maxcaps 2014 grow: avoiding the freeze!

romy6 · Jul 22, 2014

Looking ~~good~~ no most excellent . very jealous

I dry all typed of pods and heat level at once with no problem . Utilize the space you can always grin them up separately .

I am very picky about pods . If it has a slight abnormality I toss it in the compost .

Keep up the great work and love the reviews .

Devv · Jul 22, 2014

Nice harvests Adam!

I'm amazed at the produce you're getting from those small beds, I never would have thunk it

Ricks Hab sauce is a killer recipe, I have quite a bit put up

Bees, and wasps, I get a localized allergic reaction (swell like hell). So I stay away if possible. Some soapy water in a spray bottle that can spray in a stream versus a mist will knock them down and kill them, then you can follow up with water once they're gone rinse.

maximumcapsicum · Jul 23, 2014

MeatHead1313 said:
Looking outstanding Adam! As for your questions, in my experience I've kept the rain burst pods (which I've had a few of myself lately) if they're not too bad. Haven't noticed any real difference.
2 I can't help with. Never done a fermentation.
3-did that a few times last year and didn't have any adverse effects. To be safe though I put milder peppers above the hotter one's.
4-all of the available answers. Lol.

Thanks man! I dried most of them, tossed about half of 'em. Especially the ones with soft spots or obvious insect damage. More drying and fermenting ahead.

OCD Chilehead said:
I can't believe the pod pulls Adam. Congrats Congrats Congrats. You deserve it. That Brown gave me cramps just looking at it. Ate one of those Sicman sent me and damn it was brutal. That Goats Weed is a nice looking plant. Just ordered some seeds from Judy (pepperlover). Cant wait to see what kitchen project comes next.

As always, thanks for sharing.

Yeah I am astounded as well. I got maybe a tenth of this productivity last year. I think the raised beds and rich compost really help. Going to do another round of feed as well to see how long I can keep this going.

Goat's Weed is perhaps my favorite non-jal annuum, certainly my favorite flake so far. I am letting a bunch of them redden up before I pick to keep the dehydrator busy.

ribbedturtleneck said:
Hit that yellow mushroom with a strong blast of water and run like the wind!

Tonight. Report incoming. They seem to be off their guard after all the rain recently.

stickman said:
Very nice pulls you've been getting Adam, way to go!

I'm not sure why your Chintexle is more interested in putting out foliage than pods... how are your nitrogen levels in the soil? How have your temperatures been? Mine have been producing well, but it's been a cool spring and early summer here.

I keep cracked pods if they don't have soft spots, I just use them right away.

Most peppers make good ferments with the right fruits/veggies added for flavor and texture. You might want to check in with brother Bill (rocketman) and Salsalady for suggestions. Bill says it's better to start simply with just a few things to get a handle on the process, and then tweak it to your taste from there.

Drying and grinding excess pods is always a popular choice if the pods are tasty. If they're too strong-tasting (like Barrackpore, Douglah, Butch T for example) their flavor can often be improved by smoking with cherry wood before drying and grinding. I'd use smaller amounts of them in powder blends so their flavor doesn't overpower the others. I don't keep my dried, powdered pods separated by variety... I make blends. So drying multiple varieties at the same time makes sense.

One of my favorite ways to use whole, dried Bhuts and Scott's Funky Reapers is to use them to infuse good-tasting vegetable oil and drizzle it over foods or incorporate it into marinades. It spreads the heat out enough that you can really taste the flavor of the peppers... kind of like how adding water to straight whiskey reduces the burn of the alcohol and allows the taste of the grain to come through.

You could use all the methods mentioned to process Habaneros... don't exclude cooked sauces from your list... they're tasty and have a much quicker turn-around time than ferments. Here's a recipe for my "Rick's Red" Hab sauce...

[SIZE=12pt]3 pounds Red Habaneros, processed to a mash in a food processor
1-1/2 pounds Carrots, grated
2 jumbo Spanish Onions, chopped
1 head Garlic, chopped
2 cups shredded sun-dried Tomatoes
4 stalks Celery, chopped
1/4 cup salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp ground Cumin
6 cups white vinegar
1-1/2 cups water[/SIZE]

I cook it all until soft, puree well in a blender, run through a food mill to get out all the seeds and bits of veggie skins (making the sauce smoother), and process in a hot water bath canner if using canning jars, or keep the temperature of the sauce at 170 degrees while filling woozies, then cap and store upside-down.

