• Blog your pepper progress. The first image in your first post will be used to represent your Glog.

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!
 
12160459874_edc8a4473f_b.jpg

 
12160725676_2031da1016_b.jpg

 
Hope everyone has had a decent winter so far and here's to happy germination!
 
12161422126_10d10e2e41_z.jpg

 
 
 
EDIT UPDATE: This glog has turned into an ongoing overwintering, greenhouse and soil building how-to!
 
Sounds like you have your hands full. Since I've yet to attempt my first fermentation I think I'll start slightly smaller than 16 gallons (and I don't have that many pods). Keep us posted .
 
Mr.joe said:
Sounds like you have your hands full. Since I've yet to attempt my first fermentation I think I'll start slightly smaller than 16 gallons (and I don't have that many pods). Keep us posted .
 
Grab some real lids with grommets and a real airlock used for brewing. Or the easy fermenter lids. Those can go on mason jars for smaller batches. The objective is a rigid lid with airlock. 
dragonsfire said:
Very Nice !
 
 
PaulG said:
Sounds like a great trip, Rich. Have fun!
 
What you described about the pickle pipes
is exactly what happened to me.
 
 
Usually I have a travel buddy, but this trip looks like its gonna be a solo, birthday trip. 
 
Yeah, the pickle pipes suck...
 
Pepper-Guru said:
 
Yes, I had high hopes for the pickle pipes...
 
Only got to keep 65% of these on the counter top here:
 
45786937041_df117e20ca_b.jpg

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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:
 
 
 
30046.png

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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. 
 
 
amboro-national-park-06.jpg
Here's to a speedy and complete recovery for the wifey unit. Damn, she's already been through enough.
 
Good luck on the trip and enjoy it. Deer season is already underway here for the archers; and that used to be my main hobby. I do intend to pickup where I left off soon with my old custom made recurve. Hope that old blown up shoulder behaves!
 
DWB said:
 
I'd believe you even if you told me I could get different phenotypes on the same plant.
 
Hey, were you able to get the full-text article for the BER study you link above? I tried but no one ever responded. I'd like to see it all to sort out some of the "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" conclusions.
 
As in. "From a review of the relevant literature it is concluded that Ca2+ deficiency is not the cause but a result of blossom-end rot (BER) in tomato and pepper fruit."
 
 
Pepper-Guru said:
 
I need someone cooler than myself to hook me up on access for the full texts!
 
I've got access through my school's library if you're still interested. Here's a link to the PDF of the article on my google drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fO0pNW9Q0YV6uYWywKiOuizIJ8I86A5X/view?usp=sharing
 
Pepper-Guru said:
 
Yes, I had high hopes for the pickle pipes...
 
Only got to keep 65% of these on the counter top here:
 
45786937041_df117e20ca_b.jpg

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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:
 
 
 
30046.png

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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. 
 
 
amboro-national-park-06.jpg
 
Rich, you are taking the trip I have been wanting to take for years - have an amazing time! Bolivia is the birthplace of capsicum species (to my understanding, could be wrong), and I always dreamed of hunting down some wild species to bring back with me from there, especially after reading Peppers of the Americas. I hope to go some time in the next 3 years. Hope you dump a bunch of pics on your thread here after the trip, I'd love to see and live vicariously through you!
 
Incredible stuff on this thread - very inspiring. Sorry to hear about your wife's fiasco with the orthopedic surgeon, it's inexcusable. Next time come up to New York and we'll get you squared away with the proper ortho care ;)!
 
Hope you are on your way to Bolivia, Rich! I have been
reading the infernochili website about the various pepper
species and classification. You will be like a kid in a
candy store down there!
 
Good luck, bro. Can't wait to see what transpires!
 
fcaruana said:
I've got access through my school's library if you're still interested. Here's a link to the PDF of the article on my google drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fO0pNW9Q0YV6uYWywKiOuizIJ8I86A5X/view?usp=sharing
  
fcaruana said:
Rich, you are taking the trip I have been wanting to take for years - have an amazing time! Bolivia is the birthplace of capsicum species (to my understanding, could be wrong), and I always dreamed of hunting down some wild species to bring back with me from there, especially after reading Peppers of the Americas. I hope to go some time in the next 3 years. Hope you dump a bunch of pics on your thread here after the trip, I'd love to see and live vicariously through you!
 
Incredible stuff on this thread - very inspiring. Sorry to hear about your wife's fiasco with the orthopedic surgeon, it's inexcusable. Next time come up to New York and we'll get you squared away with the proper ortho care ;)!
  
PaulG said:
Hope you are on your way to Bolivia, Rich! I have been
reading the infernochili website about the various pepper
species and classification. You will be like a kid in a
candy store down there!
 
Good luck, bro. Can't wait to see what transpires!

Just touched down in Santiago, Chile for my layover and then onto La Paz at 5am!!! Will report back as I find peppers!!!
 
PaulG said:
Wow, day one and pay dirt already!
 
Very interesting. Fuzzy like a c. pubescens or
c. capsicum galapagoense, 10 calyx teeth like
an Arivivi c. chacoense, and a flower like a
c. baccatum!
 
What in the world is going on in Bolivia   :think:
Did you notice the purple fringing on the corolla pre opening? That vanishes once open. The average calyx teeth count was 10 but I counted some with 11, 12, and 13! 
 
Confirmed C. Eshbaughii by people more qualified than me, I guess. I just read Eshbaughii's report on the plant and how he thought it differed from C Eximium by the teeth, and glandular pubescense...so in my mind I was looking for a hairy, purple flowered eximium with more than 5 teeth...
 
Found this right away. But have found no others today. Moving to different valley tomorrow and different elevations with different micro climates. Hope to find more species! This is so fun and exciting :) Im very happy. 
 
Back
Top