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"Plus tard ne rien...I'm not dead ye...." 2021 Pepper Gloginsummary'

Hello, Cappers.
It's been a year a and a most of a pepper season since we moved to our new garden site. So I've been somewhat busy re-building.
Pepper seeds don't last forever, but I have 138 pepper seed lots going back 8 years maybe. So. what to do to get a jumpstart?

A few did sprout last year; Inca Red Drop, Cabe Merah Panjang, and a 7 Pot Barrockpore that I thought I'd try to overwinter.
The Panjang and 7 Pot B I left in the garage grow-shelves and they did OK until early spring when aphids ATE THEM MERCILESSLY down to a stem and few leaf buds.
The Inca got front row in the living room windows and produced by spring one ripe pepper (who's 4 seeds sprouted!).
I did receive a treasure chest from Sawyer of Papa Dreadie and Sulu Adana seed, that I made sure worked, but my young plants were far, far from spectacular.
I got a few others to sprout, but I consoled my mostly bad pepper rearing this year by getting common plants from a local fruit stand/greenhouse; 6-Red Habs, 12-Jalas, 2-Cali Wonders, 1- Shishito, and even a Carolina Reaper.
Also my buddy in Richmond who grows hundreds of peppers (and a thousand or so tomatoes) hooked me up with a Red Bhut and something that turned out to be a Fish pepper. He had an off year too, and didn't have a great sprouting year either.

By this spring, I only had about a fourth of the garden in proper beds and the peppers got planted in inverted raised beds :P
I dug 6-8" down (which had been scraped to clean subsoil) and piled up the clay as an edge to the bed space. So they were raised a little I guess.
Then I filled with purchased leaf compost and mixed in some very rich topsoil that came from an old feed lot that was on the property years and years ago.
So by the end of Mayish, I had in the ground:
6+2 -Papa Dreadie
1-Red Bhut
1-Carolina Reaper
2-Beaver Dam
2-Jimmy Nardello
2-Ancient Sweet
1-Fish Pepper
12 - Jalapenos
6 - Red Habaneros
2 - California Wonders
2 - Sulu Adana
1 - Shishito
1 - Cabe Merah Panjang
1 - 7 Pot Barrackpore

and
I planted the mother Inca Red Drop in a pot, as a porch pepper




It was a new spot and no matter how good the ingredients, it takes some time to make "soil magic".
Most of the plant-out finally transitioned but it seemed like f.o.r.e.v.e.r.

I'll get some pictures out and another installment, but here is mother Inca today.

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Thanks for reading.
JJJ
 
Hey, Jesse, good to see you back in action.
Looking forward to seeing the rest of your grow.
That IRD is a beauty!
 
Jesse a flavor lovers growing selection I see,looking forward to hearing more about your grow.๐Ÿ™‚
Yeah, flavor is way up there for me. I grew a lot of variety years back, but current situ has me contained some. Which is a good thing :) I'm getting some seeds sorted out for next year, have gotten seed from a UFO that has the varigated green/white foliage like a Fish pepper, but a mist of ultra-violet over the plant too. So, I like some purty too.
 
Hi J, good to see you posting. I agree, looks like you got a flavor bonanza goin on. Post up some pics some time.
 
Hi J, good to see you posting. I agree, looks like you got a flavor bonanza goin on. Post up some pics some time.
I have a few pix.

First let's get the disappointments out of the way.

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Just not a fan of the Orange Hab. First real hot pepper I ever bought at the grocery store. I purchased 6 plants labeled Red Habaneros, but red they never will be. All but one are about this level of production. What do I make with them? Orange Sunshine?





Same place and time I bought a dozen Jalapenos with only one mishap. They seem to be a mish-mash of types, but I'm no expert. I like to make chipotle powder, but using hickory smoke.
I'm am though PRETTY SURE this is not a Jalapeno
:lol:

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:shocked:

Moving right along...
@Sawyer , we go way back, sent me some dynamite seeds...

The Sulu Adana, a Turkish sweet, thick flesh, paprika candidate.

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My production is low and I only set out 2 plants, but next year....

All my self-raised pepper plants were nitrogen locked at plant-out. They came around but slowly.




He also sent Papa Dreadie...

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Pretty on the bottom, not often clean quadrants.

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I don't think they are quite a prolific as the MOA Scotch Bonnet. It is however a GREAT pepper.

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Right amount of heat, sweet, citrusy, and sassy.
Can make even a so-so tomato sparkle

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From a week or so ago... My Bhuts are just turning.

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I've pulled a couple now, but I'm in no rush. Want to let some seed get good and fat.
The plant I set wasn't large, but I think it may go 60" or better by frost.
We had some weeks of bloom scorching temps as you can see the dropped blooms.
I won't get many more than what's hanging here.
But that's plenty. I've got a couple of backup supers to bridge a gap if needed. More on that later.