Keep on truckin' Adam!

Followed your advice; kept most the cracked pods but went ahead and stuck them in the dehydrator and discarded softies. Applying some more of your advice below, especially to the reapers. I'll give your sauce a try when I build up some more habs... once the freezer is stocked I'll get started.

So now oils and more sauces are in the list. I should probably buy a blender, hah! Been using my small food processor and a seive for everything so far, but the sauces are still pretty thick.

Sawyer said:
Yeah, you need to get rid of that wasp nest. They are great predators to have in the garden (they're murder on cabbage worms), but not right there. I have successfully moved a red wasp nest before (superglue, cardboard box, "over there" out of the way), but then you'd have to worry about allergies amongst your fellow gardeners.

I think your questions have been well-covered, but I'll add this about the cracked pods. Even if they aren't of good enough quality for eating, you can still dry them, grind them, and use the powder as a repellent.

The rain struck it a blow yesterday. Momma wasn't there, but there were some squirming larva in the cells still. If it's in the same state tonight and I'm there sans toddler, I'll knock it down and run away!

I actually think the wasps ate the spiders, the jerks. That or the orb spider life span is up. Haven't spotted a single worm. Earwigs are still annoying.

HillBilly Jeff said:
Peppers are looking good man. Continued good growing!!!

I simply cut peppers in half and freeze. I can pull out what I need and dice while still frozen for whatever I am cooking. I personally don't like a vinegar taste in my peppers, so I don't really pickle them. Once you dry them, you've dried them. You can still dry ones from the freezer. I like smoking em first,

Thanks HJeff! Yeah my freezer is well stocked. Over stocked that's for sure. Need to process more into powders and sauces to share!

I don't mind the vinegar too much, but if the acid gets too high (lets say in the 2 range) it starts to become unpleasant to me. Sometimes vinegar actually adds a pleasant tang to the taste.

romy6 said:
Looking ~~good~~ no most excellent . very jealous

I dry all typed of pods and heat level at once with no problem . Utilize the space you can always grin them up separately .

I am very picky about pods . If it has a slight abnormality I toss it in the compost .

Keep up the great work and love the reviews .

No need for jealousy, you got it great down there! Yeah good to know on the dehydrator. It doesn't use much power but I hate to be wasteful, so if I can stick a bunch of different varieties in at once all the better. Probably going to combine alot of my colors soon... fatalis, yellow bhuts, and (not) white bhuts are probably going in the same powder for example.

Devv said:
Nice harvests Adam!

I'm amazed at the produce you're getting from those small beds, I never would have thunk it

Ricks Hab sauce is a killer recipe, I have quite a bit put up

Bees, and wasps, I get a localized allergic reaction (swell like hell). So I stay away if possible. Some soapy water in a spray bottle that can spray in a stream versus a mist will knock them down and kill them, then you can follow up with water once they're gone rinse.

As always, thanks Scott! I am still running the numbers on that funky reaper, but I think its about to overtake the yellow bhut by far. There are always a couple dozen ripe little reapers on it. They're getting smoked today after lunch.

Will handle the wasp nest tonight.

Yesterday I gave this guy a try:

The one. The only. Smokin' Ed's Caroline Reaper:

Beautiful pod. Great, glowing red color. Looks like candy. Closest comparison is the 7pot bubblegum from Jason... also some beautiful pods there.

So here we are. Just me and the hottest pepper in the world. Sliced it open... plenty of capsaicin in those little heat warts. It's not a large pod... I believe weighing in at less than 5g. Not as many seeds as I expected. About half the pod in a bite. The initial taste is that pungent, sweet-sour cinnamon, very similar to the other reds I've had, but balanced. The heat was initially high and came with a slight sweetness. The most similar pod I've had (obviously) is Scott's reaper, but it's not unlike the other red superhots (bhuts) I've had.

