Essegi 2016: yellow ftw!

Ok, that year i thought: should i care about the hottest and meanest pods if the ones i like most are ones with not so extreme heat profiles? And since i miss so many classics i didn't bother with new crosses.
Yellow also are so good. 3 supers i have are all yellow (they just tastes better).
 
This time i try with Pepperlover. Nothing against Semillas that was my supplier and has been a great one, i just like to try different vendors. Here my seeds: 

 
Chinense: Yellow Bhut Jolokia, Yellow Trinidad Scorpion, Trinindad 7 Pod Original Yellow, Datil.
Pubescens: Locato (PI 387838)
Annuum: Wild Tepin, Stuffed Red Giant, Hot Beads, Hot Salsa.
 
Last 2 were freebies... I'm not sure what Hot Salsa is. Also Stuffed Red Giant is not hot but it looked epic so i'll grow that as non hot pepper.
 
Probably i'll grow at max 10 per type and the rest of seeds to 2 friends of mine. Except Locato that i've started today and used all seeds. First time with pubescens, so i took the easiest to grow. I'll start Chinense in a month more or less and after another various annuums.
 
I've also seeds of Yellow Cherry and some dried peppers from Thailand. I don't know if i'll just start for friends or if i'll keep some since i don't know if i have the usual place to plant or not. For sure that Thailand peppers are good, great taste and pretty hot:
 

 
Also, from 2015 peppers from Calabria are still alive:

Weather is very wet and a bit cold (temps went below 0°C on some nights), guess they'll die sooner or later but are keeping strong.
 
And this is Goat's Weed:

Maybe it will survive, it still looks very good.
 
I've given my Aji Amarillo plant to a friend that put it on ground with a specie of greenhouse, i hope it will survive.
 
Today i've started all Locato seeds, 16:

 
 
Random shot of Radicchio (Lusia and Verona):

 
 
Today also i've bottled some olives from my tree.
Not much but nearly all good... When harvested i've discarded just a tiny bit, today other 3, the rest were good.
I've bathed them with water change everyday for 55 days with a bit of salt on water.
 
Here also spices:

All dried: Bay tree leaves, garlic, Caramel Moruga, Yellow Cherry (or something really close), To dry garlic i've sliced it thin and used some salt, result has been good.
Also i use some oregano.
 
Here olives:

I tasted one, it was good, bitter has gone away (not that i expected otherwise, 55 days of washing are a lot).
 
I used standard salamoia, 90g of salt per 1 L of water. I've boiled 2 L of water, after turning off fire i've put salt and let it cool overnight and bottled that morning.
 
Just 4 jars:

 

 
Guess they'll be ready in 2 months.

 

[Essegi]

Thanks guys!

That Locato pod looked tasty Giancarlo, and so did the jar of Salsa you made. How did it come out with the Parmagiana cheese in it?

To be accurate that was Grana Padano but in the end they're similar cheeses (somene would say that Parmigiano is much better, maybe i just don't know it enough). It was good, similar to pesto in some regards. In general i just use cheese i have at disposal and regulating salt based to that. With Grana or Pecorino Romano of course you need less salt than using ricotta. If i can i'll focus on not aged cheese since maybe i have some problems with aged ones, also it's easier to have it smoother and more liquid (and it isn't bad).
But using a basis with pepper, tomato and cucumber (i use just a little cause some is good, but i don'l love to have too much) and regulating salt it's difficult to do wrong. I add loads of garlic because it's better for me.
Other good things to add are evo (a lot possibly... Sometimes i am a bit shy on that cause it's better if the sauce is light but a nice quantity is nearly required) and almonds, pine nuts or other dry fruits (good but can be a bit expensive for daily use and not always i have them)...
Untill i'll try ferments that's the way i like best to make sauces, better than pan frying and cooking. Much easier and faster too. Also it's really good to top pasta.

