Operation Golden Garden 2014: Let's Get Started!

Cartz · Aug 26, 2013

Haha sort your priorities out man! You don't hesitate to stick a million or 2 SHU of brimstone down your pie-hole on a regular basis...but you're not a fan of needles. Go figure. Stick a needle in my arm every day over what you do for fun!!

Seriously though, hope you're ok...makes you wonder what crept in there! :confused:

stc3248 · Aug 26, 2013

Haha...them Senior Chiefs know everything! Glad the navy set you straight!

peppernovice · Aug 27, 2013

That's tough, but at least you didn't get the "2 motrin and plenty of water" bit. I hope they got you straightened out. I'll make sure to say a quick prayer for you. Keep us updated and let us know if we can do anything to help.

Tim

RocketMan · Aug 27, 2013

MGOLD86 said:
Yea man, definitely the beez kneez!

Yea man, I had no idea what the hell it was until hangin in GA GH's GLOG.

It actually got so bad that I had to go in to medical this morning at work. They gave me a saline IV and then a painkiller shot. It didn't really help much, but then they gave me some crazy super extra strength sudafed and that seemed to do the trick. It was terrible, it hurt to sit up or stand from sitting, walk around, chew, etc. I had a chili for tonight to review, but I need a day to get back to human!

Thank GOD the corpsman hit the vain in the first shot! I am no bueno with sticking needles in my veins, and the dude kept on going, oh shit, i forgot x, hey senior chief do I do this? etc. It was pretty unnerving.

When I was active duty I went to the Combat lifesaver course. Worst thing was the annual recert when you had to execute a stick and then let someone else stick you. Well, seeing as my wife was a Lab Tech, in the Army also, I was good to go but somehow I would always get the guy who was unsure and slow. There is nothing like having one of those needles slowly inserted into your arm. Of course as the senior NCO there I had to give the guy encouragement and tell him good job when he got done :evil:

peppernovice said:
That's tough, but at least you didn't get the "2 motrin and plenty of water" bit. I hope they got you straightened out. I'll make sure to say a quick prayer for you. Keep us updated and let us know if we can do anything to help.

Tim

Ah yeah Motrin aka Ranger Candy. I know that drill too well.

Hope your feeling better Matt. Humidity must be kicking up there if the Sudafed worked. I used to live on that stuff for the first couple of weeks of summer when I was at Ft Stewart till I grew used to it again. Take care brother!

MGOLD86 · Aug 28, 2013

Cartz said:
Haha sort your priorities out man! You don't hesitate to stick a million or 2 SHU of brimstone down your pie-hole on a regular basis...but you're not a fan of needles. Go figure. Stick a needle in my arm every day over what you do for fun!!

Seriously though, hope you're ok...makes you wonder what crept in there!

It is crazy aint it! I say that all the time, why can I eat these crazy hot and painful peppers but I cant do a little needle? The funny thing is I dont mind tattoos, just sticking needles into my veins. Good news is I won't be addicted to heroin any time soon.

peppernovice said:
That's tough, but at least you didn't get the "2 motrin and plenty of water" bit. I hope they got you straightened out. I'll make sure to say a quick prayer for you. Keep us updated and let us know if we can do anything to help.

Tim

Yea, I was totally expecting that! They eventually gave me what I needed, but I was still worried they weren't gonna figure it out and send me away.

RocketMan said:
When I was active duty I went to the Combat lifesaver course. Worst thing was the annual recert when you had to execute a stick and then let someone else stick you. Well, seeing as my wife was a Lab Tech, in the Army also, I was good to go but somehow I would always get the guy who was unsure and slow. There is nothing like having one of those needles slowly inserted into your arm. Of course as the senior NCO there I had to give the guy encouragement and tell him good job when he got done

Ah yeah Motrin aka Ranger Candy. I know that drill too well.

Hope your feeling better Matt. Humidity must be kicking up there if the Sudafed worked. I used to live on that stuff for the first couple of weeks of summer when I was at Ft Stewart till I grew used to it again. Take care brother!