What surprised me is this was not the hottest pod I've tried. It was definitely in the super range, but the heat was balanced, even, and up front. It lasted about 5 minutes, intensifying in my throat. No cramps, no sweat, but again after that moruga I tried only two little thumb-nail sized portions. No milk, yogurt, or ice cream needed.

The chocolate moruga was definitely a more intense pod, as were some of the chocolate pods Scott sent me in the mail. The carolina reaper is more balanced, with a pleasant heat and well-rounded red flavor. Also, they look amazing.

Reviewing all of your wonderful advise I took stock of my current pepper-stores.

I'm probably going to combine the unsmoked yellows into a powder soon. Nice, sweet, floral flavor there with citrus overtons. The biggest difference in the dried fatalis, yellow bhut, and (not) white bhut is the shape of the pod, thickness of the flesh, and profile of the heat (white being the slowest burn). They smell great dried. I also smoked a handful of these but haven't done a side by side comparison yet.

Dried a bunch of funky reapers as well. Munched one of the pods and it was quite pungent; same flavor as before but deeper, sweeter. I am going to smoke a bunch today to see if I can tame the flavor a little, then make a batch of smoked funky powder. May add carolina reapers to it as well if other experiments don't take.

The other funky's will get smoked today. Probably going to try Annie's ferment with the brown eggs. Those morugas are hot as hell.

And here's my first ferment:

Bhuts, red ripe jals, a carrot, some sweet onion, and garlic. Typical saucy ingredients, developed in consultation with our resident experts (thanks Rocketman!)

I'll try one as a mash, but decided to let these ingredients mingle in big chunks to see how each of 'em break down. Added some greek yogurt weight and a tablespoon of seasalt to a quart of distilled water for the brine.

Got lazy on the airlock. I'll "burp" it as necessary. Frankly I'll be happy to see it get to the point of fermentation.

Thanks for the reading and input everyone!

Devv · Jul 23, 2014

Nice update Adam!

I liked your review of the Reaper, I'm sure they will get hotter on you as time passes this summer.

I have 2 jars fermenting since January using those white lids, I have them lightly snugged down on a plate because they do leak some as things work inside the jar.

OCD Chilehead · Jul 23, 2014

Hope the ferment takes. I dried a bunch of Habs from last year that were in my freezer. Turned it into a mixed powder. Had to make room for this years crop. No flowers sticking, but I'm being optimistic. LOL. thanks for the Reaper review. Interesting. Never had the Goat, but hear its a good one to grow.

Have a great day and good luck smoking.

stickman · Jul 26, 2014

Nice update Adam! I've never actually stirred yogurt into a brine... hope you don't get any off flavors from the milk solids. Most of the folks I know who use yogurt cultures to inoculate their mashes only use the whey. I use the brine from the kimchi I make at the end of the season. Drive on!

Spicegeist · Jul 27, 2014

I love the smell of dried yellow chinenses... and bhuts of course too.

maximumcapsicum · Jul 28, 2014

Summer marches on... keeping up with work and childcare is a beast as always. But there's always a little time for peppers, no? Actually got two rounds of photos... took some a couple days ago meaning to post 'em but haven't gotten to the computer till now.

Devv said:
Nice update Adam!

I liked your review of the Reaper, I'm sure they will get hotter on you as time passes this summer.

I have 2 jars fermenting since January using those white lids, I have them lightly snugged down on a plate because they do leak some as things work inside the jar.

Thanks Scott! It really is a fine pepper. Great shape, balanced flavor, and nice heat. So far I think the chocolate moruga has been the hottest I have tried. Flavor is intense on the chocolate pods too... like I said in my review, like a dry desert wind.

Good to know. After reading this I put a plate under the ferment jar.

OCD Chilehead said:
Hope the ferment takes. I dried a bunch of Habs from last year that were in my freezer. Turned it into a mixed powder. Had to make room for this years crop. No flowers sticking, but I'm being optimistic. LOL. thanks for the Reaper review. Interesting. Never had the Goat, but hear its a good one to grow.

Have a great day and good luck smoking.