 

[Essegi]

First proper yellow bhut with some hot salsas:

 
Again sauce, with some cheese like philadelphia and grana, 1 hot salsa and 1 locato, cucumber, tomato, a quarter of a big yellow bell pepper and a big clove of garlic, evo

Used with bread and some bresaola slices.

 

[tsurrie]

That looks and sounds tasty. Congrats on the Bhut. What are those salsas like ?

 

[Essegi]

Thanks!
I've yet to made up my mind on them. I taste one unripe when it was raining and tasted of grass and the others have been used much for salsa. Taste seems a standard nice sweet annuum affair with some heat. They seem similar to some hot pepper we find here on supermarket, maybe less hot.
I forgot also to mention that i ate the giant red stuffed: it was all but giant but i blame the season. Well, it was firm, a lot, i'd say even hard in a good way. Taste seemed nice but it was still unripe. Also nothing to discard, no seeds and no placenta.

 

[Essegi]

Hot salsa and yellow bhut:

 
Locato:

 
"Bright" red giant stuffed

 
First decent harvest:

Locatos, orange habaneros, yellow bhuts, yellow scorpion.
 
I've tasted a bit of yellow scorpion... It's good, nearly a fatalii on steroids! Guess i like it more tham moruga yellow and bhut yellow! I've still to really "know" it but seems one of the best supers!
Hot salsa are nice, also with palcenta heat is not bad. Maybe not a really distinctive flavour, but they are good.
 
Yesterday i took a trip to Marcesina plateau... It's one of the coldest places of Italy. I really want to check on winter that there can be some serious cold here, in 2005 there has been a minimum of -34°C. It's called the Finland of Italy..

 

 

 

 

 
Not much to see aside pines, cows and grass, and it's because of that that it's a nice place.
Also i saw from distance some guys with 2 to 4 czech wolfdogs (or very similar ones), so envious!
 

Far from peppers this could be a pleasant encounter...

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Nice harvest. Pod's look great. Beautiful scenery. Bread and bresaola is making me hungry.

 

[stickman]

Boy, that Locato looked really stressed... did it drop all those leaves or did you trim the plant? How is the flavor and heat of that variety?
 
The Marcesina plateau looks like an interesting place... In addition to the scenery, hiking and biking it looks like they also have places to do cave exploring. There's lots of local history and they make Asiago cheese nearby. Something for everyone. It looks like it gets really cold and windy in the winter. Is it a summer pasture for the cows and they move them down below for the winter? How far away did they find Otzi the ice man?

 

[Essegi]

Nice harvest. Pod's look great. Beautiful scenery. Bread and bresaola is making me hungry.

Thanks!

Boy, that Locato looked really stressed... did it drop all those leaves or did you trim the plant? How is the flavor and heat of that variety?

At beginnig i removed some leaves since it was too thick, but for the rest it did all by itself.
I hate to say that but i don't love those peppers. Yeah, they are juicy and pretty, heat is different than others... Not too strong... I tasted a pod of a friend of mine, i gave him a locato... I remember it quite hotter... Same taste. Taste isn't bad but the capital fault is that is a bit bitter. Aside that i still prefer chinense for taste,
I made my usual sauce with only locatos, no bell pepper, cucumber, garlic, tomato, salt evo and Asiago... It's a bit bitter.
Maybe i should try another pubescens variety, but it's difficult to grow those...
 

The Marcesina plateau looks like an interesting place... In addition to the scenery, hiking and biking it looks like they also have places to do cave exploring. There's lots of local history and they make Asiago cheese nearby. Something for everyone. It looks like it gets really cold and windy in the winter. Is it a summer pasture for the cows and they move them down below for the winter? How far away did they find Otzi the ice man?