Yea Bill, I am feeling a whole lot better...TILL I ATE SHANE'S PRIMO CROSS...

LOL. But I do have a pretty huge stockpile of the big Motrin 800s for all those ouchie moments. I just feel like I am starting to fall apart. I am only 27, but my back hurts, hip hurts, I am not as fast as I was, had surgery on this, injured that....what is gonna happen by the time I get out!?! lol. Hopefully they will have a pill to make me feel and look 21 again by then....

Well I know I have been neglecting the garden updates, so I took a few happy snaps earlier today.

Assams. These things just dont stop puttin out pods! So freakin loaded down. I pulled off everything that was ripe today to give way to yet ANOTHER round of ripening pods.

TMSB. Not a heavy producer, but the couple pods that it does put out are damn near perfect. I only got 2 this harvest, one went into a box and another one went on the dehydrator whole to send to a buddy in Hungary.

Same goes with the TSMB Yellow, although there seems to be a handful of pods set on the plant that have a bit of size and color to put on yet.

These 7 yellows are awesome. A bunch of pods and they are golf ball sized or bigger.

The Douglahs ALWAYS look mean as hell!

All 3 Naga Morich plants decided to ripen about 70% of their pods at the same time! I see some smoked nagas in my future!

Not a bad harvest if I dont say so myself!

Critter shot:

And this thing is gonna be full by the end of the season if things keep goin the way they go!

HillBilly Jeff · Aug 28, 2013

Nice pod porn, nice pull, and nice looking powders.

Hows that TSMB Yellow taste? I am looking like I will be going off the red path in the future in the peppers.

Glad you're feeling better. Wait until you get old and hit the wall. One day you're feeling great and the next thing you know you have aches and pains every morning.

Did you get to taste those marked pods?

Spicegeist · Aug 28, 2013

Very nice. Are your Assam Bhuts very pale before ripening? I have some bhut types I'm trying to ID... I think they may be Assams...

By the way, I have a TSMB for you to try which might work better for you next year...

MGOLD86 · Aug 29, 2013

Bodeen said:
Nice pod porn, nice pull, and nice looking powders.

Hows that TSMB Yellow taste? I am looking like I will be going off the red path in the future in the peppers.

Glad you're feeling better. Wait until you get old and hit the wall. One day you're feeling great and the next thing you know you have aches and pains every morning.

Did you get to taste those marked pods?

Thanks Jeff! See below my take on the pods. Overall, great stuff you have man. You put my mouth through some pain tonight!

Spicegeist said:
Very nice. Are your Assam Bhuts very pale before ripening? I have some bhut types I'm trying to ID... I think they may be Assams...

By the way, I have a TSMB for you to try which might work better for you next year...

Thanks. Yes, they are pale until they turn and they go from a nice and light almost orange to a deep red. I have to check my logs from last season to see if they did it then but I think they may have.

The Bottom line: Not the best flavor, but SMOKIN hot!. This pod took me on the pain train and I knew it before I even bit into it. I had a bad feeling it was gonna be nasty and I was right.

On Heat. The pod took about a minute to build to a noticeable uncomfortable heat. The heat was really attacking the throat, and I don't get much throat burn. Not totally attacking my legs but it really hit the hands hard. It wasn't the hottest pod out there, but it was DEFINITELY up there among the hottest. What really PUSHED me into panic mode was a stupid piece of pod stuck in the back of my teeth. I started to get so wrapped up in getting that out, and the heat was really hitting hard that it started to get into my OODA Loop.

On Taste. It had a fruity-ish flavor up front while chewing but then about 30 seconds in it was overshadowed with a pretty heavy capsacin flavor. Pretty bitter. It would limit it in applications in my opinion.

On Vigor and Production. I am not growing this variety and I cannot attest to its overall production, but what I have seen it is a pretty decent producer.

