Blorvak's Greenhorn 2014 - End of Season Wrap Up!

blorvak · Aug 15, 2014

PaulG said:
The little white habaneros are one of my favorites.

The pico de gallo looks great!

Thanks! I've been making it for years, and think I have my technique down. I'm going to try to can a cooked sauce this year. Don't have much experience with that, but I'm going to use the South Texas Salsa recipe I found on THP.

So, a few new peppers have ripened!:

Top row, L to R: Black Hungarian, Aji Habanero, Trinidad Cola Bean, Yellow 7 Pot.
Bottom row, L to R: Goat's Weed, Mako akokosrade.

The cola bean is looking pretty golden!

I officially have my first Baccatum, and my first ripe superhot!

Have more yellow coming as well:

Although "Yellow" is a bit light for the color. Looks more Dayglow orange to me:

The pics don't do the radioactive glow justice. I think it's a Yellow 7 pot. Anyone think otherwise?

In any case, it inspires respect. I'm going to wait to try it with my pepperhead buddy. He told me to grow the hottest peppers I could, so it's all his fault!

Elsewhere in the garden, I have more Goat's Weed ripening. It's a trip that they turn back to green before turning red:

And I've been waiting for the Pequin to ripen it's first pod. Nothing yet, but it's absolutely covered with little guys:

No reviews today. Too busy! Hope everyone is having a good week!

PaulG · Aug 15, 2014

Awesome! You will be busy now!

blorvak · Aug 18, 2014

PaulG said:
Awesome! You will be busy now!

It's good to stay busy :halo:

So I threatened to make the South Texas Salsa recipe on THP, and today I followed through:

So I didn't have 20 large tomatoes, but I did have about 50 medium to small tomatoes. Don't think the translation worked, as I ended up with 2 1/3 quarts of salsa. Tastes good! My first time canning anything... boiled for 45 minutes or so. They've both sealed, so :party:

I would have liked a bigger yield for all the sweat equity, but it's my first time, so I'll take it!

My pull for today! Theme of the season: slow and steady:

Yellow and red! Aji Habaneros are the squat yellows, mako akokosrade are the curvy yellows, some Goat's Weed, some Black Hungarians, and another Yellow 7 pot that looks a bit bhut-y.

More yellow 7's ripening. Strange how they ripen in splotches:

My first red Fish Pepper that I'm giving a day or so to pick:

And now for some pod reviews!

Mako Akokosrade:
Added one of these to the salsa. Definitely has some heat. Ate the end cm or so and gave me a little heat rush. Juicier than I thought it was going to be. I was expecting more citrus too, but no. Will need to sample again.

Yellow 7 Pot:
Yep, I put on the gloves to handle this one. Made some Jerk Chicken for dinner tonight, and thought this would work fine. I had to buy 2 orange habs from the store (All of my scotch bonnets have fizzled out this year), but before I put the 7 pot in the blender with 'em, I halved the pod to inspect. Very few seeds. Lots of placenta. Didn't see pooled oil. Cut a sliver and sampled. Super floral smell. Sweet (surprising) and hot (not surprising). Generic citrus taste... very "tropical". The heat wasn't insane. It was hot, but no sweating, or puking. Thank god!

Okay, fans of superhots can stop reading now. I cut out the placenta, and used a paper towel to wipe out the inside of the pod before adding to the marinade. My wife would KILL me if I made dinner super-hot.

So with only two (seeded) habaneros, and the defanged 7 pot, the chicken turned out a wee too hot for my wife:

I thought it was awesome. Could have been hotter.

blorvak · Aug 20, 2014

Got some more yellow happening in the garden!:

First Yellow Rocoto turning! Very proud!

Yellow 7 Pot doing well:

And getting some red in the Purple Cayenne:

Some Trinidad Cola Beans:

My pulls are getting bigger!

L to R: Purple Cayenne, Black Hungarian, Goat's Weed, Aji Habanero, Trinidad Cola Bean, White Bullet Hab, Fish Pepper, and Mako Akokosrade.

And now, a few more reviews!:

Mako Akokosrade
Revisited this pod to get a better taste. Chopped off the end and tasted. Hot! And a thin sweetness. Split in half, harvested the seeds, then cut into half again. My plan was to work my way up the pepper. Second bite (middle 1/3rd), same heat, and a hint of Chinense hand-soap floral notes, and sweet. At the last 1/3rd with the placenta... about a cm worth. HOT!

