Mezo`s "super hots" Glog including the 'big' solar dehydrator.

The is thread with the humungous solar dehydrator.

G-Day, im Mez or Mezo & im new to this part of Australia having come from Perth (Western Australia) where growing chili peppers is so easy (except the heat).

I live in the border ranges in northern New South Wales (bordering Queensland) and its a mixed bag of temperate & tropical conditions, the summers are very hot, wet & humid, the winters are dry & sunny.



Average daily temps.

And average monthly rainfall.

Aussies reading this will already know this, but people in other country's probably paint a picture of Australia as a hot dry/dusty land but this is far from the truth, up north its full blown tropics with a wet season & 100% humidity (yuck). Down south its freezing cold & snow during winter, out west its a dry heat like in the Mediterranean & in the middle of Australia is desert country.

So im now growing for the first time "Super hots" and for a very important reason, whilst working away in Perth i had a double heart attack wich has left me permanently disabled, sadly they are unable to operate on me (bypass/stent) as its to far gone, so having worked all my life (Electrician) im now at the age of 45 claiming a disability pension & i hate not being able to work.

Now i take shovel fulls of dam tablets to keep my heart pumping & id rather not be taking any but right now there no option i have to take them or ill drop dead on the spot. After much reading i found out that cayenne powder has all sort of benefits to your health & well being, especially to your cardio vascular system. I had read that cayenne powder can stop a heart attack in its track & i put this to the test (twice) and yes it does work where the medication (Nitrolingual) had no effect.

So anyone reading this who spots a friend having a heart attack just flick some chili powder in a glass of water as fast as you can & get them to drink in right down, fast. It works within 30 seconds of drinking it & it saved me from two more attacks already.

So there's my life story in a nutshell & some sound advice on how to save a heart attack victims life.
And this ladies & gentlymen is why im growing "Super Hots" to make high heat cayenne powder for cooking to improve my circulation/remove fats & as a "just in case of emergency"

OK on with the first of my "Hots" the Bhut Jolokia, the reason i chose this was simple i just Googled "whats the hottest chili" and up popped the result, however further reading on the interweb i found threads from this forum & names like the Butch T, the Douglah & Brain Strain.

So ive ordered them from pepperlover.com after so many people gave such great reviews, Bhut in the meantime lets look at my Jolokia`s.

Must admit i just love the shape & color of these babies.

More soon,

Mezo.

 

[megamoo]

Moo the ants are everywhere (there`s one on my keyboard as i type) i kid you not, i get bitten in bed by them??

Well that proves you live in Australia all right

You could always ask them to stay outside and not farm aphids on your plants? You may have to sweeten the deal by feeding them a catepillar now and then. I've done this before and it worked.

 

[Pablo_h]

Could always try planting a distractive crop, like chinese red noodle (yard long) beans. Apparently they secrete honeydew like substance so ants love them and even guard them, also ladybugs like them too.
Been trying for a while to grow them, but plants never seem to grow and get taken over by pest so much outdoors as bugs like them so much. Definitely need to get them up and growing indoors I think.
I really want to try the bean too, as it sounds very good.
http://www.growitsee...Red-Noodle.html

http://rareseeds.com...oodle-bean.html

Gasi and you aren't the only one with a new pest this season, I've got white fly, as well as the usual old friends of fungus, fruit fly, slugs, snails, aphids and mites/thrips.

Plant more than you need, (like I said before, 8 seeds sown for every 4 seedlings, 4 seedlings raised for every 1 plant you want), and then grow attractive and distractive plants and let 'god' sort them out. Cheaper and less hassle. That's what I did last year and I have successfully overwintered at least one of each type I had, and some I even have 2 still going which is a bonus; just from 8 seeds and not fussing or spending much on them. With the amount of problems and pests I have, I'd be crazy stressed and more broke than I am now if I tried to defend every plant and buy heaps of pest controls which aren't good for the environment anyway.

Edit: Well honestly the only pest control I used is slug and snail pellets, and anything, ANYTHING to wipe out the ants. Like mega said, too many ants down here anyway, I think there's more over here than the eastern states as well.

 

[Mezo]

Were you in NSW or Perth last year Mez? Just wondered if it's because you are now somewhere a bit more 'rural'...?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it sorts out for you.

Nah i was here in NSW last year, left Perth in 09 & when i was there (in the burbs) the only pest i had in years was slugs & snails.
This lot must have something to do with all the heavy rain/floods we had in 2011, something has trigged them off big time.

