CaneDog 2021

Well, here we go again.  The indoor offseason got away from me around the turn of the year, so I decided to shut things down and start clean with the new outdoor season. 
 
I dropped all the wilds, rocotos, baccatum, chinense and frutescens earlier this month and, excepting wilds, pretty much everything is up and growing.  One thing I did different this year was I didn't presoak seeds, except for a few wilds.  I checked the days-to-germinate for the first round varieties against how they did last year and, based on a quick look, it seems they were generally maybe a couple days slower, which is about what I'd expect.
 
Today, I transplanted all the baccatum (except Berry Amarillo) plus a few Moz Piri Piri (thanks Tybo!), which are sitting on top of the lights until they root in a bit and can go back below. 

 
I'm upping my tomato game this season - or at least increasing the varieties.  Usually I just grow San Marzano and Moskvich, maybe the occasional other.  This season I'm branching out a bit more with the varieties, which include Black Krim and Opalka from Dragonsfire and a bunch from Sandia.  I figure tomatoes usually germinate easy enough, so I just stuck them in a humidome toward the back of the T5HO tent where I hope they'll be happy. 

 
The other big task today was dropping all the annuum into the Coleman.  After this annuum round I'll have just a final 2 varieties I'm waiting for in the mail, then I'll be done starting peppers for the season.

 
The last bit of news is I lucked out and will have access to two 10' x 40' plots at the community garden this year, which will include the better-located one that was new to me last year.  I was concerned I'd have access to only 1 this season, which would have significantly decreased my grow.  Anyhow, I'm super happy to have all that space and I'm sure I'll find a way to make it seem like not quite enough
 
Thanks to all who contributed seeds and otherwise to my grow this year.  I hope everyone blows the doors off it this summer!
 
CD

 

[CaneDog]

I do like the look of your Datils. I grew them in my first two years and now in my third they came up as volunteers so I have plenty more. But my pods have a blunt tip. I think the variety I have is a bit unstable as they were all orange in the first year but in the second, half put out red pods.

Anyway, I found this recipe for a Datil sauce and it's a favourite, I just made a big batch: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/datil-pepper-sauce/

I can't imagine volunteer Datil here in the wet and chilly PNW. I've had tomotoes do that at my community garden plots - and produce well - but not any peppers yet.

It's funny you suggest it, because I'd planned from the beginning to make that exact sauce from the Datil pods. With your endorsement, I definitely will. Any tips? Do you change anything or just go by the book?

 

[PaulG]

Thanks Mr. G. I have a big plant of your Aji Amarillo at the community garden that's loaded with really big pods, but it will take some luck if I'm going to see any ripe ones this season.

Therein lies the rub with the aji amarillos, Dr. CaneMcDog.
I always toss a gob of green pods off those at the end of
the season. I'm pulling for you to get at least a few ripe to
taste. We had our first dip into the low 30's last night, but
the next few days returning to normal cool and damp, so
the wilds keep plugging along. It's all over for the chinenses.

 

[Siv]

It's funny you suggest it, because I'd planned from the beginning to make that exact sauce from the Datil pods. With your endorsement, I definitely will. Any tips? Do you change anything or just go by the book?

I've made the Datil sauce several times now and my main changes are to use nice tomatoes instead of paste (I usually do equal weight tomatoes to peppers) - since I'm using fresh or canned tomatoes, I don't add any water. I also may substitute honey with brown sugar and I always forget to add paprika.

I use a Korean apple cider vinegar which has really nice flavour but isn't quite as acidic as the big bottle grocery store ones. I also skip the lemon juice so I top up the vinegar to get a pH of 4 - if you follow their measurements exactly you get around pH 4.5 so I want to be a little lower to be guaranteed shelf stable.

Now this is more habit as I do this with all my sauces:
- I'm lazy so I just de-stem the peppers and put them in a blender with all the other ingredients and add a tiny bit of xanthan gum
- Blend to as fine as I can get
- Check pH, add vinegar as needed and cook
- Strain the sauce to eliminate any seeds
- Final pH check and bottle

 

[ChilliCrosser]

Hey CC. Thanks. The different F2 plants don't vary significantly as to plant structure and leaves, though the one with the largest pods looks most rocoto-like. I typically use small pots for these early F growouts, so the plants don't always develop their full/normal shape. The pods seem to be in 3 sizes, very small, small and then these cherry-size ones - which are also the roundest pods. Some of the others are more oblong. I don't know about the pod colors as the pictured one is also the only one to ripen so far. Hopefully the others get ripening soon as the weather is turning quickly and I'd like to see what the colors are.

Good move on using the small pots. I normally do the same on the early F's but chanced my luck with some bigger pots on my F2's and F3's this year when growing outside, also a few with multiple plants per larger pot. Severe regret as a bad season and lots unripe or only just started forming pods, re-learned a lesson I already knew

I've never tried intra or inter-specific crossing with Pubescens or wilds, so was interesting to see yours. I'm sure I'll try some in the future. Look forward to seeing how yours turn out.