Highalt's 2012 Grow Log

gnslngr · Aug 17, 2012

Bonnie.....wow- sure your in Colorado???????The Marconi's are monsters :dance:

!

highalt · Aug 17, 2012

Haha, thank you, Dave! What's really cool is that this variety is designed for container growing, so those ginormous pods are on a compact plant.

Today's Harvest, Part 2

Top Row = Romeo Paste tomato (1st ripe one), little West Indian Gherkin cucumbers, Sumter cuke, a deformed zucchini, and the Jimmy Nardellos
Bottom row = Costeno Amarillo (Not), Bulgarian Carrot, Chile Hidalgo, Aji Chinchi Amarillos, and a couple of Jaloros, which aren't ripe yet, but want to try a mini batch of poppers.

The Jimmy Nardello on the left was attached so deep in the plant that I broke it off trying to pick it, and knocked the other two off in the process : (

Thought about reviewing either the Hidalgo, or maybe doing a comparison of the Aji Chinchi Amarillo with the Bulgarian Carrot, since they look so similar. :think:

highalt · Aug 17, 2012

Okay, this is the last pictures I'm posting today ... really.

I went out and picked a couple more Jaloros to make my mini batch of poppers. Here's a pic before they went in the oven. Was going to have hubby put them on the grill, but a bit of a wind storm came through right about that time.

They weren't very big, and I put too much filling in them, so it ran all over the place. Not very pretty, but pretty tasty!

Some were hotter than others. My 9 year old was the only one other than me, brave enough to try one. The first one he got was mild. He took a bite of another one and gave the rest to me. He said that one was way hotter than the first one.

Had to use the Jimmy Nardello I broke while harvesting, so it went into the enchiladas.

The enchiladas were mild, but the poppers made up for it.

Have a great weekend!!!

Sanarda · Aug 18, 2012

OMGGGGGGGGG. I wasn't expecting to see food pics. Damn you people are gonna make me fat as hell before it's all over. Wane us next time pleaser. I have to be prepared. Foodies like me need to have a heads up when delicious food pics are at play. Now I have to go to the kitchen and get some salsa and chips. Dang.

PaulG · Aug 18, 2012

Very nice harvests, Bonnie, and the foodies are lovin' your
post! Me included! There is no such thing as too much
stuffing; what did you mix in with the cream cheese, if anything?

You've got it goin' still, girl, hope you found good news at the
community garden site!

highalt · Aug 18, 2012

Morning, Paul! Now that I'm actually getting some ripe pods, I need to start planning what to do with them all. A wonderful dilemma!

I mixed equal parts cream cheese and cheddar, added a tablespoon or two of parmesan, some garlic powder, and some smoked paprika. It was kind of funny last night, after I'd eaten most of the poppers, my husband thought he was going to eat the scraps of filling that had kind of stuck to the pan. He took one bite and had a strange look on his face. I said, "That heat from the pepper was absorbed by the filling wasn't it?" He gave me a dirty look, and a yes. Oooops!

Even though I'm not using the soaker hoses anymore, I'm only having to water every other day now, since the temperatures have been upper 80's to low 90's this past couple of weeks. Hopefully the upper 90's are gone for this season. I did notice a lot of flowering at the garden, so I might get a second round of pods if an early frost doesn't cut things short.

stc3248 · Aug 19, 2012

The accidental branch breaks happen to me all the time...I used to try to be careful and would even snip the tough ones with scissors, but I am not a very patient person. :rolleyes:

Those enchiladas look fantastic, the poppers too! Poppers are about the perfect food IMO! Keep it up Bonnie! Exciting to come over here and see some pod action!

highalt · Aug 20, 2012

Hi Shane! Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad I didn't put the rows any closer together at the community garden. The kids and I have knocked a couple pods off just walking through.

Last night we ate a really late dinner, so I didn't get any pics, but my husband was cooking steaks for him and the kids, along with some corn on the cob, so I cut up those two huge Patio Red Marconis and threw them on the grill. Then, I pan seared a piece of Swai fish coated with some of my Aji Yellow powder and paprika from last season, garlic powder and salt. Cut up an Aji Chinchi Amarillo and an Inca Red Drop, and threw them in the pan too. The Marconis were thick fleshed and sweet, very tasty. Even the littles ones ate some. Up to now, I've been eating most of the Aji Chinchi Amarillos raw, but sauteing them really brought out the flavor. I think they may be my new favorite! So nice to finally be sampling some of the pepper harvest!