Seems to be. Plenty of bubbles. I burped it once a couple days ago... will burp it again after the pull.

The Goat is in my top 10. I need to be careful... I think 30 or 40 varieties are in my top 10. Going to have some summarizing thoughts toward the end of the season. Can't wait to post some individual pod productivity graphs. I am going to look at production in relation to daily high/low.

stickman said:
Nice update Adam! I've never actually stirred yogurt into a brine... hope you don't get any off flavors from the milk solids. Most of the folks I know who use yogurt cultures to inoculate their mashes only use the whey. I use the brine from the kimchi I make at the end of the season. Drive on!

Yeah I didn't stir the yogurt, just skimmed the whey off the top. It was a cloudy whey though from that particular variety of yogurt, so you're right, there must be some milk solids in it. I should have used the whole plain yogurt my son eats... the whey is much more clear. I went with the greek whey because of the list of bacteria species on the side of the container. Hopefully the yogurt flavor doesn't follow the ferment.

Will try another jar with whey from my son's yogurt. Alternatively I could run the Greek through another layer of cheese cloth.

Spicegeist said:
I love the smell of dried yellow chinenses... and bhuts of course too.

Yeah man! I got a whole pantry with that smell now... they are overpowering the other varieties by a mile. Got to actually grind them up soon. I've been eating the yellow bhuts in a mango sauce on pizza. Very west coast, but quite tasty.

So interesting thing... my pepper beds have caught the interest of the organic farm next door. Their sales manager visited me last week and took a tour of the different varieties. I gave him a sampler of pods. They want buy a few to sell at their market. I think at the minimum they'll pick up the tab for the beds, so score there. What's really exciting is they are notifying local chefs who may be interested in incorporating some of the rarer peppers in dishes. Neat!

Update on the wasp nest... babies have hatched and flown the coop. Nest is on the ground, done. The whole life cycle took about 2.5 weeks, and Jamaican Mushrooms take forever to ripen so I don't think production has really been impacted. Just as I brought the pressure nozzle for the hose with me to the beds...

This was the first ripe BB7. Got the seeds from Jason. Glad I did... great little pods, look like pure fire. I love the way the stem picks up the color.

Pod looks good. Close to A grade.

Robust and seedy. Wonderful, sweet, and juicy. Tasted like cinnamon and cherries. No woodiness or floral traits I've found with other pods. The flesh is much thicker than the reapers I have tried, and the flavor quite a bit sweeter.

I went back for seconds. I had one of these a day last week before my salad. They really are a treat... another for my top 10 list.

Garden shots:

Plants looking good but they are starting to fatigue a bit. I am getting more aggressive about isolating some seeds, as I think I'm approaching the close of the pod ripening window for a bunch of these. All the bhuts have bags over buds now. Red is being quite cooperative, but I've yet to get a good isolate on a yellow.

Jalapenos are still in the game but slowing down. That said, there are still probably ~5 lbs of jalapenos on the branch. I've only been pulling ripe ones.

Chintexle from Charles. Still acting odd. I am starting to think birds are grabbing these before I get to them. Tons of green pods but I rarely spot ripe ones. Plant looks great though... getting tons of complements on it from the fellow gardeners.

Funky Reaper is still producing. Thank God. I tried to smoke a big batch of these last week but got distracted (Henry spotted a neighbor's dog and we spent twenty minutes throwing a ball for it). Turns out the burner valve was stuck on the grill and it was stuck on "high" even though the knob was on low. Reapers all burst into flames. Sad times. It turns out you really can have too much heat.

Luckily the plant is prolific... perhaps the best producer in the garden. There's going to be a second chance (and probably a third or fourth).

Trying to isolate these too... every THPer should be growing a Funky Reaper. Want to do my part to keep Scott's reaper lineage going.

Container plants are particularly unhappy with the rain. The Sun/Rain cycles have been brutal on these guys... the bottoms of the pouches are actually growing algae. No good. Got to use a better-draining mix I think in the future.

Growdown Chuncho is starting to kick in. Probably too late to be a contender. We're up to 30" and have some ripening pods. Tiny, but quite tasty. I was chewing on a handful while doing garden work. Obvious application is a peppersauce, but they may be good dried too.

