maxcaps 2014 grow: avoiding the freeze!

OCD Chilehead · Jun 24, 2014

Nice job Adam. I can't believe your pulling pods already. Congrats brother. Thanks for review. The Funky Reaper seeds look nice and mature. Good luck with your upcoming projects.

Have a good day.

Chuck

maximumcapsicum · Jun 24, 2014

Spicegeist said:
I think I can see the yellow bhuts in there... carbons and red bhuts are looking nice too...

Yeah crowded shot. I think this one is better. The Yellow Bhut is the largest of the chinenses I think, but its grown into a hedge with the White (not white). Here is a pic of it yesterday.

It's probably almost 4' tall at this point. I'll get a measure tomorrow. Looks great. I have a smaller one in a pot too that is setting pods like crazy. These were some strong seeds.

The pods are a little slimmer and more dagger shaped than I was expecting. Going to sample one later today. There are easily 100 pods on the plant right now.

OCD Chilehead said:
Nice job Adam. I can't believe your pulling pods already. Congrats brother. Thanks for review. The Funky Reaper seeds look nice and mature. Good luck with your upcoming projects.

Have a good day.

Chuck

Thanks Chuck! Funky Reaper kicked my ass. I had about a thumbnail sized piece of the pod and my stomach was cramping. Hardly even tasted the heat... tasted more like ochre and cinnamon. But man was there a reaction. I bet it would do well in a ferment. Maybe when I get a bigger pull.

Dehyrdrated a bunch of the not-white bhuts today. Whole apartment smelled like chinense, though no one seemed to mind. Kind of pleasant actually. Pods got a nice, toasty pungency to 'em. Will grind them up when I have a little time.

Here are some more garden pics:

JA Habs in their gibbous phase.

The bonchis are putting on pods. I kick myself whenever I see them... I should have moved them to proper pots, but the gardening budget is more than tapped out right now. Three have set pods, all are struggling a little with the high moisture-low moisture conditions we face here lately. I may give them a little fish emulsion, or try out Rick's molasses elixir.

Once I clean them up I may do some nice macro shots.

Here is my true Goat's Weed from Jamison. It's finally starting to kick into gear and put on some pods. Nice plant for sure.

7pot bubblegum seems to like its root pouch.

I believe this guy is a container funky reaper, though my notes are scrambled.

MoA seems to drink alot. Also had a small bout with mites. He's put on new growth though and I think in the next week or so I am going to be seeing some ripe pods. Anyone got a favorite jerk sauce recipe?

MoA's fruits.

More ripening Habs. This is big sun, a very pale, mellow plant that's kicking into action as we get close to July. I've never been disappointed in a hab.

Should have taken one more picture but I didn't. Had some trouble with maters. Had some nice, 2 lb brandywines disappear off the vine right as they were ripening. May have been an animal, but I suspect it was a person, as they were sheered off nicely and there was no trace of the maters on the ground. Kick in the pants, losing the first ripe maters.

I went out and sprinkled flour over the maters and the ground around the beds. My hope was to pick up tracks to determine if the culprit was animal or human, but it occured to me that white powder all over fruit makes them look ~~slightly~~ very unsafe to eat. It looks like some kind of chemical pesticide. Haven't lost one since, which means the mater muncher probably walks on two legs. I'm not really sore about it... was probably a hungry homeless person or someone from nearby low-income housing. At least they get to eat something healthy and fresh. Still nice to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Interestingly, no one touches the peppers :hell:

.

stickman · Jun 24, 2014

"MoA seems to drink alot. Also had a small bout with mites. He's put on new growth though and I think in the next week or so I am going to be seeing some ripe pods. Anyone got a favorite jerk sauce recipe?"

Actually, I do...

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/29843-jerk-seasoning-recipe/#entry604175

"Should have taken one more picture but I didn't. Had some trouble with maters. Had some nice, 2 lb brandywines disappear off the vine right as they were ripening. May have been an animal, but I suspect it was a person, as they were sheered off nicely and there was no trace of the maters on the ground. Kick in the pants, losing the first ripe maters.