Speaking about cheese i'm pretty sure that there is Enego too that is a mountain near that... But maybe i've eaten it 20 years ago...
As far as i know cows are moved down on winter. Maybe during the day it isn't so cold but in the night i guess it's too cold. I want to investigate myself that winter. About cold that place in Belluno/Vicenza/Trento in winter nights is one of the coldest of Europe (Scandinavia and Russia are colder of course). Maybe it's because now it's hot and wet here, i find that so appealing being near!
I've never been to see Otzi place, it's more north near Austria. Could be a good idea to take a trip here a weekend, for sure it's colder than here!

 

[stickman]

Sorry to hear you didn't like the Locato pods. Your pic looked like they were still noticeably unripe. One of the drawbacks to the Pubiscens varieties is that they're so slow to grow and ripen... even after they start to color up. That's why I think people have such trouble getting them to germinate. They get sick of waiting and pick the pods when they look ripe, but the seeds still need more time to be viable.
 
I understand looking for more comfortable places to be when the weather is hot and humid. It's been so hot here lately that I haven't left the house much except to work and tend the garden in the early morning.
 
If I was able to, I'd definitely want to check out the Otzi exibit at the museum where they're keeping him in Bolzano. I bet it's fascinating!

 

[Essegi]

Hi all!
Sorry if i was missing but i wanted to take a break from various forums, i wanted to break from pc. I had been more into hikes and walks (and now i must contain Morton's Neuroma or metatarsalgia if medics finds out what that is, but that's another matter... Better to use more my bike btw).
 
Now it's an year that I've been practicing medieval fencing learning just basics hits, parrying and movements. Now we started something a bit more advanced like stances, and, men, that stuff is really cool!
Also i started a professional pizza class, at the end i'll have a certificate. I don't know if i'll ever use that, but who knows?
 
Sorry if i don't have any pic...
Hot salsa peppers are excellent! It's really an heavy producer of big pods.
I haven't kept Locato plant, i don't know if it had survived though...
7 pod yellow orange didn't produced a lot nor Yellow Scorpion.
Yellow bhut had been an excellent producer and taste was good, better than 7 yellow orange. I don't really know if better than yellow scorp, i wasn't able to make my mind on that.
Naga Morich was ok, not an huge producer but did something and i liked the pods.
Orange habanero seemed me quite hot for an habanero. Still very good and decent production.
 
Today i ordered seeds from Semilllas, just a few but at least different:
 
Rocoto CAP 363
Avenir
Serrano
7pot Primo Orange
 
Too bad i didn't saw Datil on the shop, i'll try it another year (and if someone would send me some i thank you, but please no! I don't have much room and i'm ok with 4 varieties).
I wanted to buy a mean superhot to punish my friends but then i saw 7pod Primo Orange... I saw that Peter listed it as his favourite pepper here on THP profile, so it should be a good one and still very hot.
Avenir should produce lots of heavy pods with an heat profile that i like... Serrano is a classic so it's for the culture.
I've read that CAP363 is juicy and sweet... I hope to be able to grow well it.
 
I don't even know if there's the point on opening 2017 glog, i'll see..
 
PS: i haven't picked my olives that year... They've ripe too early and started to fall before noticing... Too bad...

 

[tsurrie]

Take care of your health man... stay active.
 
I see you had an interesting summer. You were learning. Now your pizzas are going to look even more delicious, like that was even possible
If you need a pepper for punishment.... I can give you a handful of 7pot Brain Strains ... punishment guaranteed
 
Too bad for the olives man. I bet they would be delicious.
Take care.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Glad to hear from you. I hope the foot gets better. I'm glad you got away from the PC. I think we all could benefit from that every once in awhile. Fencing and pizza sounds excellent. Sounds like fun. Keep living life and having fun.

 

[Essegi]

Thanks guys!
 
Well i post some photos...
Not really mine but buying that had to be done:
 

Finding picked jalapenons on market is not easy here and you find small canisters... That one instead suits my needs!
 
Now some random photos...

On right training one hand and half sword... It's 110 cm * 2,8 kg and feels really heavy... On left my one, 130 cm *2kg, but well balanced and feels half heavy...
 