I had one of the Fresnos in an omelet yesterday morning, and it added just the right amount of heat for a breakfast dish. Well. tonight I thought I'd try the Chile HIdalgo and another Fresno with my dinner. First I tasted the Hidalgo. The skin was very tough, not much flavor, and not much heat either. I may have picked it a little too soon, but I sure hope the rest taste better than that one. Not impressed. Then I took a bite of the Fresno. Man that thing really lit me up! :fireball:

Couldn't believe it got me that bad. It hit the back of my throat, under the tongue, even the roof of my mouth. A very sharp biting pain. Didn't make my eyes water or make me sweat, but it did make me salivate some. Maybe the heat wasn't as noticeable in the omelet because it was chopped into small pieces? I just looked up the Scoville units, and it's only listed as 5, 000 - 10,000, but I'm telling you that thing was way hotter than jalapeno level!

Well, tomorrow is the first day of school, and the first day of football, and soccer. Haven't been by the garden in a couple of days either, so it looks like a busy day tomorrow. Who am I kidding, things won't slow down for another 7 or 8 weeks!!!

stickman · Aug 20, 2012

Hi Bonnie
I've noticed a difference in heat levels in my Koreans this summer too... I think the hot, dry conditions ramped up capsaicin production and encouraged the chiles to have a tougher outer skin than usual. I cut way back on watering for the last month to speed up ripening, and when we got a few heavy showers last week, some of the pods soaked up enough water to split at the tip. The cherry tomatoes have been splitting like crazy too.

highalt · Aug 20, 2012

I'm not having problems with tomatoes splitting, but I'm having an awful lot of BER on the tomatoes at the community garden. It's odd, but the peppers at the garden aren't having a lot of problems with it, but I'm seeing quite a bit on the peppers here at the house, but not on the tomatoes here. Go figure.

This morning''s harvest. Starting from top left = 2 zucchini, Jimmy Nardello, Bulgarian Carrot, Costeno Amarillo (Not), Cosa Arrugada, Inca Red Drop, Chile de Arbol, Fresno, and Aji Chinchi Amarillo.

Noticed that the Chile de Arbol peppers are drying up before they even turn completely red. Something is not right about that. I'll try and get a close up to show you what I mean.

My Fish pepper finally has a few pods.

Spent an hour and a half down at the community garden this morning, harvesting, weeding, and watering. Came home and cut both the front and back yard. Got dinner in the crockpot, made a couple loaves of Zucchini Banana Bread, did dishes and laundry, and it's just now 2:00. It's amazing how much I can get done when the kids aren't home!!!

highalt · Aug 21, 2012

Sorry, no pepper update today, just a couple of food pics. Hope you've already eaten!

Baked Ziti. Sorry, didn't remember to take the picture until after I served my plate.

I was asked to play a couple of songs, kind of an acoustic unplugged thing at a women's group get -together this evening. Here was my contribution to the meal - S'mores Pie.

Talk about decadent! Very rich, and sweet.

stickman · Aug 22, 2012

Great looking meals Bonnie! Kudos for nursing your chiles along to harvest in an extreme year. It was frustrating at times, but the harder it is to get there, the better if feels at the finish. Cheers!

FadeToBlack · Aug 22, 2012

Nice harvest and your meals look totally delicious

PIC 1 · Aug 22, 2012

Nice food shots............smore please!

Greg

highalt · Aug 22, 2012

Thanks, guys!!!

Spent the entire morning outside, trying to catch up on yard and garden work. Lots of weeding, and watering. Today's harvest is small, but it's a harvest! Oh, and I broke another branch off while picking pods. Guess I need to use the snippers!

The new growth on some of my plants at the community garden is not looking right. I'm guessing aphid or mite damage? I'll try and post a pic soon. Thought about hitting them with some insecticidal soap, but will have to wait, as there is a good chance of rain this afternoon and again tomorrow. Have to be careful what I use over there, since the rules require that it be organic. I'm kind of hoping that the pods will just outrun the pests and disease issues, since we only have a few weeks left to the season ...

highalt · Aug 22, 2012

Just a quick pod review (not a video review) for the Costeno Amarillo (NOT). There's one in the picture above, bottom right hand corner. After searching the internet, I'm pretty sure it's a Costeno Rojo, or sometimes just called Costeno. It's the same size and shape as the photos I found online. From what I read, the Costeno Amarillo is around 1,250 - 2,000 SKU, and the Costeno Rojo is 7,000 - 12,000. I think that's pretty accurate. The flesh was thin, and the skin was medium as far as toughness goes. I thought the heat was between a Jalapeno and a Serrano. Not a lot of flavor, so I'm thinking it would be most useful in a powder blend, or just to add heat to something like salsa.

