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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: 
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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.
 
Thanks guys!
A small update:
 
Just 4 locato out of 16 sprouted:

One season i must change my germ tech because it's the worst of of my growing (though it worked well with annuums).
 
Also soaking seeds.
 
7 per type: 7 pod yellow, trinidad scorpion yellow, bhut jolokia yellow and datil.
That evening i'll start them.
 
No food pics here that time, i've posted some on cooking with fire, just experimenting on low histamine food before seeing a specialist...
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/58692-ipo-histamin-thread/
 
Still no hooks from last seeds, but other 2 locato sprouted! Now 6/16.
 
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One on left is struggling.
 
Now food time...
I've worked all the day but it was worth it.
I believe to have cooked my absolute best until now, pics don't make justice.
 
Now i start with the stew gulash inspired. Ingredients:
Sheep
Broth
White wine
Evo
Paprika
Apple
Garlic
Celery
Sage
Rosemary
Carrots
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Red onions
Red bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
Bay tree leaves
Cumin
Cilantro seeds
Turmeric
Salt
Flour
Black pepper mix
Goat's Weed
Calabrese hot peppers
Bishop's Crows
 
 
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Nearly a soup.
I was lucky to cook it perfectly. Meat was extremely soft. Like butter. On that regard maybe the best stew i've ever had. Really excellent.
 
Now pizza. No heat cause some guest didn't like it...
3 days rising, 4 flour types...
 
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Pesto, tomatoes, buffalo mozz, stracchino
 
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Passata, buffalo mozz, tastasale (meat for sausages) and radicchio di Treviso.
 
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Passata, buffalo mozz plus buffalo burrata and prosciutto dI Parma after cooking.
 
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If you are looking for the winner, it's that one...
 
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Passata, buffalo mozz, pepperoni, onion and yellow bell pepper marinated in evo and black pepper mix and salt, radicchio di Treviso, tastasale.
 
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What to say... Best pizzas i ever made. Pics (and plating) don't make justice. Dough was so good. A bit crunchy but still soft, not hard by any means. Also i got lucky to have great ingredients, none excluded (special mention to mozz, burrata and prosciutto that all demands quality), homemade pesto and passata are great!
 
Good idea to tie the cultivation and recipes to appreciate not only your chiles, I'll have an extra reason to follow you!
Best of luck for your 2016 season!
 
Un saluto
Daniele
 
That year i'm doing my worst to germ chinense... Myabe has sprouted just another since my last post.... No datils, no yellow 7... I must retry next year.
 
Here all plants i have: 4 yellow bhut, 3 yellow scorps. 3 Locato (+3 given away).
 
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On the other hand locato is great:
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It has even flowers... For now seems fast.
 
On the other hand now i finally know how true pizza is.
I went to Naples cause a friend of mine had to collect a literary award.
He wrote a Rambo prequel and is authorized by David Morrel (Rambo creator) since it's free.
If someone is interested could check his work: http://www.ramboyearone.com/
There's an english translation and a guy that works on BBC appreciated it so it shouldn't be that bad (i can say that in italian it's a good read even if i am not a Rambo fan).
 
Of course i dind't go there only because i'm a nice guy... I just had to calibrate my pizza meter.
Unfortunately i've been there just yesterday (but has been a really cheap  travel at least).
I planned my travel to reach 4 famous and among the best pizzerie that luckily were near bus station (2km walk).
So have visited just a small piece of that city and it was impressive how many pizza shops there are. Where i live there are many, but it's not even comparable.., And without speaking about quality. I need at least a month...
 
First place i saw was the mithical pizzeria Da Michele. They make just margherita and marinara because it's right to do that. Probably it's the most representative and one of the oldest, considered the best by much people. On the other hand someone say that lately has lost much.
Since it wasn't my first choice and i visited it too early i didn't try it. Guess what? Not a problem i'll try next time and i could try another one...
 
First of all i had to do breakfast... And i saw babà... Lots of them. I love that stuff. I just ordered the bigger i saw. Then i realized that starting the morning while i was starving with a cake full of rhum maybe wasn't the wisest choice... But who cares?
 
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Twice the size of the ones i'm used to... And i've eaten half of my friend cause he wasn't too fond of rhum on that moment. For sure i didn't regret that.
 
 
For sure fish lovers are at home here.
This is one of many shops like that.
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Some fish and seafood are still alive.
 
At 12 o' clock it was time to eat. A bit ealier to tell the truth...
So i went to Antica Pizzeria e Friggitoria Di Matteo.
11:55 am:
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I didn't saw Di Matteo (that has been world champion or something like that) but... That wins the day. And the fact that i was still hungry doesn't matter.
I don't know if it's the best pizza i ever had... For sure it's the best i've had since i pay attention to pizza execution.
This looks excellent and tastes better, Dough was so soft but so perfectly cooked... With, of couse, excellent tomato and great mozzarella... A bit watery but not too much. Here it's personal preference, some like that, some not... But considering how dough was absolutely not wet (still being absolutely soft) that was so good! And so light...
It wasn't big, but that was good for me. And luckily i didn't wait much.
Costed 3€.
 
Next i went to Gino Sorbillo.
I know it's another big name among pizza experts...
I saw some fried pizza that looked sooooo goood.... But another time, because i've already tried fried pizza and it's good, but i prefer normal pizza. But maybe one made from a true grand master...
Place was really small and here i was lucky that it was still early and i didn't wait long.
Here i took just a bad photo...
00:18 pm
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Because that was already folded...Probably i was just too interested in tasting that, i should have folded it again and shoot the classic Neapolitan wallet...
That one was really good too but i liked more Di Matteo. I think that some seconds more of cooking would have been good..
Aside that, just another mastercrafted pizza... More salted and a bit smoky (maybe there was some smoked grated cheese inside, i don't know). That melted mozz is pure gold.
Oh, and the price: 2€
Total 6,5€ for 2 margherite, water and a bottle of beer.
 