Heat: T1
Flavor: T4
Production: T2

Overall a hot pod that would be good in some powder. I wouldn't venture outside of that lane in my use, but the pod was over a week old and that may have had something to do with it.

Chocolate Big Bang Naga:

A bit of a fruity taste, very pleasant. I thought that I got more of a floral smell, and this being a naga that is what I was expecting. A pleasant surprise. Quick burn, hitting the back of the tongue and the throat. I would say it was a pretty good burn, really stingy on the tongue for the size of bit I took. It lasted a few minutes and then kinda teetered off. It did hit me under the tongue, which sucks. I think the flavor is really great on it and i would love to use it in a sauce. It has thick enough walls to give up some good powder or cook down into a sauce, however, it isnt too thick that it would take forever to dry.

Red Super (Jonah?)

Citrusy, reminiscent of a typical 7 pot. At first I thought that it wasn't really gonna be hot, more of a dud, however it took about 45 seconds or a minute before I really started to feel a burn on my lips. I also started to breathe a bit heavier and it was really going to work on my tongue. This badboy is hot. I would bet that if I did a full pod review I would get to panic mode. The burn lasted about 4 minutes or so and subsided, however, my lips were still really getting worked. Overall not my FAVORITE flavor, but usable. I think this would go well in both sauces and powders, and it is definitely in the 1 million club.

Red Hot smooth:

The first bite was really sweet and juicy, and I was like, WOW, thats awesome! But then a second or two later it went very floral. It has a taste that is similar to a bhut, but not AS floral. It definitely has a bit of heat to it. More of a throat burn and a little bit on the lips. More numbing on the lips. It would go well in powder, and if you like the floral taste, a sauce.

Yellow:

My first thought was: Oh wow, thats really hot. lol. It was very chinense-y, almost boardering on cleaning agent flavor. When I took a bite, it was almost immediate heat explosion, but it quickly subsided and went away. The heat went stright to the throat and it definitely let me know it was there. If I were to review a full pod, it would probably be in the small few of the hottest yellows. It did confuse me because I expected a much longer lasting burn, but instead it just hit quick and then dulled.

stc3248 · Aug 29, 2013

Once again...great job Matt. The flavor on that one is OK if taken in small doses, but even then it's a bit overpowering. I knew it was a scorcher...now its confirmed. Plan to work with this one a bit and see what happens in follow on F gens...and I will powder and maybe try a sauce with it. Thanks for trying it!!! Take care of yourself and enjoy a well deserved break from the hell you've put yourself through!!!

MGOLD86 · Aug 30, 2013

Thanks Shane, but I have a feeling the break will be short lived. I already caught wind of a possible incoming box, and I have a half dozen or so people on YouTube who want me to try stuff for em. I am gonna be pretty picky just because this last round I overextended myself just a bit and pretty much went 8 days with only one day off... I wish I could review every pod, but it never works out that way. And also, this last time was a fluke...4 boxes in 2 days! Come on, that's crazy!

GnomeGrown · Aug 30, 2013

Awesome review, Matt.

:hell:

Fantastic photos too.
:clap:

RocketMan · Aug 30, 2013

But Matt, we're all still waiting to see you take on The Reaper

stickman · Aug 30, 2013

stc3248 said:
Once again...great job Matt. The flavor on that one is OK if taken in small doses, but even then it's a bit overpowering. I knew it was a scorcher...now its confirmed. Plan to work with this one a bit and see what happens in follow on F gens...and I will powder and maybe try a sauce with it. Thanks for trying it!!! Take care of yourself and enjoy a well deserved break from the hell you've put yourself through!!!

+1 on that... You certainly don't need to prove anything to anybody Matt... and you ain't gonna hear any smack talk from this direction...

Hope the "inner ear disturbance" has run its course...

It was nice to finally see some pics from your garden again... Great looking pods and plants!

Devv · Aug 30, 2013

Wow Matt, that was a rough ride!