Tonight's dinner = Mexican Beef Pot Pie

Okay, it's more of an upside down pot pie, since the crust is on the bottom. I used a Melrose (sweet) pepper in the dish, and cut up the rest of the Costeno pepper to sprinkle on top of my portion.

HillBilly Jeff · Aug 23, 2012

Love all the food pics and would really love a play by play on the smores pie. Girlfriend and daughter love smores and I would love to surprise them with that.

Melrose is an awesome pepper isn't it? They can get huge at times.

Have you tried sauteed Nardello peppers? It really heightens their sweet flavor.

Your pods look AWESOME

highalt · Aug 24, 2012

Here is the recipe, Jeff.

http://www.pillsbury...e-821828fdf5b0/

I used a graham cracker crust, instead of the regular pie crust the recipe called for, because it was more S'moresy to me.

Your experience with the Melrose is a bit different than mine. I only got like 3 pods off the plant, and they tasted pretty much like a bell pepper. The Patio Red Marconi, growing in the same Earthbox has put out more than twice the amount of equally huge pods, and the flavor is much sweeter, more Jimmy Nardello like, but with a thicker flesh.

Usually working in the garden relaxes me, and puts me in a good mood, but the issues at the community garden have put me in a funk today. Lots of leaf drop, blossom drop, and evidence of bug damage on the pepper plants. The good news is that most of them are fairly loaded with pods, so I think I'll have some decent harvests before the season's over. In spite of the issues the peppers are having, they are still in better shape than everything else I'm growing down there, well, other than onions. They seem unfazed by anything. Half the tomatoes have BER though, and one plant had a serious case of leaf curl, and I ended up pulling it today. Bean plants, tomatillos, cucumbers, and even the zucchini are just not looking too good at this point, and aren't producing much of anything.

Here at the house, things are chugging along.

No these aren't peaches, they are Alma Paprikas starting to ripen up. :lol:

A little comparison between the Joe's Long (Whippet's Tail) and the Aci Sivri. The pods on the Joe's Long are longer, but then again, it podded up sooner, so they had a head start. A couple of them are even starting to show some color. Speaking of color, that's where the big difference is between them. Joe's Long starts out a dark green, and Aci Sivri is a bright yellowish green. The Aci Sivri has made a real comeback. It sat there forever, doing nothing, and I thought it was just going to wither away. One day it just took off, and it seems to be trying to make up for lost time.

Joe's Long

Aci Sivri

These last three are the real holdouts. They have all just started setting pods. With just a few weeks left to the season, it will be interesting to see if I get any ripe pods off these plants before it's over.

Aji Picante

Pimenta Barro do Robiero - Not sure how big these pods are supposed to get, but they are about the size of a Tic Tac right now. The plant on the other hand is really bushing out. It's probably only 18" tall, but it's at least twice that wide.

Japone

No harvest shot today. Got disgusted that some of the pods were ruined with what looked like earwig damage (Jimmy Nardello), and some had BER (Guajillo). I did harvest a handful of Aji Chinchi Amarillos, a few Inca Red Drops, Costenos, and a couple Bulgarian Carrots.

Ackk!!! A storm just came out of nowhere, and is dropping pea sized hail! I'll be back later ...

SocalChilehead · Aug 24, 2012

The garden and pods look great that aci sivri just looks interesting hopefully atleast those three ripen for you before the end of the season. Just amazing work you have done with all your gardens.

Melissa77754 · Aug 24, 2012

Bonnie you make me so hungry every time I head over here, smores pie?! YUM! Must make that for my girls!!

Sorry to hear about the bug and BER problems, so many unknowns you run in to with growing! This being my second year growing anything has taught me quite a bit! I just ripped out a couple of tomatoes because I found mites, not risking my pepper babies over a tomato plant! They seem to be out in full force this year, I had absolutely no bug problems last year, but then again I grew maybe 20 plants max. I didn't realize the season for you ends in september!

I will have large late harvests, not everything is supers so I will send some pepper love your way when you run low! Good luck with the rest of the season, amazing work thus far! Can't wait to see what interesting varieties you grow next year! I have some purple bhut seeds should you decide you really want to grow them. Take care!