By far the hottest pepper I've tried this year. Hot enough that I had a yogurt chaser. Couldn't be superhot level, but I don't know if I'll ever want to try that inferno. Calmed down to stinging in about 5 minutes. A bit of sweating.

All in all, not my fav pepper of the season. Not really much flavor. It's all capsicum. Too bad... I got lots of 'em!

Aji Habanero
My first Baccatum sampling! After my first disappointing Mako bite, I cut open the Aji. Lots of seeds. Chopped off the bottom, and popped it in my mouth.

Not this is more like it! Citrus, almost verging on wine. Nice, deep sweetness. I could eat these raw all day. No heat to speak of. Cut in half, and ate the top portion with the placenta. Same taste, but with a bump of heat!

Too bad... I don't got lots of 'em!

cone9 · Aug 20, 2014

Nice glog, nicely documented! I'm glad I happened upon it.

You have a lot of fine peppers coming on. I know how good it feels to turn your growing luck around and see such success. Congrats!

LowDrag · Aug 21, 2014

blorvak said:
Got some more yellow happening in the garden!:

First Yellow Rocoto turning! Very proud!

Yellow 7 Pot doing well:

And getting some red in the Purple Cayenne:

Some Trinidad Cola Beans:

My pulls are getting bigger!

L to R: Purple Cayenne, Black Hungarian, Goat's Weed, Aji Habanero, Trinidad Cola Bean, White Bullet Hab, Fish Pepper, and Mako Akokosrade.

And now, a few more reviews!:

Mako Akokosrade
Revisited this pod to get a better taste. Chopped off the end and tasted. Hot! And a thin sweetness. Split in half, harvested the seeds, then cut into half again. My plan was to work my way up the pepper. Second bite (middle 1/3rd), same heat, and a hint of Chinense hand-soap floral notes, and sweet. At the last 1/3rd with the placenta... about a cm worth. HOT!

By far the hottest pepper I've tried this year. Hot enough that I had a yogurt chaser. Couldn't be superhot level, but I don't know if I'll ever want to try that inferno. Calmed down to stinging in about 5 minutes. A bit of sweating.

All in all, not my fav pepper of the season. Not really much flavor. It's all capsicum. Too bad... I got lots of 'em!

Aji Habanero
My first Baccatum sampling! After my first disappointing Mako bite, I cut open the Aji. Lots of seeds. Chopped off the bottom, and popped it in my mouth.

Not this is more like it! Citrus, almost verging on wine. Nice, deep sweetness. I could eat these raw all day. No heat to speak of. Cut in half, and ate the top portion with the placenta. Same taste, but with a bump of heat!

Too bad... I don't got lots of 'em!

No heat at all??? It is a Habanero right? Would it be hot to a beginner like myself?

blorvak · Aug 24, 2014

cone9 said:
Nice glog, nicely documented! I'm glad I happened upon it.

You have a lot of fine peppers coming on. I know how good it feels to turn your growing luck around and see such success. Congrats!

Thank you very much! You may not remember, but I won a contest for some seeds from you at the beginning of the year. My Yellow 7 Pot, Purple Cayenne, and White Bullet Hab are from you. And I am in your debt. They're all doing really well!

LowDrag said:
No heat at all??? It is a Habanero right? Would it be hot to a beginner like myself?

Well, pepper naming schemes are vague at the best of times. A true Hab is a Chinense, where as the Aji Habanero is a Baccatum. Not a classic habanero at all, just a misleading name. But tasty! I would say, that if you imagine your least heat loving friend would try it, he or she would say "This has a zip!". So, minimal heat

So, it's been a busy week. Only got out to the garden today. Makes my pull look way bigger

Purple Cayenne, doing good:

My Datil... if you look hard enough, you can see the beginning of some yellow:

Gold beans golding up!:

Goat's weed. On of this season's winners. Cool plant:

What's that? A little bit of yellow on my Aji Limon?!?:

White Bullet Hab. Thanks Cone9! Love these:

This is a lot of heat. Yellow 7 pot:

Yellow Rocoto... not big, but numerous.

And a pic of today's pull:

Top row, L to R: Alma Paprika, Yellow 7 pot, Black Hungarian, Goat's Weed.
Second row, L to R: Purple Cayenne, Fish Pepper, Mako akokosrade, White Bullet Hab, Datil (!)
Third row: Yellow Rocoto (!)