I went out and sprinkled flour over the maters and the ground around the beds. My hope was to pick up tracks to determine if the culprit was animal or human, but it occured to me that white powder all over fruit makes them look ~~slightly~~ very unsafe to eat. It looks like some kind of chemical pesticide. Haven't lost one since, which means the mater muncher probably walks on two legs. I'm not really sore about it... was probably a hungry homeless person or someone from nearby low-income housing. At least they get to eat something healthy and fresh. Still nice to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Interestingly, no one touches the peppers :hell:

."

I'd pay money to see that... lol! One of the growers here (maybe GAgrowhead?) said he happened to look out his window at the pepper garden about dusk one night, and spotted a deer in among his chile plants. He saw it eat one of his chile pods and flip out. :rofl:

Everything looks stellar Adam... just keep on like ya been doin'! :party:

Noah Yates · Jun 24, 2014

Awesome glog!!! And damn.... My mom had that happen to her a few years back. Her garden plot is maybe 10 meters from the highway... well, she had a whole crop tomatos ripening up when apparently some person must have stopped in the middle of the night and just helped themselves to boxes of tomatoes. You can only hope they really needed it.

romy6 · Jun 24, 2014

Looking really good Adam . Keep up the fight .

Devv · Jun 24, 2014

Very nice Adam!

Your grow is doing really well!

Those Funky Reapers are 1 notch below the true Reapers in heat with the same flavor if not better. They're good in a salsa, just don't add too many

So far, as my tasting supers goes, they are in the top of the list as keepers in future grows. I'm really glad to see the pods from the mother plant (F1's?) are true. It should produce all summer long

Keep up the good work!

capsidadburn · Jun 24, 2014

Monster Hedge Adam, looking great!

maximumcapsicum · Jun 24, 2014

stickman said:
"MoA seems to drink alot. Also had a small bout with mites. He's put on new growth though and I think in the next week or so I am going to be seeing some ripe pods. Anyone got a favorite jerk sauce recipe?"

Actually, I do... http://thehotpepper.com/topic/29843-jerk-seasoning-recipe/#entry604175

"Should have taken one more picture but I didn't. Had some trouble with maters. Had some nice, 2 lb brandywines disappear off the vine right as they were ripening. May have been an animal, but I suspect it was a person, as they were sheered off nicely and there was no trace of the maters on the ground. Kick in the pants, losing the first ripe maters.

I went out and sprinkled flour over the maters and the ground around the beds. My hope was to pick up tracks to determine if the culprit was animal or human, but it occured to me that white powder all over fruit makes them look ~~slightly~~ very unsafe to eat. It looks like some kind of chemical pesticide. Haven't lost one since, which means the mater muncher probably walks on two legs. I'm not really sore about it... was probably a hungry homeless person or someone from nearby low-income housing. At least they get to eat something healthy and fresh. Still nice to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Interestingly, no one touches the peppers ."

I'd pay money to see that... lol! One of the growers here (maybe GAgrowhead?) said he happened to look out his window at the pepper garden about dusk one night, and spotted a deer in among his chile plants. He saw it eat one of his chile pods and flip out.

Everything looks stellar Adam... just keep on like ya been doin'!

Somehow I knew you'd have a good recipe suggestion. This is definitely on the to-do list. Probably a sooner to-do than later.

The flower seems to have done the trick. Risking ripening about a dozen or so maters on the vine... let's see how it goes... I sure hope a homeless person doesn't unwittingly chomp a reaper, lol. May knock him out.

Noah Yates said:
Awesome glog!!! And damn.... My mom had that happen to her a few years back. Her garden plot is maybe 10 meters from the highway... well, she had a whole crop tomatos ripening up when apparently some person must have stopped in the middle of the night and just helped themselves to boxes of tomatoes. You can only hope they really needed it.

Thanks Noah! I am persevering. It's like you said... someone really must need some tomatoes. And they didn't do any damage. And it could have been an animal, but there isn't too much wildlife running running around downtown AtL. Flour seems to help.

romy6 said:
Looking really good Adam . Keep up the fight .