The i went to Da Michele but there was too much people... But we had to lose time so i went to another one:
Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba
Antica means ancient and for a good reason.
Quoting wikipedia: "First established in 1738 as a stand for peddlers, Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba was opened in 1830 in the town center at Via Port'Alba 18."
It's believed to be the first true pizzeria of all the world.
2:36pm:
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Spotting is marvellous.
Just another great pizza. Maybe crust was a bit compact comparing other ones. The only neapolitan pizzeria in my city resembles that one, but that one i cooked better. No complaints.
Price of just pizza: 4,5€ but it was a bit more massive than others. And the place elegant.
 
Then we did what we must. My friend had to eat (he just ate one of Sorbillo and a small slice of Di Matteo) so we went near train station. I wasn't hungry cause 3 pizze, even if margherite, are no joke... But it wasn't a problem. But i wasn't sure that eating near the station was a good idea... But we went to:
Pizzeria Franco
at 8:02 pm arrived that:
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This looks good!
And it was great! A bit too burnt on a side but apart that excellent. I really liked tomato. I like most Di Matteo, but i'd rank that second of that day!
If, by chance, you pass to Neaples central station, you can go here that is near and have a true pizza just outside.
Just, for God's sake, avoid McDonalds with all that goodness!
 
4 true margherite on one day... Would re-do asap!
 
Trident chilli said:
Those pizza .. so good .. Di Matteo was a footballer who played for Chelsea wonder if it was named after him ... love your glog a true pleasure to read
Thanks! Di Matteo pizzeria is much older than the player: 
Also Clinton ate here in 1994 when he went to Neaples. I wanted to visit another pizzeria called Il Presidente (The President) and was opened to honor Clinton from same pizza maker (or something like that, i don't know that story).
But Pizzeria di Matteo is from 1936.
 
We had pizza for dinner last night but after seeing your pics I could have it again tonight. Beautiful pizzas my friend, thank you for posting. Sounds and looks like you had a great time. Cheers
 
Is there a new game "how much pizza you can eat in 24hrs?" :-)

Just kidding... Great info and I love the pics. Nice peppers too.
Mmm... Now where can I get pizza asap?!?
 
Quick update:

started annuums: 20 Giant Red Stuffed, 7 Wild Tepin, 6 Hot Beads, 6 Hot Salsa.

I hope that will be luckier than chinense...

Actual situation (after some giveaways):
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I've opened my olives. They are good, just as expected.
Made some pizza and put on one:
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looks crappy but was good. :)
 
I haven't popped into the glog section much over the winter so I didn't notice that you started a glog until Rick bumped it. The food looks great and best of luck with the plants.
 
Thanks guys! Me neither i am following much glogs. I must check other next days.
Sorry for pic quality but i am on hurry.

Today i planted on ground my stuff. Germ has been really bad but at least i still have more than enough heat for me.

That's Locato:
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Basically it stopped to grow for 2 months... See central high branches? They grow since last weekend. Now it has restarted to grow and seems really fast!
 
All my chinenses:
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From left to right:
Habanero Orange (bought 2 days ago on a supermarket... I just was missing something with that heat profile that is the best).
Yellow Bhut Jolokia
Trinindad Scorpion Yellow
 
Annuums:
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The small on left is a Hot Beads. 2 has germinated, only 1 survived. It just isn't growing. I hope with warm weather it starts...
Other 2 are Hot Salsa. I really want to see what is that. One seems smaller... One day i found it broke. Guess i should blame cats.
 
Other stuff:
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7 giant red stuffed. Only one has a decent size.
Other are bought plants:
6 red quadrato pepper
6 cuore di bue tomatoes
4 marzanini tomatoes
4 zucchini
 
That year i don't have my aunt's place... At least it's more comfort, i hope chinense will get enough Sun.
 
I hear ya G... we're all cutting back this year. It's been a crazy spring here... it got really warm really early, then it got really cold. It looks like it killed most of the Peach blossoms and it'll be at least another week before we can plant outside under cover. Good luck with your grow!
 
Thanks Rick! I don't know about that season. Here it has been an hot winter, until now there's nothing really wrong. I can say i was caught off guard by Giant Red Stuffed that took a lot to germinated. I lost hopes and some germinated well over a month. Even a month and half one. So now they're really small and since that should produce big pods i hope they're still in time.
Also i'm not sure my place is good for superhots, it's in shadow in the morning and on late afternoon, though i tried to put them on the best position.
 
I took other photos:
 


Yellow Bhut flower and buds. This will be productive!
 

Yellow Scorpion seeem a bit bigger but harder to set buds.
 

Habanero Orange is starting too and seems it will be doing well.
 

Hot Salsa is doing something too. It's on the hottest and more sunny place... Too bad it's too near a wall otherwise i'd have put superhots here (guess there's not enough room for them).
 

Locato is again setting too...
 
Some fungicide on top, guess won't hurt.
 
And here maybe the best new on my garden:

Apricots planted last year seems doing well
 

Strawberries
 
Fig of course is super healthy:

 
Plums are suffering cause some bugs (disinfested a bit too late) but still they are producing a lot:
 
I'm curious to see how your Locato does with morning and afternoon shade... I'd want it to have partial shade at mid-day and full sun the rest, but maybe your setup will be OK.
 
Nice pics!
 
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