And it can't all be roses. An unsuccess... my Joe E. Parker. Pods have BER, and are matte:

I got one perfect pod, and the rest have been sickly, and non-tasty looking. If you have any ideas why, let me know!

That's all I got. Thanks for watching!

cone9 · Aug 24, 2014

I'm certain others with more experience will be able to answer better than I but here's my take. My understanding is that it is principally a water and stress induced lack of calcium uptake by the plant. So prevention is best done by insuring the soil has adequate calcium and proper watering is observed - neither to much nor too little, especially at times of high heat.

I am having BER issues with my Bola de Dolce. In my case there seems nothing I can do but remove the affected fruit (I am yet to get a mature pod, darn it!).
The plant is in a raised bed among many other pepper plants that are all thriving and unaffected by BER. I added some calcium during my bed prep prior to planting. The bed is covered with a fabric "mulch" which has done a wonderful job of preventing the soil from drying out - I've seen no need to water the beds. If anything they've gotten a bit too wet at times due to heavy rains (out of my control).

Good luck.

http://ucanr.edu/sites/placernevadasmallfarms/files/86509.pdf

blorvak · Aug 24, 2014

cone9 said:
I'm certain others with more experience will be able to answer better than I but here's my take. My understanding is that it is principally a water and stress induced lack of calcium uptake by the plant. So prevention is best done by insuring the soil has adequate calcium and proper watering is observed - neither to much nor too little, especially at times of high heat.

I am having BER issues with my Bola de Dolce. In my case there seems nothing I can do but remove the affected fruit (I am yet to get a mature pod, darn it!).
The plant is in a raised bed among many other pepper plants that are all thriving and unaffected by BER. I added some calcium during my bed prep prior to planting. The bed is covered with a fabric "mulch" which has done a wonderful job of preventing the soil from drying out - I've seen no need to water the beds. If anything they've gotten a bit too wet at times due to heavy rains (out of my control).

Good luck.

http://ucanr.edu/sites/placernevadasmallfarms/files/86509.pdf

I bet you're 100% right. The Joe E. Parker was hastily planted in another part of the garden when I ran out of room in the pepper plot. It's by the tomatoes, which have been having some BER issues too. It's my first year with soaker hoses, and the advice I got was to run them for half an hour every 3 or 4 days. My conclusion: they need more water on a regular schedule. It's all a learning process...

So, what to do with these peppers I've been harvesting? Let's try a ferment!

First off, get my mise en place in order:

Baggies o' heat!:

Next, put on gloves! Then chop up a good base of Alma Paprikas, add two 7 pots for heat, some Black Hungarians, a T. Cola Bean just because I wanted to try it (hot!), diced onion, carrots, and garlic. And my secret fermentation kick off ingredient: strips of Napa Cabbage core:

Next, I weighted out my ingredients. Figured out 3% salt by weight (roughly 10 grams), and added:

Shook the salt into the diced peppers, and set to macerating:

After about 15 minutes, the salt drew out enough moisture to almost cover the mash:

Added a bit of water, folded up the rest of the napa leaf to sit on top, and installed my poor man's airlock. AKA plastic bag filled with water:

And there we go! Smells delightfully like the Yellow 7 pot... floral. I'm hoping that carries through to the end product. Hope it turns out!

And hope you all are having a great weekend!

blorvak · Aug 28, 2014

Warm weather is holding, which is pretty good for PDX. Looks like we'll get a bit of a cool off here at the weekend. Fall can't be far away.

Checking out the pepper plot and what do I see? The Pequin has suddenly started to turn red!:

These pods just pop off the plant when ready. Easy to pick!

My haul for today:

Top Row, L to R: Purple Cayenne, CGN21500 (my only pod!), Aji Habanero, Black Hungarian, Fish Pepper, Mako Akoksrade
Bottom Row, L to R: Goat's Weed, Pequin, White Bullet Habanero, Datil, and Yellow 7 pot.

And here's my bowl of peppers to dry:

Also had a chance to save some seeds and do some reviews. Here they are!:

Datil
Floral smell. First pod was on the smaller side, with few seeds. After harvesting, sampled the "cool" end and got some heat. Nicely sweet, faintly orange flavor. Heat wasn't as in your face (or as blazing) as the Mako Akoksrade. Nice pepper. Can see how it earned it's reputation.