Thanks Jamie, I will. Inspired by you guys. You do the same! And let me know if you're ever up this way.

Devv said:
Very nice Adam!

Your grow is doing really well!

Those Funky Reapers are 1 notch below the true Reapers in heat with the same flavor if not better. They're good in a salsa, just don't add too many So far, as my tasting supers goes, they are in the top of the list as keepers in future grows. I'm really glad to see the pods from the mother plant (F1's?) are true. It should produce all summer long

Keep up the good work!

Thanks Scott! I had to freeze the rest of that pod. Made me dizzy, HAH. I am thinking the reaper would pair well with cherry tomatoes, or the smaller, more pungent, sweet tomatoes. Maybe a touch of cumin. Maybe I am leaning more toward a sauce. Projects abound.

capsidadburn said:
Monster Hedge Adam, looking great!

It is. I am feeling pretty good about it. Makes my container grow last year look pretty sad... plants are 5 or 6 times more productive. That's the THP difference. Thanks man!

Got around to that yellow bhut pod today. Wow what a punch!

Really need more light in my kitchen. Pictures have low ISO's.

Slender, spiky pod with the nice bhut fluting down the middle. Thinner walls than the white, with more seeds. Not quite as floral as the white, but plenty of capsaicin oil dripping from the cut.

Getting this sampling process down. Cut it into sections and had two straight. Chewed them nice and long. Heat is much stronger than the white bhut, and it's not delayed. It was all there, all burn. The flesh of the pod was juicy, kind of a supercharged chinense flavor. We say floral alot, but that's the best descriptor.

Cleared the sinuses, and numbed the mouth. Very fun.

To appreciate the pod as much as possible, I decided to pair it with a snack.

Sharp cheddar and cracker sandwich. Delicious. Brought the heat level down and let me taste the full chinense flavor. A lighter pod. I was looking for citrus, but I didn't find it. It was sweet though, very sweet.

After the sampling I couldn't taste heat on the a blondie or jalapeno I ate as a snack later. Goat's Weed also just tasted sweet and smokey. That normal? I am assuming it is.

Did my evening check. All my allies are getting larger and healthier. These guys have really cut the hopper population down.

Fatali is starting to get some color. These pods are well hidden.

This is a smokin' reaper. Looks like it's growing true and perfect. Can't wait to give it a taste.

Here is the bulk of my incoming tomato pull. I am going to cut the red ones tomorrow evening or Thursday morning and process into some salsas with a range of heat levels. Got to stop setting all my loved ones' mouths on fire or they're gonna stop trusting me. Notice the flour clinging to the lower maters, seems to deter the mater munchers.

This plant did not cooperate with my cage. It put all its fruits on a external branch that is weighed down so that it only barely sits above the ground. Can't wait to harvest and lighten the load.

A closing shot of my beds. Doing pretty well I'd say. The bhuts are easily 4 times the size of anything I grew last year.

White bhuts in the dehydrator. I did this batch without smoke. I love the zesty aroma of the dried pods, very tropical and sweet. Should make a couple ounces of powder. I may smoke another batch of these to compare, or just stick with drying for the lighter pods.What kinds of pods do you guys like to smoke?

I have a ton of jals to pull this weekend. I am thinking of setting up some more in jars, roasting and freezing, poppers, or candied jals. Maybe all of the above. What's your vote? Probably another round of jalapeno rings. Going to do the first hab/bonnet pull this weekend too. So many pepper processing projects, so little time.

Thanks for reading!

tctenten · Jun 24, 2014

That yellow bhut pod looks great, as does everything else. I smoked some store bought cayenne pods as a test run for when I have some from my plants and it turned out pretty well. Enjoy!!!

OCD Chilehead · Jun 24, 2014

Looking busy Adam. Hooray for Bonchi's. That sucks someone lifted the tomatoes. Ingenious idea with the flour. Thanks for the pod review. Glad to see everything flourishing. Thanks for sharing.

Spicegeist · Jun 25, 2014

Wow, nice job getting them to fruit... can't wait to taste my yellow bhuts too!