So I wasn't expecting this much productivity, and some of the plants are starting to look tired. I hit everyone with another round of tomato tone (mix of meals and some zomes). Hit paler plants with epsom salts. Let's make it through October!

More picks for a bump!

tctenten · Jul 28, 2014

Everything looks great. Bump.

OCD Chilehead · Jul 28, 2014

Looking good.

Bump

Jeff H · Jul 28, 2014

Bump.

Great pics Adam.

maximumcapsicum · Jul 28, 2014

tctenten said:
Everything looks great. Bump.

OCD Chilehead said:
Looking good.

Bump

Jeff H said:
Bump.

Great pics Adam.

Yes! Ask and you shall receive.

Goat's Weed (true) is looking great! Tons of ripe pods, may pick some today to grind up some flakes. Running out of the stash Jamison sent me lol!

These guys appeared after the recent rain. Friend or foe?

TFM is setting its next generation of pods. These are tasty bonnets... trying to decide whether I like TFM's or MoA's better.

Roxa is rockin'!

Going to have a big reaper pull. They may go in another ferment, or if I have a ton, they'll go on the smoker. So many options. Should probably make some reaper oil ala Rick's instructions too.

Never enough peppers for all the things you can do with 'em!

The current heat champ in my pepperplots. These chocolate morugas knock me on the floor. Haven't had more than one or two ripe yet... looks like I'll have half a dozen or so later today!

Yellow Brain! The flavor on the 7's has been so fantastic, I am really excited to try one of these guys.

These are supposed to be Yellow 7's (thanks again Jamison). Do they look right? They are very juicy and mild, but probably the sweetest yellow pepper I'm growing right now. I'm wondering if they got some bonnet genes at work.

Incidentally, the foliage on the 7's is also gorgeous.

Cracked Jals are finally growing to type. Looking great!

And finally, my pitifully stunted Yellow Not Cardi is coming to life. Took her time but she may pump out a pod or two before the end of the season!

Thanks for reading guys!

Sawyer · Jul 28, 2014

Great pod shots, Adam. Things are really kicking it down in Hotlanta. I can't be sure about those specific mushrooms, but in general, mushrooms are indicative of a healthy soil.

That seems unusual to me about the wasps leaving the nest. Usually, in a sheltered location, the new members stick around and the nest grows and the population increases until a killing frost. Maybe someone else knocked it down when you weren't there?

Spicegeist · Jul 28, 2014

Wow, cool, your peppers in local restaurants? That'd be fun. Yellow Brain looks nice, I'll be curious to hear which yellow chinense you like best.

maximumcapsicum · Jul 28, 2014

Sawyer said:
Great pod shots, Adam. Things are really kicking it down in Hotlanta. I can't be sure about those specific mushrooms, but in general, mushrooms are indicative of a healthy soil.

That seems unusual to me about the wasps leaving the nest. Usually, in a sheltered location, the new members stick around and the nest grows and the population increases until a killing frost. Maybe someone else knocked it down when you weren't there?

Thanks man. Save for the heavy rains, our climate is pretty ideal. Enough cold to control most pests, and enough heat to pod up the plants.

I was thinking that about mushrooms. I'll do some reading on those particular shrooms... they sure did pop up in force.

Going to look up the life cycle on those wasps too. The nest is there still, just abandoned. Maybe the rains killed off the adults, or maybe the red wasps just don't make big nests. There's another wasp species making a big nest on a nearby structure that seems to be following the life cycle you describe.

Spicegeist said:
Wow, cool, your peppers in local restaurants? That'd be fun. Yellow Brain looks nice, I'll be curious to hear which yellow chinense you like best.

That's the goal! This definitely seems to be the year of yellow plants... a bunch grew yellow that weren't supposed to (whites), and the yellow bhut is in the running for my most productive plant, by pod count at least. Yellow habs are there too producing quite well. It's going to be a hard choice. All the yellows are floral. The yellow bhut is the hottest, fatalii is deep and sort of pungent, (not) white bhut has a slow heat and a florals, and the yellow 7 is the sweetest and most citrusy by far. The yellow 7 is the juiciest. Judy's website recommends them for powders, but I've been eating them fresh! Got to build up a stock of 'em, if I can restrain myself a little.

stickman · Jul 28, 2014

Great pod porn Adam! Things are rockin' in your garden fo' sho'!