Here a small walk i took with Tobi, Lorenzoni path on Euganei hills:

The place is Monastero degli Olivetani. Foundation should be around 1100 but bigger monastery has been built starting on 1207.
 
Here maybe the most famous walk of my city, 52 gallerie del Pasubio:

Last 2 pics... There's my friend in both, in one with light turned on... There was quite some fog (and i didn't complain, otherwise Sun would have cooked us).
I went here twice that summer cause some friends wanted to visit that...
Wikipedia page is quite detailed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strada_delle_52_Gallerie
Of course the main feature are the galleries... Ranging from less than 10 meters to over 300.
That road is like an huge war memorial of WWI and for sure one of the most unique...
Aside that it's a fair walk, 6,5 km with around 800m of ascension. Top height around 2000m.
Donkey was a visit we saw going on car...
Too bad i didn't shot bombardino at rifugio Papa, it was awesome!
 
The dog is a Belgian sheperd (groenendael), for sure a breed that i like... There's a place with some cows, a malga, that seels cheese. I was dubious about that place cause i thought it could live on 52 gallerie name. Well i was so wrong... Cheese is... True cheese! Like one you don't find even on ground level cheese factories... Like old school cheese, the aged one is not for the faint of heart! Expensive as you can think, but at least you get what you pay.
 
Another trip:

Last photo on a pub (big word) seeing the place where we were before, drinking beer.
I think that this one is good on hot summer, you start on woods then you are on shaded part of mountain... Of course on top you have to be careful fo the sun... Top height is 1899m
I think that one is a better walk than 52 gallerie, more varied and a bit more demanding for the soil, on some places there were some extremely easy short climbings.
I must say that drinking beer on some pubs while returning to the car on a mountain walk is some of the best experiences you can have!
 

First 2 shots are of Tenno lake, just above Garda lake. Water colour is unreal and it's clean enough to swim without issues. Also it's in middle of mountains, it's a really good place. Near there's a medieval suburb, i still must visit it but sounds interesting.
Last shot is a place where i went with friends... Coldest water i ever swimmed, for sure well under 15°C.
 

Here is the pup of some relatives, a German Sheperd Dog. Now she should be much bigger...
 

And here a random cat... He/she seems the miniature version of Tom, former cat of my house.
 

Random donkeys near home...
 
That weekend i plan to go to the highest mountain of Vicenza, Cima 12. Top is 2336m, it should be a bit cold now...

 

[PaulG]

+1 Rick! That sauce looks killer!

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Awesome pics. Pure serenity.

 

[PaulG]

Hey, Giancarlo - Great pics, brother!
 
Where is Barbarano Vicentino?  We are doing a quick
trip to Italy and will be in Venice, Florence and Rome.  Never
been there.
 
I had a Morton's Neuroma, I feel your pain my friend.
It was excruciating at times.  I had it removed about
5 or 6  years ago.  The weird minimal discomfort from the
numb part of my foot is way better than the pain that
hit with every step.  Good luck getting it taken care of.
 

 

[Devv]

Love the pics!
 
Such a beautiful country!

 

[Essegi]

Thanks all!

Hey, Giancarlo - Great pics, brother!
 
Where is Barbarano Vicentino?  We are doing a quick
trip to Italy and will be in Venice, Florence and Rome.  Never
been there.
 
I had a Morton's Neuroma, I feel your pain my friend.
It was excruciating at times.  I had it removed about
5 or 6  years ago.  The weird minimal discomfort from the
numb part of my foot is way better than the pain that
hit with every step.  Good luck getting it taken care of.
 