Pay attention to your body, it does "talk" to you! But one has to listen

I had a stomach virus over last weekend, and didn't eat anything hot until today...and today I got a box....uh, 13 types, will be real hard to taste them all before they get soft. But will do my best. I read back there about the pains, been there done that. I'm twice your present age. Tom Petty said it best "never slow down never grow old" (probably not correct quote), but spot on. Look into rehab exercises for the pains....I do them every day, aint gonna give in!

Take good care of yourself!

Scott

HillBilly Jeff · Aug 30, 2013

MGOLD86 said:
Thanks Jeff! See below my take on the pods. Overall, great stuff you have man. You put my mouth through some pain tonight!

Thanks. Yes, they are pale until they turn and they go from a nice and light almost orange to a deep red. I have to check my logs from last season to see if they did it then but I think they may have.

The Bottom line: Not the best flavor, but SMOKIN hot!. This pod took me on the pain train and I knew it before I even bit into it. I had a bad feeling it was gonna be nasty and I was right.

On Heat. The pod took about a minute to build to a noticeable uncomfortable heat. The heat was really attacking the throat, and I don't get much throat burn. Not totally attacking my legs but it really hit the hands hard. It wasn't the hottest pod out there, but it was DEFINITELY up there among the hottest. What really PUSHED me into panic mode was a stupid piece of pod stuck in the back of my teeth. I started to get so wrapped up in getting that out, and the heat was really hitting hard that it started to get into my OODA Loop.

On Taste. It had a fruity-ish flavor up front while chewing but then about 30 seconds in it was overshadowed with a pretty heavy capsacin flavor. Pretty bitter. It would limit it in applications in my opinion.

On Vigor and Production. I am not growing this variety and I cannot attest to its overall production, but what I have seen it is a pretty decent producer.

Heat: T1
Flavor: T4
Production: T2

Overall a hot pod that would be good in some powder. I wouldn't venture outside of that lane in my use, but the pod was over a week old and that may have had something to do with it.

Chocolate Big Bang Naga:

A bit of a fruity taste, very pleasant. I thought that I got more of a floral smell, and this being a naga that is what I was expecting. A pleasant surprise. Quick burn, hitting the back of the tongue and the throat. I would say it was a pretty good burn, really stingy on the tongue for the size of bit I took. It lasted a few minutes and then kinda teetered off. It did hit me under the tongue, which sucks. I think the flavor is really great on it and i would love to use it in a sauce. It has thick enough walls to give up some good powder or cook down into a sauce, however, it isnt too thick that it would take forever to dry.

Red Super (Jonah?)

Citrusy, reminiscent of a typical 7 pot. At first I thought that it wasn't really gonna be hot, more of a dud, however it took about 45 seconds or a minute before I really started to feel a burn on my lips. I also started to breathe a bit heavier and it was really going to work on my tongue. This badboy is hot. I would bet that if I did a full pod review I would get to panic mode. The burn lasted about 4 minutes or so and subsided, however, my lips were still really getting worked. Overall not my FAVORITE flavor, but usable. I think this would go well in both sauces and powders, and it is definitely in the 1 million club.

Red Hot smooth:

The first bite was really sweet and juicy, and I was like, WOW, thats awesome! But then a second or two later it went very floral. It has a taste that is similar to a bhut, but not AS floral. It definitely has a bit of heat to it. More of a throat burn and a little bit on the lips. More numbing on the lips. It would go well in powder, and if you like the floral taste, a sauce.

Yellow:

My first thought was: Oh wow, thats really hot. lol. It was very chinense-y, almost boardering on cleaning agent flavor. When I took a bite, it was almost immediate heat explosion, but it quickly subsided and went away. The heat went stright to the throat and it definitely let me know it was there. If I were to review a full pod, it would probably be in the small few of the hottest yellows. It did confuse me because I expected a much longer lasting burn, but instead it just hit quick and then dulled.