Mezo.

 

[Ferrero]

Heya mez that suck to hear about your peppers.. As for the ant problem I had ants inside my house a good 3-4 years ago and I got some ant-rid liquid and the ants go nuts for it and take it back to the nest. I've had no ants inside since then

 

[Mezo]

Ive got ants nest everywhere, a good hundred nests dotted around, i used ant-rid liq & it worked the first time but a week later they was back, so i put a few more drops down & they wouldn't touch it, they knew its poison.

Ants are not stupid, they learn fast & adapt.

Mezo.

 

[gasificada]

You could always ask them to stay outside and not farm aphids on your plants? You may have to sweeten the deal by feeding them a catepillar now and then. I've done this before and it worked.

Bloody moo... you crack me up!

Funny thing, I believe you though. It's like the time I pegged curl grubs at the wall and left their splattered remains as a warning to the other curl grubs. They haven't been a problem since.

Gasi and you aren't the only one with a new pest this season, I've got white fly, as well as the usual old friends of fungus, fruit fly, slugs, snails, aphids and mites/thrips.

Damn Pablo! It's always comforting to know others are dealing with the same sort of sh*t, but that doesn't mean it doesn't suck any less!

This lot must have something to do with all the heavy rain/floods we had in 2011, something has trigged them off big time.

...or something as simple as the chilli growers curse?? It's real, ya know!

 

[Mezo]

Well im having more bad luck in the shape of strong winds ripping the tent to bits.

Then it got worse,,,

And its not finished yet.

Mezo.

 

[gasificada]

This friggin' vicious wind today, I wish it would just F off! I'm sick of going out picking up plants..... >.<

 

[Mezo]

This friggin' vicious wind today, I wish it would just F off! I'm sick of going out picking up plants..... >.<

I know, im so f*cking over wind, honestly im sick to death of it, and you watch just to piss me right off there will torential rain now my roofs gone, well if theres going to be a shred left by the end of the day, doubtful.

I honestly dont know what im going to do? Danny went to get some old sign banner material in Vegas, its when the print goes wrong they sell it off cheap & its good for jobs like this, but he went there & theyve sold out.

Ive gotta shift all my motorbike stuff out of there over the weekend (valuable stuff that cant get wet) the babies will have to be relocated somewhere out of the elements & the rest will have to endure mother nature.

Nightmare.

Mezo.

 

[Mezo]

OK roof still not repaired (open to the elements now) its in tatters to be honest, but ive got flowers galore on the plants.

I have chatting with Bill (RocketMan) about smoke houses, how they are made & what types of wood can you use.
Bill had said the Aussie Blue & Red gums can be used & guess what, we had a huge one that had to come down.

Gums are notorious for dropping limbs & this particular one was hollowed out by white ants, so down she came.

Plenty of wood chips in that.

Mezo.

 

[3/5King]

Hell yeah Mizo! Nothin' better than some smokin'

 

[Mezo]

To be fair Bill gave me some great info & i think i should share it with everyone, so this is from RocketMan on my questions about smokehouse & woods etc.



So, there are a shit load of ways to build a Smoke House and you can find plans online for a bunch of them but there are basics that go to all of them.

Removable shelves
Since the variety of foods you will be smoking will be rather great, you want to make sure that you have removable shelves. Not only will they accommodate more types of food, but it will also make it easier for you to prepare the food and racks before inserting them into the smoke house. While they aren&rsquo;t entirely necessary, they aren&rsquo;t very expensive or difficult to maintain, and having shelves in your smokehouse will make it easy for you to accommodate a wide variety of different types of food.

Covered ventilation holes
When you build your smoke house, there will be a lot of focus on the draft system. These are the holes that allow the smoke to exit from the smoke house while you are smoking the food. They should be covered from the inside to prevent dirt and dust from billowing into the smoke house. Using &frac14;&rdquo; hardware cloth is a good idea, as it allows the smoke to ventilate but doesn&rsquo;t allow for much dirt or dust to get into the smoke house.

Easy access to your firebox
Many smoke houses will use a 55 gallon drum for a firebox. Make sure that yours has a removable or hinged lid, allowing you to get inside to clean it out. This will be essential as you use your smoke house more and more. You might not need to clean and clear the firebox after each use, but within three or four times the firebox will be full of ash. If you don&rsquo;t clear it out of the firebox you might not have enough room for the fuel for individual smoking sessions.

