varieties of pods as I can remember to shoot.  I had probably around a dozen and a half white Bhut Jolokia plants this year.  I got the seed from PepperLover and Judy says they are a cross between a white Hab and a yellow Bhut.  Most of the plants were true, yielding somewhat-bhut-shaped, but smooth and stumpy pods, with a good flavor and more of a hab-level heat than bhut-level.  Two of the plants, though, produced larger, yellow pods.  Here's a pic of pods from one of those:
2aouo3.jpg

 
Compare that to pods from my regular yellow Bhut:
2na037t.jpg

 
The not white BJ are much larger and have some of the bumpiness I like in the bhuts.  I also tasted a sliver and two hours later, I can still feel my lips tingling.  If you've kept up with my glog, you know I'm a neophyte at eating these things, so take this with a grain of salt, but I think this is the hottest pepper I've tasted this year, including the 7P Brown and Moruga Scorpion.  Both of those were extremely hot, but neither elicited the immediate reaction of this pod.  Immediate tongue and throat burn, quickly spreading to the lips.  Nothing has given me hiccups before, but this one did.  Tears, runny nose, sneezing, the whole nine yards.  It wasn't painful like the 7P Brown, in the sense of stomach pain and nausea, but it was hotter.  Compared to it, the regular yellow bhut had hardly any heat at all.
 
I know it's either a random F1 or a throwback (or maybe a random mutation, since it's not exactly like the other not white BJ), but I will definitely grow this one next year.  If any of you guys and gals want to give it a try, PM me and we'll work something out, maybe a seed swap.
 
 
Yep, but it's part of the package.  I don't really mind it, but it's just so slow and tedious.  On the plus side, a lot of what's left will just go straight into the dehydrators with a slit, without being deseeded.  Plenty more still needing deseeding, though.
 
FWIW, the gnarly, lower left (not-white) yellow bhut pictured up above weighed 17 g.  And those pods have a distinct banana fragrance.
 
Sawyer,
Pretty incredible late season harvests. Overflowing buckets are fun to look at, you've got all kinds of varieties !
Have fun with dehydrating...I like that process, you can walk away and come back another day...........and walla !.....They're Done !
 
 Holy moley J. Your harvest 
 
Sawyer said:
I had taken a couple dozen cuttings from a well-performing Moruga Scorpion and had them in a jar in the front window.  I don't know if it was the same rat from last winter, but the cold brought one in and it went straight for the cuttings.  I was left with a jar full of bare stems.  This time, though, the sucker also went for the PB and strawberry jam baited trap and is no more. (Looked for a "moment of respect" emoticon... no luck.)
 
Here's the last of the ripe MoAs:
 
I got six other ripe pods, but they are not very photogenic.  Of the four plants I had, the one in the garden bit the dust with last Thursday's frost.  The other three, two in #3 pots and one in a #1 pot, are in the root cellar.  The two larger ones will eventually find their way up to a windowed OW room, while the smaller will be part of a dark OW experiment.
 
Can anyone tell me if these look like they're from a 7 Pot Jonah? 
28m05m8.jpg

All of these pods were picked today from a single plant.  This is one of the OWs from last year and I thought it was a Naga Morich, but that's clearly not the case.  It was a plant I bought, not started from seed, and looking back at my receipts it looks like a 7 Pot Jonah is the only other possibility.  Is such a diversity of pod shapes on a single plant common for a 7 Pot Jonah?
 
I'll post a more comprehensive review of my experience this year later, but I wanted to mention here, the 7 Pot Brown, Fatalii, and MoA all impressed me with their late-season performance.  By that I mean these three (multiple plants of each) all continued to ripen pods without excessive cracking (some on the MoA), stem end softening, or mold on the pods, even after most of the leaves had fallen due to frost (and the Brown and MoA held on to their leaves better than the others).  Even though I've avoided a hard frost until now, the weather has been damp, cool, and often cloudy.  Overall, this year the red Bhut Jolokia has arguably been the best performer, but at the end, the pods haven't held up as well to the conditions.  The red BJ pods are prone to stem-end softening and black mold on the pods in these damp, cool, and cloudy conditions.

Just noticed today is my 2nd anniversary as a THP member.  Yay, me!  :party:
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 Wow J those are some amazing harvests. You have your work cut out. Or had. A little late to the game I is. 
 
Looking at your mystery pods I would say not a Jonah. Maybe a cross from the diversity of the pods. Maybe a trinidad scorp?
 
Happy FRiday eve:)
 
Those bumpy crosses look awesome, Sawyer.
I'd be up for a seed swap; I have seeds of everything
in my grow log.  Sounds like a winner - flavorful, nice aroma,
and not stomach cramping hot, but good heat!
 
Thanks, guys.  Paul, I'll PM you about a swap.  You've got two or three I'd like to add to my grow list.  I have seeds for most of what I grew this year.  Let me know if there's anything you're interested in, in addition to the "not white" yellow bhut.
 