Wow, you are coming really near my home! Venice is less than 100 km east (and just a tad more north) from here! When will you travel?
I've been just once to Florence and Rome. I remember Rome as the big city i liked most. But for sure is hell driving here. But i guess you won't drive.
In Rome check out for Bonci Pizzarium. I've never been that but should be really good (even if overpriced for sure). Also i've heard that La Gatta Mangiona is famous for pizza in Rome (i see this one, along with Pizzarium and few more outside Neaples, listed everywhere as one of the best pizzerie of Italy.). Also check out for Carbonara, it's from here!
In Florence check out Fiorentina (t bone steak).
In Venice there are many fish restaurants but even if i am near i don't know them... I can tell you to check Sarde in Saor that is fish with vinegar and onions... It's a bit strange, bittersweet, maybe and not a lord dish but for sure an authentical one!
Here there's a nice list of true lagoon food: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Veneto
Veneto cuisine isn't particularly spectacular but there's something excellent... Probabily my favourites are sopressa, baccalà and bigoli all'anatra. That aren'r really from Venice...
 
Of course i am not even speaking about history, it's so... Huge... That i am not even worth about speaking of that (i am not cultured in history even if i am starting to repair that cause it's a big fault...).
 
Thanks for your words about Neuroma, i don't know why medic people have doubts... Even at glance i can see some fingers lowered so probably it's more metatarsalgia... Maybe a light one since still don't have pain, but there's not really room for improving or surgery if it's that, i must contain with orhotics and right shoes... Btw tomorrow i'm going to mountain to walk.
 
PS: i've already eaten 1/6 of jalapenos all by myself, and only because i am on diet (well, i guess that less the weight on my feet, the better... I've lost more than 10 kg on summer and now i want to lose as much)!

 

[PaulG]

10kg!  Whoa, buddy that's a boat load!  Good work!
 
Thanks for the tips.  We are only going to be there a
day and a half, so we're just getting a tiny taste.

 

[Essegi]

Thanks Paul! I really hope you'll enjoy that trip!
 
Here my last harvest, maybe i'll just pick a couple moore of peppers:

Hot salsas, hot beads, orange habaneros, yellow bhuts, naga morich.
Small pods, now it's cold.
Hot salsas really continue to produce.
 
If you ever come to Vicenza, mark that name: Acqua e Farina.

They started with a good pizza on tray (that now it's excellent), added gourmet pizza, and now Verace. And it's well executed! That seems came from Napoli. Best pizzeria of my city and i won't be surprised if of all north east italy! Borders are big casue it's really well risen, it's soft and not uncooked, doens't resist to bites... Excellent!
Prices are honest. Gourmet is expensive but it's luxury stuff (here there are 1 place that i like better for that type and there's another that i've yet to try, that is really expensive, but if you have a good verace, who cares about gourmet?).
 
I went to other 2 hikes, perfect days, hot for that season, no wind.
Those are excellent beginner walks, great panoramas, easy trails and no exposition.
 
Cima dodici: highest place of Vicenza, 2336m. Translates to twelve peak because at twelve a place is in shade. There are also cima (peak) 10 and 11 for the same reason.

It's an easy walk, just the last part is a bit demanding. Approximately 15km for 750m of ascension (+750 descent).
 
Here the most reasonable thing i could do:

Drink some 12 degrees beer at Cima 12!
 

It's hard to take good photos on mountain because panorama is wonderful, being on the highest mountain around. On distance there are Dolomites.
 
2 day after we went to Ortigara (2105m). Here has been one of the creuelest battles of WW1...

I inverted 1st with second pic... On 2nd you can see Cima 12. On last one Cima 12 and Cima 11.
 
On top there's a tunnel and trench system, it's really interesting:

See mountain on last pic ?
We (me) decided to go there too because we had some time... Mount Caldiera (2124m).
 
First pic is descending Ortigara.

After a bit more than one hour we were on top of Caldiera... We went straight up the mountain and was a fun walk.
 
On top panorama was interesting for clouds:

 
Here a Church on the road:

Funny walk, espescially considering we wanted to take a trip of 7km and 350m of asension and for some reason we made over 15 and nearly twice of ascension.