Highalt's 2012 Grow Log

I haven't made it to the super hot level yet, so not sure how interesting you guys will find this, but I like having one place to post all of my pictures throughout the season, so here goes.

2012 Preliminary Grow List:

Aji Yellow
Alma Paprika
Ancho Gigantia
Ancho San Luis
Barker (NuMex)
Big Jim (NuMex)
Black Hungarian
Chile de Arbol
Chile Hidalgo (don't actually have seeds for this one yet)
Chilhaucle Rojo
Chimayo
Cosa Arrugada
Costeno Amarillo
Fish
Fresno
Georgia Flame
Giant Szegedi
Habanero Chocolate
Habanero Peach
Hawaiian Sweet Hot
Inca Red Drop
Jalapeno 'Biker Billy' (The only hybrid on the list)
Jaloro
Japone
Jimmy Nardello
Lemon Drop
Melrose
NuMex Espanola Improved
NuMex Pinata (don't have seeds for this one yet either)
Patio Red Marconi
Piment 'd Espelette
Rain Forest
Rocotillo
Sante Fe Grande
Serrano Tampiqueno
Tollie's Sweet Italian

*Disclaimer - this list is subject to change ... hourly

I host an annual group pepper seed swap on another site, so I'm sure I'll probably add to this list once that gets going, but this is the bulk of what I plan to grow anyway. The problem with adding to this list isn't where to plant them, it's finding enough cat-free space indoors to start them all!

If you check out my post on early season Serrano substitutes you'll see I'm still looking for information on a few of the peppers I"m thinking of growing. It's so much better hearing from someone that has actually grown a variety, rather than going by a description on a seed vendor's website!

The habaneros may get started in the next couple of weeks, but I'll probably wait until February to start the rest. I'll be back with pictures once the seeds are in the dirt.

 

[stickman]

Awesome looking white chili Bonnie! Would you mind posting the recipe? My wife has GIRD and is trying to cut out most of the acidic foods in her diet. You had a nice looking pull on Saturday too. It's kind of sad to see the chiles winding down after putting so much time and effort into getting them going, but I get almost as much fun out of planning for next year as I do growing them. Cheers

 

[Pulpiteer]

Wow, that chili looks amazing!

 

[stickman]

Hi Bonnie
I was sent this link to a recipe for Macedonian Ajvar, and thought it would be right up your alley.

http://www.acanadian...om-the-balkans/

Since you're working now it would probably be a weekend project, but I've tried this, and it's pure gold if done right and you don't take any shortcuts.

 

[Sanarda]

Yummyyyyyy..

 

[highalt]

Hi Bonnie, the invisible man returns! The "not much of a hurricane" made for an extremely busy few weeks home, that and some internet issues(shut down a wireless router, and went straight into the cat 5 input with the modem...and that changes your IP adress, and they then think you have more than 1 machine hooked up-what a mess, and good luck getting a human being at a cable company anymore!)relegated me to i-phone access only for a while.whew-almost started to rant!Anyhow...
Great to see the season was really rockin for you at the end!I ended up with a Peach Hab, and though they aren't that hot, they are great "eaters".Next year I will be doing more low/mediums as well.
Are the C Amarillos different from Aji Amarillos?

I was smart this time I went out and picked up some dinner first, so when the jelly and chili popped up ,I was ready..LOL.
Have a good one-
Dave

Nice to have the invisible man stop by for a visit! Sorry to hear about your computer woes. Hopefully they are all behind you now.

Dave, I grow the Aji Yellow, not the Aji Amarillo. The original seed came from Aji Joe, and he says the Yellow is better than the Amarillo, though I'm not sure what the differences are between them. The Aji Chinchi Amarillo is a bit different though. Pods are a little smaller, have a little less heat, are more productive, and are way earlier to produce. For short season grower's like me, it's a great baccatum. I will be growing it again.

Awesome looking white chili Bonnie! Would you mind posting the recipe? My wife has GIRD and is trying to cut out most of the acidic foods in her diet. You had a nice looking pull on Saturday too. It's kind of sad to see the chiles winding down after putting so much time and effort into getting them going, but I get almost as much fun out of planning for next year as I do growing them. Cheers

The original recipe was from a cooking magazine, and I can't find the exact one online, but this one is very similar.

http://www.tasteofho...e-Chicken-Chili

I used 2 cans of diced green chilies, instead of one, increased the beans to 3 cans, and added some Aji Yellow Powder, and some Aji Chinchi Amarillos. Oh, I also added a couple of white carrots out of the garden.

Wow, that chili looks amazing!

Thank you, Andy!


TODAY'S UPDATE:

I had another really big harvest at the community garden today. I think the plants know its just a matter of days before the first frost, and they are all working overtime to ripen the pods. Unfortunately, no pictures tonight. The peppers are in the fridge at work, since I had to go straight to the grocery store, and didn't want them sitting out in the heat. I'll try and remember to take some pics tomorrow. Oh, and the big, scary brain looking Choc. Hab. was one that got picked today.