Yellow Rocoto
I was expecting some heat from this pod, but what surprised me was that it was almost as hot as the Datil! Even starting at the "cool" end. Great crunch, refreshing clean flavor. Had to sample a few times. To make sure. Was packed with seeds for next year.

Fish Pepper
I've heard blah reviews of these guys, so I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it! No heat to speak of, which is different than my understanding as well. Juicy and firm, reminded me of an earthier Black Hungarian. I think it would go great pickled with them.

Pequin
Picked today, had to try. Bit off the tip, and was juicier than I was expecting. Obviously ripe. Ate a little more and found the heat. Popped the whole, tiny, pod. Nice burst of cherry, and a bit of fire. Not overwhelming, but the burn sticks with you, at the back of the tongue. Tasty!

blorvak · Sep 5, 2014

Sorry everyone for being scarce. Summer is a busy time. And although I was lifting with my knees, turns out lifting my full brew kettle is not a one man job. Anyway, on to some pod pics!

Harvest from earlier this week:

Top Row, L to R: Fish Peppers, 1st Chocolate Scotch Bonnet! (and a pretty one it is!), Yellow 7 pot
Second Row, L to R: Datil, my 1st Limons! (took forever!), and Yellow Rocoto
Third Row, L to R: Pequin, and Goat's Weed.

Today's Harvest, split into two!:

1st Row, L to R: Yellow Rocoto, Yellow 7 pot
2nd Row: Pequin
3rd Row: Aji Limon, Purple Cayenne

1st Row, L to R: Cracked Jalapeno, Datil, Fish Pepper, Aji Habanero
2nd Row, L to R: White Bullet Hab, Mako Akoksrade, and Goat's Weed

And finally, fired up the dehydrator:

Now I gotta catch up on some glogs. Or should I reload the dehydrator first? Happy Sept everyone!

bpwilly · Sep 5, 2014

Nice pictures and great description of the peppers as you are trying them out. I have been saving up my fish peppers along with the fresnos and smaller Jalapenos for a sauce base. Now you having me wondering if I have even tried one yet. I thought I had, but will need to head out to the garden tomorrow and try one to make sure.

Those harvests do add up after a while. I have been getting small picks each day and am a little surprised by the end of the week when I see just how many I have actually collected.

Dehydrator first, it is to easy to get caught up in the glogs and forget about having a real life!

blorvak · Sep 5, 2014

bpwilly said:
Nice pictures and great description of the peppers as you are trying them out. I have been saving up my fish peppers along with the fresnos and smaller Jalapenos for a sauce base. Now you having me wondering if I have even tried one yet. I thought I had, but will need to head out to the garden tomorrow and try one to make sure.

Those harvests do add up after a while. I have been getting small picks each day and am a little surprised by the end of the week when I see just how many I have actually collected.

Dehydrator first, it is to easy to get caught up in the glogs and forget about having a real life!

Thanks for the complements! Took your advice, and chopped up some more Yellow 7 pots for the dehydrator. Didn't have enough time to add a bunch of cherry tomatoes (they're like dried cranberries... so sweet!), but I did whip up this simple hot sauce while I was taking out the trash:

So, it's impossible to find this stuff in the PNW:

I could just add some vinegar back to the jar, and call it good. But you can probably tell from the White Bullet Habs in the background, I had other plans:

Simmered some cider vinegar with a clove of garlic, peppercorns, and a pinch of salt:

Poured the boiling vinegar over the peppers. Letting it mellow. Hope it's good!

blorvak · Sep 6, 2014

Update on the Peppa Sauce... good. Very good. I highly recommend making some!

Some critter (*cough* raccoon *cough*) dragged a root pouch out from my garden, and dug around in it a bit. No evidence of pod eating. Kinda hope the raccoon took a bite. That way, he won't be back! Plant is fine, and has some pretty pods on it. Not a lot, but the few it has are big and nice looking.

Having a warm summer in the PNW. Back in the 90's these last few days. It's been a while since I've put up some plant shots. Time for an update!