JJJessee · Jun 25, 2014

You're making it look easy, Adam.

You might try some 1" x 1/4", or there abouts, eye screws on the long rails of your beds and use some good cord to guy the cages off sorta like a tent.
Store bought cages work best with container type maters unless you anchor them in the dirt deeper than they are designed to go with long stakes or re-bar. I've about went to all overhead support on maters, but some people have success with homemade cages. I'm using my old cages for sweet peppers.

HabaneroHead · Jun 25, 2014

Plants are looking great, Adam. I am glad to see you are already having pods! Great job, my friend!

Balázs

Devv · Jun 25, 2014

Everything is looking just great Adam!

You can pull those maties once they turn pink-orange. They ripen up just fine in a few day sitting on the table. If we don't pick the like that the birds will, maybe they won't disappear either.

We used to grow Cantaloupe, LB would come in and say "it will be ready tomorrow". The next day it would be gone. This happened three or four times, after suspecting humans, I found a rind. It was Racoons

maximumcapsicum · Jun 25, 2014

tctenten said:
That yellow bhut pod looks great, as does everything else. I smoked some store bought cayenne pods as a test run for when I have some from my plants and it turned out pretty well. Enjoy!!!

Awesome man! I am a big fan of the dehydrated white bhut. Smelled very nice. Haven't ground it up yet... waiting to do that to just before I use it. I've barely started pulling and I am filling the pantry. Probably going to smoke some reapers and 7 pots.

OCD Chilehead said:
Looking busy Adam. Hooray for Bonchi's. That sucks someone lifted the tomatoes. Ingenious idea with the flour. Thanks for the pod review. Glad to see everything flourishing. Thanks for sharing.

Yeah man. This hobby will take as much time as you'll give it... that's for sure. I hit saturation on the tomato plant pruning... haven't had time to keep them properly supported, and it shows. Most of my attention goes to peppers and pepper related processing projects. Can't leave a capsicum behind! Also there's a 20 minute getting there and back time tax since my garden is located a block away from my apartment.

Spicegeist said:
Wow, nice job getting them to fruit... can't wait to taste my yellow bhuts too!

Thanks Charles! They're great pods. Going to have a big pull this weekend... thinking about saucing them. Maybe a good ol' fashioned bhut-mango sauce?

JJJessee said:
You're making it look easy, Adam.

You might try some 1" x 1/4", or there abouts, eye screws on the long rails of your beds and use some good cord to guy the cages off sorta like a tent.
Store bought cages work best with container type maters unless you anchor them in the dirt deeper than they are designed to go with long stakes or re-bar. I've about went to all overhead support on maters, but some people have success with homemade cages. I'm using my old cages for sweet peppers.

Lol. Your operation makes mine look like a two-bit sideshow. I love the whole system you have setup, and really envy your potting soil prep. I just have not been happy with my container grows, and I think it has alot to do with the potting soil (this year about 50% Ocean Forest and 50% aged pine bark, perlite, and vermiculite).

Yeah the tomatoes tore the supports to shreds. Another joint pops every day. Definitely a live and learn situation... I had always grew them along chain link fences before.

HabaneroHead said:
Plants are looking great, Adam. I am glad to see you are already having pods! Great job, my friend!

Balázs

Thanks Balázs! I used your almapaprika pickle recipe via Rick. Should be able to pop the can in a couple weeks. Looking forward to it. Your grow is looking fantastic.

Devv said:
Everything is looking just great Adam!

You can pull those maties once they turn pink-orange. They ripen up just fine in a few day sitting on the table. If we don't pick the like that the birds will, maybe they won't disappear either.

We used to grow Cantaloupe, LB would come in and say "it will be ready tomorrow". The next day it would be gone. This happened three or four times, after suspecting humans, I found a rind. It was Racoons

Thanks Scott. I've actually been using your pictures as a guide about when to pick the maters to avoid losing them, though like I said I think the flour sprinkle deterred any more thievery. Tomorrow I am going to process a couple pounds of tomatoes into a mild-ish salsa for the fam. I also got some litmus strips for testing PH... going to see how pepper-heavy I can go and avoid going overboard on the vinegar.