The top red you questioned was a Jonah came off a plant that the seeds came to me as moruga. The red smooth was what consensus said to be a devils tongue. The yellow was my Butch T not.,

MGOLD86 · Aug 30, 2013

Bodeen said:
The top red you questioned was a Jonah came off a plant that the seeds came to me as moruga. The red smooth was what consensus said to be a devils tongue. The yellow was my Butch T not.,

NICE! That is probably the confusion for the Yellow TS. I am guessing that the "Not Butch T" is some sort of a cross with a 7 pot. Maybe a ButchT X Yellow 7, since ButchTs sometimes have that heavy cap taste. I was impressed with the heat from the devil's tongue as well, but that "not" moruga was definitely a scorcher of a pod.

GnomeGrown said:
Awesome review, Matt.

Fantastic photos too.

Thanks G Man.

RocketMan said:
But Matt, we're all still waiting to see you take on The Reaper

LOL. We can talk about that...at a later time.

stickman said:
+1 on that... You certainly don't need to prove anything to anybody Matt... and you ain't gonna hear any smack talk from this direction...

Hope the "inner ear disturbance" has run its course...

It was nice to finally see some pics from your garden again... Great looking pods and plants!

But you need me on that wall! *SLAMS FISTS*

I know, but I really want to do them all! It is tough getting a box in and NOT trying to do them all, but you are right, gotta give it a break at some point. That is why right now I am takin a few days to collect myself and then I am gonna be smart about it an take a day or 2 in between reviews. With Shane's pods I should probably take like 3 weeks.... :crazy:

Devv said:
Wow Matt, that was a rough ride!

Pay attention to your body, it does "talk" to you! But one has to listen I had a stomach virus over last weekend, and didn't eat anything hot until today...and today I got a box....uh, 13 types, will be real hard to taste them all before they get soft. But will do my best. I read back there about the pains, been there done that. I'm twice your present age. Tom Petty said it best "never slow down never grow old" (probably not correct quote), but spot on. Look into rehab exercises for the pains....I do them every day, aint gonna give in!

Take good care of yourself!

Scott

Yea that one definitely took me through some hell! I am lucky to have very good physical therapists and sports med folks within my unit. I just transferred to a new command and one of my first priorities is to get my body back into alignment. Between the docs, sports med folks, and awesome facilities we have I should be good in a few months. The hardest part is gonna be doin the push-aways...you know..push AWAY from the table!

MGOLD86 · Aug 31, 2013

I wanted to say a HUGE thanks to Capsicum Select, who sent me a great pkg of goodies!

He sent over a homebrew and two local hot sauces! I can't wait to give em all a shot. The sauce has great color and that beer is definitely my size!

Also, I took some time to prep some peppers for the smoker....shots of that will come tomorrow when the pig comes off. BUT, I did wanna show you these AMAZING looking yellow 7s.

Devv · Aug 31, 2013

Nice pods Matt!

I'm thinking yellow is way cool after some of the pods I've been tasting the last two days. The Giant Yellow Brain flat lit me up tonight! Thought the burn would never end....I just don't see how you do your vids...guess I'm just old...but given it hell!

Back to the body, I was broadsided on a test drive in '87, 2 years after a back injury put me in bed for 6 weeks, I WAS back to full strength, but this was worse than the first. I was in physical rehab for 8 weeks. The techs taught me lessons I still use today. Couldn't function today without what they taught me. 600 crunches a week with the stretches keep me moving...just trying to inspire

Keep yourself young!

MGOLD86 · Aug 31, 2013

Thanks Scott, definitely been slackin on the ab work. The good news is my new assignment is as an instructor so I have no excuse to keep up the physical trainin!

I should have got a pic of the insides, if I can remember tomorrow I will take one. There was literally a puddle of oil in there. AMAZING!

Oh, and its 10 pm, time to fire up the smoker!

MGOLD86 · Aug 31, 2013

And just for good measure...
http://youtu.be/Sk_epMAtefc