Absorbent material on the floor
You will come across a lot of plans that tell you that you don&rsquo;t need any sort of floor underneath the smokehouse. This is true, for the most part. It makes a lot of sense to use an absorbent material on the floor, though, to collect the drips from the meat. Without this, you risk having a pile of slush on the bottom of your smoke house that attracts various pests between uses. By using a mixture of kitty litter and saw dust, you will have an easily removable trap that collects all of the drippings. Without that puddle of slush on the bottom of your smokehouse, you won&rsquo;t have to worry about flies, mice, and other vermin that would love nothing more than to gnaw away at the tasty drippings collected at the bottom of your smoke house.

The are 2 ways of smoking.

Cold smoking is what you would for Veggies (peppers) and for things you want smoked but not necessairly cooked shch as curing a ham. You might get a really good Brown Suger and Honey cure going on the ham and then put into a Cold Smoker and allow it to get some smoke also. When done wrap it good and inot the frezer until your ready to do it up. Bacon is also done this way.

Hot smoking is what you do for meats, ribs and brisket, fish and things that your going to eat or store as prepared to eat. I like to smoke up a several chickens and then freeze them. That way they're quick and ready to eat when I want to pull one out for dinner.

Smoking Woods, general uses

Alder
Alder is commonly used with fish, but also works well with pork and poultry. It has a light, slightly sweet flavor and is not overpowering. It is much less dense than other smoke woods, and reminds me a little bit of cedar in it's look and smell.
Apple
Apple has a light, fruity, slightly sweet aroma and is commonly used with pork and poultry. I especially like to use it with pork ribs. It can be mixed with other smoke woods like oak and cherry with good results.
Cherry
Cherry is one of my favorite woods to use with chicken. It has a slight red color and a subtle, sweet, fruity flavor. It goes well with beef, pork, and poultry and can be mixed with oak and apple.
Guava
Guava, a member of the Myrtle family, is a fruit wood from Hawaii and other tropical regions. Its semi-sweet aroma goes well with beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and fish.
Hickory
Hickory is probably the most popular smoke wood used in barbecue. It has a strong flavor that complements all meats. Some people find that hickory alone can be overwhelming, especially if too much is used. I never use hickory alone, but mix it with oak. I use two parts oak to one part hickory.
Maple
Maple has a mild flavor. Some say it has a slightly sweet flavor because sugar maple, black maple, red maple, and silver maple are commonly used in the production of maple syrup. You'll have to judge for yourself...I don't taste sweetness myself. Maple goes especially well with pork and poultry. The wood is dense in weight but light in color.
Mesquite
Mesquite is the official smoke wood of Texas barbecue. Its strong, hearty flavor complements beef, but it also works with fish, pork, and poultry. The wood is dense and dark red/brown in color with a very rough bark.
Oak
Oak is one of my favorite smoke woods. It goes with just about any barbecue meat. It has a medium smoky flavor that is stronger than apple and cherry, but lighter than hickory. As a result, it mixes well with these three woods, but also works great by itself. It has a dense, tight grain and a color ranging from almost white to yellow to red.
Pecan
Pecan is great with beef, pork, and poultry. Its flavor is described as sweet and nutty. It can be used by itself or mixed with oak. I especially like it with chicken and ribs.
Wine Barrel Chunks
When wine barrels reach the end of their useful life, they're often cut into chunks and sold as smoke wood. These oak chunks show the dark stain of red wine on one side and the natural oak grain on the other. They have the same aroma you experience when you visit the cellars at a winery. Do they provide a unique flavor to your barbecue? Hard to say, but they're fun to try if you have the chance. These chunks came from Trader Joe's gourmet food market.

There are probably woods there in Australia that would be good but I really don't know what they would be.


Building the smoke house. To get both hot and cold smoking your going to have to have either
2 heat sources
or
2 chambers

With 2 heat sources you'll have a smoke box outside of the smoke house and a way to bring the inside of the house up to 121 degrees C (250 degrees F). You could use an LPG burner or an electric heat source. When you cold smoke you just using the outside fire box and when you hot smoking use both

With 2 chambers you have one chamber where the smoke is generated and where you will hot smoke and then another one which the smoke feeds through on it's way out that is for cold smoking.

This is a basic set up for a smoke house with an external fire box.