Tonight's dinner was bowtie pasta with shrimp and broccoli. The last time I made this dish, the hubby said it was too spicy, and I thought I put less Aji Yellow powder in it this time, but the whole family whined about the heat, so guess I'll have to powder my portion only next time. I added one of Shane's Scotch Bonnet's to my bowl, and thought it went really well with the dish. The heat seemed about habanero level, with some bites having a lot more heat than others. It was juicy and crisp, and even though it had some of the Chinense smell and flavor, which I'm not crazy about. it wasn't overpowering, and I really enjoyed this pepper. Pretty sure this one's going on the grow list for next year.

Ground up four trays worth of dehydrated peppers this afternoon, and wore gloves, but when I took a shower this evening, it felt like my face was on fire. Anyone else notice that hot water intensifies the skin burn, and even makes it reappear after it has subsided?

 

[Pulpiteer]

Ground up four trays worth of dehydrated peppers this afternoon, and wore gloves, but when I took a shower this evening, it felt like my face was on fire. Anyone else notice that hot water intensifies the skin burn, and even makes it reappear after it has subsided?

Absolutely. Last night I was up grinding dried peppers into powder and they killed me. Tonight I made some strawberry and brainstrain jam and washing the dishes got some oils on my hands and the hot water definitely intensified the burning. It lasted a good 45 minutes after all was said and done.

Oh, and I forgot to mention this on my glog. I tried the bandanna thing around my face like Shane had for his picture. Totally failed. I think it only served to trap pepper dust between the "mask" and my skin, thus intensifying the burning, coughing and choking. I have a new theory that Shane does not wear the bandanna to lessen the burn, but rather to increase it because he's an animal. So again, yes, hot water intensifies the burn. And that's why Shane uses hot water.

 

[highalt]

So here are the pictures from yesterday's harvest. The forecast is calling for a low of 30 degrees on Saturday, so the next harvest will be the final one.

Group shot. Had to stand on a chair to get everything in the picture! There are 28 varieties of peppers represented here.

Close up of my pretty Peach Habaneros

Okay, Dave, this picture is just for you. It's a comparison shot of the Aji Chinchi Amarillo and the Aji Yellow. Ignore the fact that the Aji Yellow pod looks ... um, sort of like a Peter pepper. It was one of the first pods to set, and the rest are shaped more like they are supposed to be. You can see though that the Aji Yellow is a deeper yellow, almost orange, and the pod is beefier.

Row of Jaloros. Most productive jalapeno I've ever grown. The early ones had a good amount of heat, but they weren't ripe yet. Can't wait to see how these taste!

Comparison shot of what is supposed to be a Long Pod Chocolate Habanero (the one that looked brainy early on) with a regular Chocolate Habanero.

Close ups of the (NOT?) Long Pod Chocolate Habanero. It almost looks like a Chocolate Scotch Bonnet to me.

... and finally, the bowl o' peppers shot. It was literally overflowing, but I managed to get everything in there for the picture.

Well, I'm out of time. There is an entire shelf in the refrigerator full of bags of peppers waiting to be put in the dehydrator, or turned into jelly, pickles, etc. and I only have a couple of hours before the kids have to be picked up from school.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Nice looking next to last picking. I've been picking a little every day as Friday will be the end of mine.

 

[stickman]

Hi Bonnie
Very nice pull again! Good on ya! Came home from work and found your envelope with the seeds... Thanks so much!

I'm looking forward to planting all of them, but probably not all the same year. What do they taste like to you?

 

[highalt]

Hi Bonnie
Very nice pull again! Good on ya! Came home from work and found your envelope with the seeds... Thanks so much!


I'm looking forward to planting all of them, but probably not all the same year. What do they taste like to you?

Glad to know that they arrived safely! I should have waited a few more days so that I could send you some of the Chilhuacle Amarillo powder to try. The flavor is a little different than the red powders.

As far as taste goes:

The Alma Paprika has a thick flesh, similar to a Pimento, but with a little more heat to them. They are very good stuffed with cheese, but I've also dried them for a nice mild paprika. They'd probably be great pickled too, though I haven't tried them that way before.

The Piment d' Espelette has a medium thick flesh, which is crisp and sweet, with a mild heat. The flavor is better than the Guajillo, probably closer to the Sandia. If you have seeds for Sandia, you may not want to grow them both in the same year, since they are similar. The flavor is good as the Sandia's, but the Sandia is a lot more productive.

Aji Chinchi Amarillo - They are crisp with a fresh flavor that is similar to the Aji Yellow, sort of citrusy. Kind of like a Scotch Bonnet without the "chinensiness". Heat is maybe jalapeno level. I think this is a wonderful pepper. It is super productive, and very early for a baccatum. You should grow this one for sure!