Thanks for reading
jjj
 
First big pepper harvest is today.
I have to go to a wedding this weekend. :(

But it's in Asheville and we can go to Salsa's to eat. :metal:
Years ago Hector the proprietor turned me on to the concept of using carrots as a hot sauce base.
And my version, the Electric Carrot Habanero, was born.

But first, breakfast. (which did not exonerate the Orange Hab)

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The OHab was not too hot, even I could have probably handled two. The Powers tomato, almost but not quite citrusy, is only a little lower on the Meh Scale.


Some pods were getting long in the tooth, so thought I'd better brush up on my pepper yoga.
Off to the garden.
Downward Jalapeno.

Then I just scavenged the rest of the plants while I was already sweating on my hands and knees.

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11 lb -5 oz
Plus a few tomatoes.

jjj
 
If you got'em, smoke'em.

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About 40 min in the smoker.
And by smoker, I mean Weber grill with a little hardwood charcoal fire with some hickory sticks one side, and peppers on the other.
Have to watch it pretty close. I kept the bottom damper closed and used the lid vents almost closed. Every 5-10 min I'd take off the lid until it flamed up a bit then re-covered, and let the lid temp drop about 50 degree down to 250 and cycled again.



But first I sent the Jalas to chipolte boot camp
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After this, the dehydtator.




Next pepper.
I used to make a smoked ketchup and since the smoker was going with the habs,
I sliced a tray of mostly salad tomatoes since they've commandered our kitch bar for almost 2 months.
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Sneaked in a few Sulu Adanas for some smoked paprika or whatever.

Orange powder? Orange sauce?
Maybe some of both?
j
 
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@Sawyer has facilitated my newest favorite pepper: The Papa Dreadie Scotch Bonnet
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{The one in the middle has been about my best 4-way shape and the right one is a pretty good 5.
The heat is below hab, which fit my palate better and a strong citrus. Just like I like my IPAs} :)

Sawyer sent seed from his 2020 and 2019 grow and I can't tell any difference between the vintages.

I had to put these in new ground -about 50-50 new leaf compost and old barnyard topsoil.
I've been trying to put together all new garden space since we're getting settled in and was last fall before we had it fenced against deer.
Everything seems to go in slow motion when you're in a rush and I'm not getting much younger.
I finally got 6 six young plants in the ground and they've been about par with other peppers, larger than my orange habs, but well shy of my Bhut and Reaper.


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The plant has a distinctive crinkle to the leaf. These are a consistent yellowish shade which is probably a soil issue.
They seem otherwise healthy although the variety is not noted as a heavy producer, these seem even less so.



An extra plant I had, in a 3" deep pot, I finally set out in a bed I filled last fall. After cabbage harvest got a room to itself almost.
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It has much better color but even fewer pods. It's not any taller but has really consumed the extra space.

Probably my nitrogen is a little high or the microbes are still bring things into balance.
This pepper variety may be even more sensitive to 90++ heat while in bloom.
They've been on drip tape, so they couldn;t complain about our 6 week dry spell.
I got a lot heavier production out of the MOA SB in 2015, and I think the MOA may have been hotter but not as flavorful.

It's been awhile.
I'd like to put them side by side.

Anyways, they're both great peppers.
j
 
Those plants really took off.
How much grow season do you have left?

Really nice P. Dreadie pods. I have a few on
my plants that look like that, but they haven't
started ripening up yet, just the off-pheno ones
so far.
 
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Thanks, Paul. It tdoes seem they have better form as the season progesses.
We should have 5-7 weeks before frost gets them.
Some peppers started setting pods after the high heat, but Dreadie is more reluctant.
 
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Low 50s this AM.
Thatโ€™ll change pepper chemistry.

Dehydrated my better Reaper minus their seed heads. But I think Iโ€™ll have enough Reaper powder to do a few years with pods still hanging.


Experimenting with soaking a ghost in coconut oil

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So far I am getting a better balance of flavor to heat.
j
 
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Yes, it was chilly this morning, but back to 90 soon :halo:. Nice looking pods J.
 
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We almost made 90 a couple days this week, but we got a heavy rain which I'd been eyeing to get some tillage radish for cover in the ground.



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They washed out in someplaces and I had to rake them back in.



Used some on my He Shi Ko scallions, and some left over fruit to make an offering to the Impromtu Salsa Godess

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Even pulled out the molcajete to mash it up proper.

This little chinensis cross made a pretty decent salsa.
Forward chinensis flavor but slow and lingering but not too high heat.

Silmilar to it's suspected father a Fidalgo Roxa, but brighter like it's mother a TS Barrackpore.

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It may be a keeper after all.



Also this week....

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....picked the biggest Red Bhut I think I've ever grown...17g

Speaking of birthweight, I'm going to be a grandpa again in early Nov; fifth grandchild and first grandson.
:welcome: Owen Jack.
j
 
JJJessee a grandad ar now what a wonderful thing my first grandson last year and it was the best thing about 2020 congrats to you and your family.
That bhutt pod is huge.๐Ÿ™‚
 
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