In light of how much heavy rain you've gotten lately and the observation that some of the plants are looking a bit yellowed and tired... maybe you've lost a lot of nutes to leaching and it's time to perk them up a bit with some more. Not too much, you don't want to burn the roots by using too much, but I usually add a half a cup of molasses, and a quarter cup each of fish emulsion and "bio-bloom" or similar in a 2 gal. watering can and top up with water... mix well and share it around in the garden. If you have any Azomite, a side-dressing of that couldn't hurt either.

I've had Yellow 7s that looked like what you picture, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Nice review of the BBG7 pod you sampled... I may have to try growing one of those next year.

Those cracked Jals might surprise you if you let them fully ripen... I had some like that in 2012, and they lit me up good!

Drive on!

maximumcapsicum · Jul 28, 2014

stickman said:
Great pod porn Adam! Things are rockin' in your garden fo' sho'!

In light of how much heavy rain you've gotten lately and the observation that some of the plants are looking a bit yellowed and tired... maybe you've lost a lot of nutes to leaching and it's time to perk them up a bit with some more. Not too much, you don't want to burn the roots by using too much, but I usually add a half a cup of molasses, and a quarter cup each of fish emulsion and "bio-bloom" or similar in a 2 gal. watering can and top up with water... mix well and share it around in the garden. If you have any Azomite, a side-dressing of that couldn't hurt either.

I've had Yellow 7s that looked like what you picture, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Nice review of the BBG7 pod you sampled... I may have to try growing one of those next year.

Those cracked Jals might surprise you if you let them fully ripen... I had some like that in 2012, and they lit me up good!

Drive on!

Thanks Rick! Glad to hear my instincts were good. I went ahead and applied a round of nutrients yesterday to try to perk things up. Need to try the molasses and greensand as per your suggestions, but for now I used what I had. I'll let you know if that helps.

Glad the Yellow 7's or on point. They're mild but very tasty... was worried I had mixed something up. Heat is like a mid to high bonnet. I ate two with my salad today, lol. Can't manage that with my other supers... too much pain.

BB7's may be my favorite red right now. Hard toss up... all of them are great, but the flavors tend have very complex flavors that take some habit to really understand. I am thinking your pepper oil may be a great approach there.

Will follow your advice on the cracked. Thanks for coming by!

stickman · Jul 28, 2014

maximumcapsicum said:
Thanks Rick! Glad to hear my instincts were good. I went ahead and applied a round of nutrients yesterday to try to perk things up. Need to try the molasses and greensand as per your suggestions, but for now I used what I had. I'll let you know if that helps.

Glad the Yellow 7's or on point. They're mild but very tasty... was worried I had mixed something up. Heat is like a mid to high bonnet. I ate two with my salad today, lol. Can't manage that with my other supers... too much pain.

BB7's may be my favorite red right now. Hard toss up... all of them are great, but the flavors tend have very complex flavors that take some habit to really understand. I am thinking your pepper oil may be a great approach there.

Will follow your advice on the cracked. Thanks for coming by!

If the yellow 7s grew true, the pods should be hurting you more than that... last year mine had about 10-12 seconds of sweet, fruity flavor before they stuck an ice pick in my tongue, but mild and tasty has a charm all its own.

Maybe it is a Bonnet cross.

If you do make pepper oil, just make sure you dry the pods first to prevent mold issues, and use the best-tasting vegetable oil you can get. Try to use it up fairly quickly too, because unused oil will go rancid.

HillBilly Jeff · Jul 28, 2014

Excellent on your peppers. Great about getting your peppers in a restaurant. I have had my burgundies at a local place. They are served in a Devil's Omelet.

Love the pepper shots. You are doing well there.

AZ-Mason · Jul 28, 2014

Love all the pod pics. All of those kitchen experiments sound dangerously good! Keep the updates comin'!