 

[stickman]

Hi Bonnie
Thanks for the rundown on the seeds you sent, it helped a lot in planning for next season. I was already going to plant some sweet-hot chiles... Georgia Flame, Rezha, Hungarian Paprika and Alma Paprika are all I'm going to have room for since I'm going to plant Orange Manzano, yellow scorps and Criolla Sella in addition to the Korean and Mexican chiles.

 

[romy6]

Great updates and harvests Bonnie. Pods are rolling in just at the nick of time. I see lots of jam amd jelly in your near future. Your relatives and neighbors don't know how good they have it.

Best of luck on the final harvest. Hopefully it is the biggest one yet

 

[PaulG]

Your harvests look great, Bonnie, as well as your great culinary exploits!
The shot with the 28 varieties reminded me of Andy's quilt!
It's nice that you keep getting more harvests out of your gardens; the Fall
here has been very mild as well, and there may still be one or two more
reasonable harvests for us. Hope the weather holds for you. We are only
down to 40-41 on the cooler nights, but every so often a high 40 or low 50
sneaks in!

Keep up the good work, girl!

 

[Sanarda]

The pods look fantastic Bonnnie. You had a great season. Its sad to see the season draw to a close, but now we will have the time to get our cook on

 

[highalt]

Took over 6 hours to pull everything, even with my two little ones helping, and I am completely exhausted, but it's DONE.

Well, instead of one bowl full of peppers, I ended up with 8 bowls and 1 box of peppers, plus 6 large plastic bags of tomatoes, two bowls of grapes, and a pile of onions. I didn't even harvest the container plants. Just moved them into the garage for the night.

Bowl #1 = Rain Forest, Inca Red Drops, etc.

Belize Sweet, Chiero Recife, Cachucha

Aji Rojo, Jalapenos, Tobago Seasoning, etc.

Habaneros - Peach and Chocolate, Cajamarca

Aji Chinchi Amarillo, Rocotillo, etc.

Box of Sandia, Chilhuacle Amarillo, Guajillo

Those were all from down at the community garden plot. These next photos were from the plants here at the house.

Joe's Long, Expanola Imp.

Big Jim, Chilhuacle Rojo, Aji Picante, Japones

Pimenta Barro do Robiero, Piment d' Espelette, Ancho San Luis

Group Shot

Oooops, think I've hit the picture limit. I'll be back after a bump. Or in the morning if I get too tired.

 

[PIC 1]

Wow.......Great harvest shots Bonnie !. Your hands will be full with the .freezing, canning and powdering..............tasks that most of us wouldn't mind having

Greg

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Excellent looking final harvest.

 

[roper2008]

Nice bonnie. I'd say you had a very good pepper year.

 

[highalt]

Pimenta Barro do Robiero. Such a pretty plant, and interesting pods, but didn't ripen before the season was over. Guess they'll have to finish up in a bowl on the kitchen counter.

Picture of the community garden plot right before the final harvest.

The plants all looked thirsty, but there really wasn't any point in watering them.

Part of the pumpkin harvest. There are also a few small ones in the garage.

Even with the kids eating as many as they wanted all summer, and my husband taking a huge bowl to work one day, we still had quite a few grapes left on the vines.

Here is my biggest disappointment of the season - LOTS of green tomatoes. Yeah, yeah, I know about fried green tomatoes, but what I really want is to can some salsa with RIPE tomatoes!

Amish Paste. Should have put a quarter in there for size reference. These things are huge for a paste tomato!

What was interesting about the tomatoes is how much better the ones here at the house did. I had 6 here and around 12 down at the community garden. I got more than twice as many from the 6 plants here, as I did from the dozen down there. LOTS of BER over there, and the tomatoes were a lot smaller in size too. Not sure what to do different next time.

 

[gnslngr]

Bonnie said:Okay, Dave, this picture is just for you. It's a comparison shot of the Aji Chinchi Amarillo and the Aji Yellow. Ignore the fact that the Aji Yellow pod looks ... um, sort of like a Peter pepper. It was one of the first pods to set, and the rest are shaped more like they are supposed to be. You can see though that the Aji Yellow is a deeper yellow, almost orange, and the pod is beefier.

1) I say: Thanks Bonnie...as I have said next year I will have as main objective #1:Grow more "eaters"! Fantastic year, funny how the waiting usually ends up in a sudden avalanche if we do things right. So I will pm you ...and there is more then one funny joke in there LOL.

2)Shane's bandit scarf is hiding a great big red faced evil grin, really what it does is give you "clown face lips" when it keeps the powder residue in place long enough to give you a bright red capsaicin tattoo!
3) I've said it before-many awesome varieties!
4) Yes, pepper residue and hot water are self multipliers when when encountered simultaneously.So there is hope for people with bad hot water heaters.LOL!
5) You are now officially deep into the "Overflowing" or "My cup runneth over" stages!
Thanks Bonnie-
Dave