Most of the 2 chamber types are more like grill smokers than smoke houses but you could build one that worked this way.


I asked Bill about times etc,,,


Pepper I give 4 hours at a out 110 degrees F
Big chicken 6 hours at 230
Turkey or a big whole ham 8 hours at 230

You can always google it such as how long should I smoke a 5 pound briscut

Basically you can use any hard wood. If you use soft woods they come out tasting like turpintine and not very good. i did just a quick look and it looks like you have to be careful as there are some woods in Australia that are poisonous. The ones I saw that people said that they liked were Red Gum, Blue Gum and Lemon Myrtle (use the leaves and flowers not the wood). I also saw something about a Ti Tree but I dont know anything about it. It sounds likeyou have a good plan though. After seeing what you did with the solar dehydrator, I can't wait to see what you come up with for a Smoke House.

Oh, don't just put shelves in there. you'll want some hooks for Sausages too.



Hope you dont mind me bunging this on my thread Bill, thanks again for taking the time to enlighten me on smoking.

Mezo.

 

[Dot Com]

gardening is all fun & games until we bring in the weather & insects, among other things. Hang in there fellow gardener/chili head.

 

[PaulG]

Hey, Meeez! What a drag! The wind really kicked your marquee in the pants.
Of all the weather, I dislike wind the most. You can keep dry and warm, but the
wind knows no boundaries, and is relentless. I spend quite a bit of time in the high
desert of Oregon, and the wind is sometimes brutal, especially in thunderstorm
season. It even blew over a heavy camera on a heavy tripod with legs spread wide
when I was taking pix. What started the marquee cover ripping? Was there a little
tear or something? The sun's UV can shoot something in the butt, that's for sure.
I suppose you could just poke your finger through the material. All the wind needs
is a half inch of flapping material and it's off to the races.

I hope you can get that squared away, my friend. You have an awesome grow
started with the seedlings.

 

[Mezo]

Thanks DC & PG,

Yep your right PAul, the sun has done its damage its like tissue paper.

These things were never designed to be a permanent structure (we knew that) so like you say once there was a tiny hole the wind just kept on ripping it apart. Id like to have this lot out in the raised beds to be honest but still no sign of the tractor from the farmer next door & im not filling them by hand.

So at the moment its just pots in a tent with no roof, i will gets some real pics next week (waiting on batterys off ebay) $$

Mezo.

 

[Dot Com]

keep us updated Mezo.

If its any consolation, I just found out one of my most prolific plants had some kind of tiny bug infestation. Saw a tiny web on it last week and thought it was just dust. Turns out little bugs had constructed it. Look on my Glog for the full description.

 

[Sanarda]

Hows it going down under Mez???

 

[Mezo]

Well ive just mangaed today to get hold of some sign banner (reject print) you know the ones they use on billboards?

Also got some batteries delivered this morning for my camera (6 x energizer ultimate lithium) man they are expensive, i buy them off ebay to save money. So the camera is loaded & working, im about to drag the new roof on the tent & fix it with cable ties (got 200 of them) all ready for the next big wind.

Also got ten new pots (500mm) and two jumbo bags of potting mix & some slow relase granual fertiliser, the raised beds are sitting there emprty, the promise of a loan tractor to fill them has still not materialised? so i can see ten plants that need a bigger pot right now so ive gone & got ten to get me out of the shit for now.

Mezo.

 

[chsy83]

i can see ten plants that need a bigger pot right now so ive gone & got ten to get me out of the shit for now.

Mezo.

I know the feeling, Mezo. I am not growing at your scale, but I am pushing the limits for the area in which I am growing. I have put off potting up several until I could find the right space/potting medium to use. Always gratifying to get that out of the way, and also to see them appreciating their new living arrangements.

 

[Mezo]

If only my numbers would come up on the lotteries, id have a huge aquaponics greenhouse sectioned of by plant species all computer controlled (set &amp; forget) all year round chilli growing with the bonus of 'fresh' freshwater fish by the bucket load.

Set on the side of a hill, say six big tanks for my favortite fish in each tank (Salmon, Trout, Catfish, White Fish, Yabbies, etc) All there efluent (poo) feeding hydroponically downhill &amp; then the clean water pumped back up to the fish tanks.

Of course this is just a lotto dream, so ill have to make do with my windtorn wedding marquee &amp; planter pots, sigh.

Mezo.