Patrick's 2011 Grow Log

Here we are again. I can't believe how fast the time goes by anymore. My pops always said the older you get the faster it passes us by.

I am especially excited about this year, I'm going to try and cross a couple of peppers, on purpose! Haven't made the final decisions yet though.

Anyway, here's a few that I overwintered. The one on the left came from a 7 Pod Barrackpore cutting. It struggled for a bit but the roots are starting to grow so I'm hopeful. Center front is a "large" 7 Pod, center rear was a very robust Dorset Naga and the one on the right is a 7 Pod Primo. The latter three I removed from 5-7 gal pots, trimmed the roots and cut them down to just the stem. They sat in my foyer where they got some limited sunlight through a window. I'm very happy with them.

This is the first tray of seeds I stuck in coco coir last night. I've had success before with this medium as a seed starting mix so see no reason to change. It is nutrient poor so I start using fertilizer at an early stage in the plants life, at a very reduced rate.

Here is what I've started so far:

7 Pod, Brain Strain PRF…………………………..………........ 5
7 Pod, Brown Judy………………………………..………............ 6
Bhut Jolokia, Yellow…………………………………..………........ 5
Pimenta Tiger, AISPES004...................... 5
Trinidad Scorpion, Butch T Judy…………….………...... 8
Trinidad Scorpion, Chocolate AISPES108…....……. 5
Trinidad Scorpion, Morouga HSC……………….……....... 5
Trinidad Scorpion, Yellow AISPES109..……....... 5
Trinidad Scorpion, Yellow 2 SS………………….………..... 5
Trinidad Scorpion, Yellow Morouga AISPES107...…3

Not all of them are in the photo.

They are on a cookie sheet which is on a heat pad. Current temp in the coco coir varies from 75F - 80F. I would like it warmer and may mess with the heating pad settings. I plan on picking up a couple of heat mats tomorrow for more trays.

I have several other varieties to get started and would like to keep my total at under 90 plants.

Here we go!

 

[BigCedar]

Got powder??
Looking good Patrick, I don't blame you for the respirator.
Now that you mention it, thats a great xmas gift for my wife this year!..
Wonder how fast I'd get slapped for that one

Still in disbelief your still picking.

An ol produce guy trick.. Works with anything that needs to ripen.. color on it or not,
Brown paper bag, large or small, a red apple (make sure its got the wax on it), an almost ripe banana, all of your green pods, and put it in the warmest location in your house.

Walaa.
I ripened 13lbs of ALL-green that way when I chopped my plants for overwintering.

 

[patrick]

Yep, I got powder. Spent a couple of hours a few nights ago and just spent another hour working the grinder. Sitting at about a pound of powder so far.

Here's what I ended up with after the first night of grinding.

I don't like the way the white specks, which are parts of seeds, don't grind as fine and how they detract from the overall color. So tonight I started removing seeds. I crush the pods up as best I can with my hands and then use a pestle to push the pepper material through a fine strainer. That makes the powder pretty fine but run it through the coffee grinder once and it's real fine. I like that.

 

[Chilinferno]

looks nice Patrick

i cant get enough of that stuff

i hope the kids won´t mix these up with coco powder or something like that
so be cautious

 

[Dot Com]

what kind of grinder you use, manual or electric?

 

[meatfreak]

That looks very tasty, patrick. Great job on that!

 

[patrick]

Dot Com I use an electric grinder. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=hamilton%20beach%2080344%20custom%20grind%2015%20cup%20coffee%20grinder&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CE4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHamilton-Beach-80344-Custom-Grinder%2Fdp%2FB0026A9T68&ei=p67LTqHsHZSIsAKyyemBDw&usg=AFQjCNHomRH0tSG0e7yKsD6X3qXtITOFuQ&cad=rja I've had it for a couple of years and so far so good. Like most of the cheap ones you have to let it rest a bit between grinds or it will overheat and stop working.

 

[windchicken]

What a great photo! For some reason I have to sneeze now...

 

[Edgie]

The powder looks great.

 

[Dot Com]

Dot Com I use an electric grinder. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=hamilton%20beach%2080344%20custom%20grind%2015%20cup%20coffee%20grinder&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CE4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHamilton-Beach-80344-Custom-Grinder%2Fdp%2FB0026A9T68&ei=p67LTqHsHZSIsAKyyemBDw&usg=AFQjCNHomRH0tSG0e7yKsD6X3qXtITOFuQ&cad=rja I've had it for a couple of years and so far so good. Like most of the cheap ones you have to let it rest a bit between grinds or it will overheat and stop working.

Oh yeah!!! Nice & compact. Very similar to a coffee grinder I have.

 

[BhutBhut]

Great colour!

 

[Spicegeist]

Yep, I got powder. Spent a couple of hours a few nights ago and just spent another hour working the grinder. Sitting at about a pound of powder so far.

Here's what I ended up with after the first night of grinding.

I don't like the way the white specks, which are parts of seeds, don't grind as fine and how they detract from the overall color. So tonight I started removing seeds. I crush the pods up as best I can with my hands and then use a pestle to push the pepper material through a fine strainer. That makes the powder pretty fine but run it through the coffee grinder once and it's real fine. I like that.

This year I simply mixed a bunch of different varieties so that I now have brown, red and yellow. Do you find particular varieties really stand out and are worth keeping separate for powder?

 

[patrick]

Thanks for the kind words all.

Spicegeist some of the powders there is an obvious difference. The chocolates definitely taste different from the reds or yellows. I'm thinking you know that with the way you do yours. Then there's the heat difference between some. A guess a lot of it has to do with me, I worked hard to grow every single plant and I want to know what they gave me in return for my effort.

 

[lazienfat]

The colors of your powders turned out great! Should keep you warm this winter. Happy Turkey day Patrick!

 

[Spicegeist]

Thanks for the kind words all.

Spicegeist some of the powders there is an obvious difference. The chocolates definitely taste different from the reds or yellows. I'm thinking you know that with the way you do yours. Then there's the heat difference between some. A guess a lot of it has to do with me, I worked hard to grow every single plant and I want to know what they gave me in return for my effort.

I grew a Yellow Bhut that tasted like a yellow and like a bhut as well, but I didn't bother separating it out. In 2012 I think I'll try creating a few 1-variety-only powders.

 

[patrick]

I am thinking about combining some of them. I didn't get a lot of powder from the Butch T or the 7 Pot Brain Strain so those two are going to be combined. Should give me close to an ounce and a half total. Now that will be some hot stuff.