I'm still processing... will post pictures of the results and a couple of tips soon.
 
In the meantime, I want to mention, I have seeds available for free or trading for most, but not all, of what I grew this year.  I've already got a short list of folks, including Paul, who have expressed interest.  I'll be PMing you in a few days.  Otherwise, if you commented or liked a comment in my glog (before today) and see something you like, let me know and I'll send some seeds your way for free.  Otherwise, we can trade, if you have something interesting, or I'll send seeds in exchange for a SSABE or a paypal contribution to defray mailing costs.  My "seeds available for trade" and "seeds wanted" lists in my profile are somewhat up to date.  Quantities are limited.  PM me if you see something you like.
 
This is my way of saying "Thank you" to all the wonderful folks here on THP for sharing your knowledge, support, encouragement, and good humor over the course of the year.  My postage and shipping budget didn't allow me to send out as many SFRBs of pods as I would have liked, but a couple of stamps on a BE I can handle.  Anyway, sending seeds seems to offer the best cost:benefit ratio.  Thanks again!
 
John, Great idea to share seeds with those "previous post likers".  Just neat!  I might send you a pm for a couple.
 
The yellow bhuts in the top pic of post #704 are very cool looking.  I had some like that a few years back.  I'm growing a yellow for next season from Judy pods seeds.  They are more like the lower pic from the same post.
 
Looks like you had some great harvest's!  Are you still sampling pods with the local barfolk?  That conjures some kind of interesting movie imagery for me.
 
I would imagine that you are well on your way to planning next season, like the rest of us junkies!
 
Have a great weekend!
 
Mike
 
Thanks, folks.  Believe it or not, I'm still processing.  I'm finished with puréeing, but the dryers are still running.  (Pics over the weekend.)  I've really got to get a chest freezer before next year.
 
Bodeen said:
How does the caramel compare to the burgundy in the 7s
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Hi, Jeff, maybe I already said this, but the caramel is actually a "not" burgundy, as is the peach.  In terms of the plant and pod size and shape, they are about the same, with nice vigorous plants and larger than normal pods (though not as large as the 7 Congo Giant).  I wasn't able to tell much difference in terms of flavor or heat.  Not saying they are the same; I'm just not good yet at distinguishing such things once the heat is above a certain level.  I will say, the peach does not seem so hot to me.
 
capsidadburn said:
John, Great idea to share seeds with those "previous post likers".  Just neat!  I might send you a pm for a couple.  By all means, do.
 
The yellow bhuts in the top pic of post #704 are very cool looking.  I had some like that a few years back.  I'm growing a yellow for next season from Judy pods seeds.  They are more like the lower pic from the same post.
 
Looks like you had some great harvest's!  Are you still sampling pods with the local barfolk?  That conjures some kind of interesting movie imagery for me.
 
I would imagine that you are well on your way to planning next season, like the rest of us junkies!
Click to expand...
 
Mike, those lower pic yellows are from Judy's yellow bhut seeds.  I assume that's the yellow bhut she used for the white bhut cross.  I'll replant some of those in the coming year, for sure.
 
I took the last round of fresh pods to the bar last Tuesday (whatever is left will get processed this weekend), a Primo and some Reapers.  There's only one guy there willing just to take a bite, and the Primo got to him pretty good.  It's the first time he's gotten the hiccups from tasting one.  He didn't want anything to do with the Reaper after that. :)   I also took some samples of the purées, along with crackers and cream cheese, but most of the usual "hot" regulars weren't there.  I'll try again with the purées soon.
 
Yep, definitely planning next year's season.  Already jonesing to start some seed, but am going to hold off 'til 1/1/14.
 
Penny said:
Great idea, and a generous offer too. :dance:
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Thanks, Penny.  I hope you see something you'd like to try.
 
More later.
 
Congrats on the good season. I wanted to thank you for your help with my first year for the answers to questions and the like. Dont have near as much as you in the freezer or in powder so what are you going to do with all that product?
 
capehog said:
Congrats on the good season. I wanted to thank you for your help with my first year for the answers to questions and the like. Dont have near as much as you in the freezer or in powder so what are you going to do with all that product?
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Thanks, TL.  And you're welcome, we're all here to learn and share.  I should have frozen more.  I lost some pods that didn't keep well at cool room temps, not sure what I was thinking.  Anyway, most of them have been turned into purées for future sauces or dried for future powders and other ventures.  A lot of the dried pods will go toward various animal repellent products and I'm also experimenting with capsaicin extraction.
 
Almost finished with primary processing!  I processed about 8 or 10 pints of pickled sweet jalapeno rings today.  The last 10 11 trays of pods are in the dehydrators.  I've got one last batch of green purée to process in the morning and a handful of orange bhuts to deseed and that will be it for fresh pods.  (Except whatever is still on the OWs.)  Then I'll start bagging up the seeds that are on paper plates scattered all over the house. 
 
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