Here's the Datil. Lots of pods on it, some starting to turn, and my only plant still putting out lots of flowers:

The Aji Limon. Pretty spindly, but big. Sparse leaves, and a good amount of pods. I wouldn't call it loaded, but it seems to be winning the slow and steady race:

The Trinidad Cola Bean. Not very cola colored, but beauty is merely skin deep:

Goat's Weed... reaching for the sky:

Mako Akoksrade. Not my fav pod, flavor-wise, but very hot, and one of my most productive plants:

And here's the gang:

Harvests are a bit slow and steady. Next year, I'm going to plant multiples of my favs so I don't have to save up peppers before I can do something with them, like pickling.

I'm already way more successful this year than last year. Have nature and THP to thank for that!

blorvak · Sep 6, 2014

A few tasting notes from today:

Aji Limon
Been patiently awaiting these guys ripening, as I loved my only other Baccatuum, the Aji Habanero. Reviews claim this has a lemon taste. Certainly ripens a lemon shade of yellow.

After harvesting seeds, tried an end piece. Crunch, with some juiciness, then sweetness and citrus. I can see where people get hints of lemon, but to my palette, it was more of a sour note. Complex, refreshing, and tasty.

And hot! This would be too hot for my wife. I chopped it up fine, and added to some pico de gaillo. Hopefully, it's not enough to set her mouth on fire. Was not disappointed by the Aji Limon!

CGN21500
I've harvested one pod. One small pod. And that's all I'm gonna get this year, unless there's a miracle. Here goes nothing!

Chopped off the top, and tasted the stem. A bit of heat, but not the fury that you get in many Chinense. Seeded, and cut into pieces. Tried some from the bottom of the pod. Does have some heat. Sweet, hab-like floral notes, and a hint of something interesting. Almost savory. Perhaps umami? As I thought about it, perhaps something I've tasted in a tropical fruit like a guava, or durian.

A unique taste. Shame I won't be getting more so I can chase down the flavor better.

Roguejim · Sep 7, 2014

I think there is some confusion concerning the various "ajis". Are you sure your "limons" are baccatums? This description below was posted by Nigel Carter awhile ago. As for the Peruvian White Habs, they are firecrackers. Too strong for my tastes.

Aji limo is usually a red C.chinense (had them from Peru - see Indiana_jesse above)
Aji mochero is a yellow C.chinese, similar to, or the same as, Aji limon, also the yellow form of Aji limo
Aji limon is a yellow C.chinense, also known as CGN 19211. It is also know as Hot lemon habanero
Aji lemon or lemon drop is a C.baccatum, also known as CGN 17036

blorvak · Sep 7, 2014

Roguejim said:
I think there is some confusion concerning the various "ajis". Are you sure your "limons" are baccatums? This description below was posted by Nigel Carter awhile ago. As for the Peruvian White Habs, they are firecrackers. Too strong for my tastes.

Aji limo is usually a red C.chinense (had them from Peru - see Indiana_jesse above)
Aji mochero is a yellow C.chinese, similar to, or the same as, Aji limon, also the yellow form of Aji limo
Aji limon is a yellow C.chinense, also known as CGN 19211. It is also know as Hot lemon habanero
Aji lemon or lemon drop is a C.baccatum, also known as CGN 17036

Got my Aji Limon seeds from Judy at PepperLover, which she has listed as a Baccatum. Looking at the flowers, I'm pretty sure she has it classified correctly. In any case, they're tasty!

What I really like about the white habs, aside from the flavor, is their size. It's easy to chop up enough heat to taste.

bpwilly · Sep 7, 2014

The little Whte Bullet Habaneros make a great power that is fairly white in color. Goes well on popcorn! A little goes a long way, just make sure you do not inhale when eating the popcorn, or you will be coughing for a while! I know!

Roguejim · Sep 7, 2014

blorvak,

Okay, now I'm confused all over regarding aji limon...I've emailed Nigel again, and I will also email Judy. This kind of stuff drives me nuts. I'll report back.

Roguejim · Sep 7, 2014

Roguejim said:
blorvak,

Okay, now I'm confused all over regarding aji limon...I've emailed Nigel again, and I will also email Judy. This kind of stuff drives me nuts. I'll report back.

Here's an email from Judy. It appears the aji limon is mislabeled on Judy's site. I believe you are growing the aji lemon/lemondrop. You might want to try the aji pineapple sometime. I can't really tell it apart from the lemondrop, though. Cheers!

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12:15 PM

To: Jim O'Conner

Aij lemon is baccatum
Aji limon is c.chinense
PepperLover.com