No pics today... just a quick watering trip to the garden. Going to have to really saturate it tomorrow as I'll be out of town on Friday until Saturday night. Plants have been very thirsty lately.

Made some Santa Fe poppers but forgot to take pictures. Gobbled 'em up too fast. That is a wonderful tasting pod.

Tons of pods were ripening today. I think I'm going to have a nice pull this weekend. Firing up the pepper projects. Stay tuned!

maximumcapsicum · Jun 28, 2014

Did some research in Macon this week. Helping my wife collect the last of her data and do some photography. I really need to bring out the DSLR to the garden, but that's more gear to haul down the block and I update to frequently. Maybe I'll do final mug shots before I take the plants down at the end of the season.

Ate some good BBQ in Macon. Finchers had a very good, thin, mustardy sauce on a nice chipped pork. I was most impressed with a local meat and three called Dawson's Kitchen. Rotisserie chicken breast with an aji sauce. Not bad at all. The pics didn't turn out, so I took some when I got back to the garden this evening.

Luckily mother nature has kept everyone watered, so no worries on that front. A bunch of habs and annuums are ripe, so I am going to do a big pull tomorrow for some sunday pepper projects.

Here is Pepper Joe's white habanero. These tiny pods are in my top ten. Fantastic tasting, very reasonable heat, nice fruity crunch. Only downside is the pods are tiny. Upside is the plant seems to be making tons of them. The plant is also sprawling. It's the only one with this strange, bushy habit, and its staying pretty small. Any of you guys grow these habs? Do they have similar habits for you? Pods are going into a fresh salsa or sauce.

Red Bhuts are looking nice and gnarly. About two dozen pods on this plant so far.

Got two or three ripe fataliis waiting to be picked tomorrow.

A particularly lobe-y carolina reaper. This plant loaded up over the weekend too.

Here are some yellow 7 pots that have finally joined the party. The primos, bubblegums, and brainstrains are all looking good too.

Trinidad chocolate scotch bonnet. Probably a little while to ripening on this guy.

Giant White Habs. Plant is producing like a monster now. Can't wait to sample.

JA Hab is a vigorous plant. Doesn't seem to mind its root pouch at all. There are as many pods on this plant as there are on the in-bed specimen.

7 pot bubblegum is performing nicely. Happy plant. This plant lost all its leaves in the great april freeze.

Finally, here is a kind of wonky MoA growing in a root pouch. Pods aren't quite the right shape, but that's okay. Could be because the plant is a little stunted in its pouch.

Tomorrow is pickin' time. My plant is to pull mostly annuums, there are scads ripening, and I don't want them to go soft. If I have time, I am going to do another batch of pepper jam and I'm going to try to make some hard candied jalapenos. If chinense numbers are high enough, I am going to plan out some sauces as well.

I picked up a chicken for jerk chicken, but I may be ahead of myself... don't think enough of my bonnets are ripe yet. I may have to use habs instead, unless I come up with another recipe.

Stay tuned for the next pull!

Thanks for reading everyone.

OCD Chilehead · Jun 29, 2014

Hey that White Hab was my favorite plant last year. Had a prolific amount of pods. Tried to bonchi and failed. I really wanted to keep her going. Wicked looking Bhut pods. Pepper jam sounds good and good luck with the jerk chicken.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Thanks for the update.

Chuck

Devv · Jun 29, 2014

Nice poddage there Adam!

Keep doing what you're doing as the plants sure are happy. One of the overflow plants I sold turned out to be a White Jellybean Hab. I bought those seeds and it was supposed to be a straight up white hab.

Enjoy the weekend!

Spicegeist · Jun 29, 2014

maximumcapsicum said:
Red Bhuts are looking nice and gnarly. About two dozen pods on this plant so far.

I really like the way these are turning out. Where were the seeds from?

Jeff H · Jun 29, 2014

Everything looks outstanding Adam. The peppers sure do love Georgia weather.