Cool thread, thanks Nigel! It was no accident, however, but part of a grand plan….
THP member indoChilli, in Jakarta, sent me several varieties of seeds, including Cabe Gendot. He said that he had not had any luck growing it at his house, but I was intrigued by it it nonetheless. I didn't expect the plants to thrive in the Louisiana climate, much less produce fruit, so I left them in 1-gal. nursery pots in a shady corner of my patio all last season. To my surprise, they grew well and even produced several smallish fruit. But they were nice and juicy, with a respectable kick:
At the end of the season I potted up to 5-gal. nursery containers, and moved the plants into the garage for the winter. They've been back outside for about a month now, and by this week they had plenty of foliage and some nice blossoms:
On the Dieng Plateau, an area of volcanic highlands in Central Java and the type locality for Cabe Gendot, the pods are more substantial. Soon I will plant mine in the ground in an area of the yard that receives morning sun only. I intend to produce pods like this (It could happen
):
A Cabe Gendot vendor in a Dieng market:
The fields of the Dieng Plateau. The climate there is a constant 50-70ºF year-round: