Guru's Garden - Traveling the World in Search of Peppers

Just starting this glog now so it's one less thing to do in a few months when I'm knee deep in compost and getting things in the ground.
 
Not much to report at the moment. Strains yet to be determined, but I'll probably end up growing too many like always...lol
 
 
Only thing that's going on right now is a clean back patio and the chickens doing their part turning over my compost pile on the daily. Intersted in seeing how the soil microbes appreciate the added chicken poop!
 

 

 
Hope everyone has had a decent winter so far and here's to happy germination!
 

 
 
 
EDIT UPDATE: This glog has turned into an ongoing overwintering, greenhouse and soil building how-to!

 

[Walchit]

This must be why plecodeush wants to delete his profile! Lol


Lame

 

[stettoman]

Sorry to see your trouble here Rich...
Ive got nothing but respect and appreciation for your efforts traveling abroad and sharing your finds with an honest community of enthusiasts.

Too bad about the bums out there.

I really started turning down the volume on all the pepper hype with the scoville battles and gnarly F3 Hybrids people are selling.
Too bad people are ripping off landrace varieties to make $3 on a pack of seeds.

Thanks for your travels and sharing your finds with us!
Im always excited to see your finds of (new to us) landrace varieties to be used in authentic cuisine

PS Facebook sucks and im glad googles groups got shut down too. Im not a fan of seeing khang make a new hybrid every 3 months

Matt speaks true. My feelings mirror his remarks.

 

[Pepper-Guru]

Orange Blob and Orange Ribbon
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hope everyone's season has been great this year! It's beginning to cool down now and fall is finally here! 

 

[stettoman]

Beautiful stuff there, Rich. I need a grow season like yours, we had snow last weekend.
 
 

 

[Pepper-Guru]

Beautiful stuff there, Rich. I need a grow season like yours, we had snow last weekend.
 
 

Keep that stuff up there by you! I want a real fall! None of this summer to winter crap Ive been reading about across the nation lately. I need cool breeze, warm sun and trees to color up!

 

[PaulG]

Hey, Rich, what's the backstory on the Orange ribbon?

 

[Pepper-Guru]

Hey, Rich, what's the backstory on the Orange ribbon?

 
Couldn't dig up who sent me these this year, but after some googling appears to be a volunteer that showed up in Justin from WHP's garden a few years back. He grows lots of Bhut's and Scotch bonnets. Here's his description: 
 
Description:  This is a Bhut like pepper that is really outstanding and tends to be very long with a flattened ribbon like shape.  Ripens to a great bright orange color.  Heat is less than a red bhut, but has a much better taste to me.  This showed up from a volunteer in my garden 3 seasons ago.  This years grow was pretty similar.  This is one I will continue to grow to try and stabilize a bit.  This is very unstable and anything could appear.  
 
 
I would have to agree on the taste being very good. Has that Bhut body odor thing, Frutescens perfume, and citrus heavy chinense flavor. Not as hot as a super or anything, but quite hot. 

 

[PaulG]

Sounds like a winner, Guru!

 

[Walchit]

 
Couldn't dig up who sent me these this year, but after some googling appears to be a volunteer that showed up in Justin from WHP's garden a few years back. He grows lots of Bhut's and Scotch bonnets. Here's his description: 
 
Description:  This is a Bhut like pepper that is really outstanding and tends to be very long with a flattened ribbon like shape.  Ripens to a great bright orange color.  Heat is less than a red bhut, but has a much better taste to me.  This showed up from a volunteer in my garden 3 seasons ago.  This years grow was pretty similar.  This is one I will continue to grow to try and stabilize a bit.  This is very unstable and anything could appear.  
 
 
I would have to agree on the taste being very good. Has that Bhut body odor thing, Frutescens perfume, and citrus heavy chinense flavor. Not as hot as a super or anything, but quite hot. 

Pretty sure I sent you those seeds, I had bought some from Justin and split them with you, iirc. I didnt end up getting any in the ground, there were a couple others I wish I would have planted too, next year I guess lol

 

[Pepper-Guru]

Pretty sure I sent you those seeds, I had bought some from Justin and split them with you, iirc. I didnt end up getting any in the ground, there were a couple others I wish I would have planted too, next year I guess lol

 
I thought it was you! Even searched my inbox for the terms and couldn't fish through them with enough scrutiny to find where it was hidden within all the messages. I'll send you a bag of frozen, deseeded pods if you want! 

 

[Pepper-Guru]

Something I've been trying to clear up lately. 
 
While in Iquitos, Peru in 2015, I found some of my favorite peppers to date. Aji Charapita as well as what I thought was Aji Cerezo (tio, cereza, ceraza)They have been in my garden ever since. Here they are pictured with some of my other finds that day:
 

 
 
 
 
In nearly every market, especially Belen, you will find small plastic bags of Aji Charapita and they will be labeled as such. Next to them, you will also find the small bags of the red! Both C. Chinense dominant. However, the small red bags are never labeled! I asked every market vendor that had them, no one knew the name. 
 

 
 
 

 
 
For the last few years, I always would refer to them as "Charapita Rojo" - but then after doing some searching and reading, I came across some books and articles with the name Aji Cerezo, as well as "Tio" and "Cereza". 
 
As I look through the "Ajies del Peru"  I notice they list Aji Cerezo as an annuum! 
 
So, I'm beginning to wonder if much like with Aji Limo, pictured here:
 

 
 
 
 the Aji Charapita can throw a red variation at times as well???
 
 
Here they both are in my garden almost 5 years later:
 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 

 

[Devv]

Looks like you had a great year! Great plants, produce and pics..
 
Want some of the 90's we're slated for this weekend? Just trying to share

 

[Walchit]

 
I thought it was you! Even searched my inbox for the terms and couldn't fish through them with enough scrutiny to find where it was hidden within all the messages. I'll send you a bag of frozen, deseeded pods if you want! 

I'm probably alright on the pods, I have a ton to process this weekend, and my freezer is still full from last year, I need to process those before they are freezer-burnt or something.

I also did some half gallon jars the way I saw you doing them when I first joined the forum, added salt, and some garlic, and poured boiling vinegar over them.

 

[Pepper-Guru]

I'm probably alright on the pods, I have a ton to process this weekend, and my freezer is still full from last year, I need to process those before they are freezer-burnt or something.

I also did some half gallon jars the way I saw you doing them when I first joined the forum, added salt, and some garlic, and poured boiling vinegar over them.

20191019_080859.jpg

 
 
I know those are gonna be good! 

 

[PaulG]

Guru, I looked for your post about the boiling vinegar
method Andy mentioned above, but can't find it. Can
you point me in that direction?

 

[Walchit]

When I just searched I saw a post where he talked about fermenting them then adding salt and boiling vinegar, I may have misunderstood that when I first joined the forum, Idk.

What I did was pack a bunch of pods into the jar, added a tablespoon of salt per quart( might be a lot of salt, Idk) then pour boiling vinegar in the jar. It vacuum seals do to the cooling off.

I had put a couple jars in the fridge, and when I added the boiling vinegar the jars still felt cold on the bottom, so I put those jars in a boiling water bath. I always end up boiling out some of the vinegar when I do that though.

Maybe guru can lead you in the right direction for his method, cause I'm sure I have adapted it lol

 

[PaulG]

Thanks, Andy. I really need to find a foolproof ferment/preserve method.
My ferments were horrible fails this year. One molded right away. The
other two seemed pretty good for a month, so I let them sit for awhile.
When I checked, pressure had caused a bit of the brine to exit the top,
but the seal was good. Then last week I went to get them out, and a
vacuum had sucked the pickle pipes down and broken the seal, so
they had horrible mold           
 
Darn!

 

[Pepper-Guru]

Guru, I looked for your post about the boiling vinegar
method Andy mentioned above, but can't find it. Can
you point me in that direction?

 
 

When I just searched I saw a post where he talked about fermenting them then adding salt and boiling vinegar, I may have misunderstood that when I first joined the forum, Idk.

What I did was pack a bunch of pods into the jar, added a tablespoon of salt per quart( might be a lot of salt, Idk) then pour boiling vinegar in the jar. It vacuum seals do to the cooling off.

I had put a couple jars in the fridge, and when I added the boiling vinegar the jars still felt cold on the bottom, so I put those jars in a boiling water bath. I always end up boiling out some of the vinegar when I do that though.

Maybe guru can lead you in the right direction for his method, cause I'm sure I have adapted it lol

 
 

Thanks, Andy. I really need to find a foolproof ferment/preserve method.
My ferments were horrible fails this year. One molded right away. The
other two seemed pretty good for a month, so I let them sit for awhile.
When I checked, pressure had caused a bit of the brine to exit the top,
but the seal was good. Then last week I went to get them out, and a
vacuum had sucked the pickle pipes down and broken the seal, so
they had horrible mold           
 
Darn!

 
 
I can do things a few different ways. I do fresh pod sauces, cooked and canned. Age peppers by hot filling the jars, then cracking them open many years later for cooking and blending, or sans cooking altogether. Then my personal favorite, fermenting in only salt brine enough to cover peppers, once that super good funk has been achieved, then cooking/finishing with a lil vinegar, root veggie mire poix and bottling/canning. 

 

[Walchit]

Just putting fresh pods in, and pouring the boiling vinegar works really well for me.

I did 2 ferments last year, and filled them too full. I dipped extra brine from one, and put the fermenter lids back on, they look good I guess.

But the other ones I blended up, and when they overflowed, it brought kahm yeast in on the top layer, and a bunch of nasty looking mold on the lid. I need to get my weights out and clean the jars or something.

 

[Pepper-Guru]

Just putting fresh pods in, and pouring the boiling vinegar works really well for me.

I did 2 ferments last year, and filled them too full. I dipped extra brine from one, and put the fermenter lids back on, they look good I guess.

20191022_073234.jpg

But the other ones I blended up, and when they overflowed, it brought kahm yeast in on the top layer, and a bunch of nasty looking mold on the lid. I need to get my weights out and clean the jars or something.

20191022_073222.jpg

 
Yes, I had high hopes for the pickle pipes...
 
Only got to keep 65% of these on the counter top here:
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The 35% of failed/contaminated 1/2 gallon jars went into the dank tank. Circle of life. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The issue with these pickle pipe type lids is they are malleable. That is a big problem at later stages of fermentation when some negative pressure is achieved. The lids can literally pull away from the screw on rings and it's game over. I only recommend them for short ferments. Almost can't recommend them at all for peppers. Peppers need more time than these lids like to allow, by design. Filling the jars past the shoulder seems like another big no no with these lids as the product and juices will push up, continually pushing co2 out of the nipple, and that nipple opening is also allowing contams in when that is happening. If the juice reaches the nipple, its generally game over. 
 
 
You gotta know the quirks. 
 
 
That's why I moved to these this year:
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16 gallons of rigid fermenting power. When it's over, I'm hoping to submerge an immersion blender down in there and drain out straight into a boil kettle for the cook. 
 
 
 
 
Going with two master blends this year. 
One all yellow/orange/white varieties and one all red/chocolate. 
 
 
I bought two freezers and filled them with peppers, but it's hunting season and I need freezer room, so filling 32 gallons oughta free up some space. 
 
 
All isolated harvest coming up and I skipped a harvest so the plants are super loaded. 
 
It's been crazy around here this year. Wife just had resurgery on her ORIF. Seems to be going much better this time. First surgeon messed up pretty bad, so the new surgeon had to go in, rebreak both the tibia and fibula, reset the bone tips at the correct angle, remove a bone fragment left inside the ankle joint by the first surgeon, reset the ankle joint, remove scar tissue, take out his hardware, put smaller hardware in, and had to  finally knick her achilles in a few places to make up for the two years of never bending her toes up towards her head. Yeah, its been nuts. Between all of that, landscaping, harvesting, deseeding, storing, building two websites, editing videos and photos, learning how to modify print carts and refill with third party matched inks, yeah...just need to get out and reset in the woods or something. Fall is certainly here in Ga. 
 
 
Bolivia wild/lesser known capsicum hunting trip in December is a go. I leave Dec 4th and will be there a couple weeks. Been compiling a hit list of species targets, gps coordinates, known find locations, local names for varieties, etc. Should be just as good as Peru or better. Bolivia actually looks like Peru on steroids. Rugged, old old world. Incredible geography and ruins to see. Brown baccatums and exciting wild species. Will report back.