PeriPeri's Grow Log 2012: South Africa

PeriPeri · Mar 3, 2013

FireEater101 said:
PeriPeri,

Your updates are awesome to read. Your peppers look amazing and you have one heck of a set up too! Love seeing all the pod porn! I hope you finish out your season strong!

Your situation with monkeys sounds crazy definitely not a problem I have ever encountered but I wish you well beating them away!

Look forward to future updates and wish you many more future pods!

Mike

Hi FireEater101, welcome and glad you're enjoying the pod porn! Yea, time to spank those monkeys

Nature can be cruel lol... There I was looking out for the little critters and it was the primates that dealt me the biggest blow!

WalkGood · Mar 3, 2013

Lourens, again with the great pod porn @_@ Love dem all, too many to name off but every ting looks great! I like Sawyer’s pepper powder idea or if you could somehow get a hold of tear gas to chase dem crazy ballheads out of town (da pepper patch) »» Foobar2ooo ::: Bob Marley & The Wailers - Rastaman Vibration (1976) - 06 - Chase dem Crazy Baldheads Out of de Pepper Patch ::: 0:17/3:12 (•••••••••&bull

::: 364 kbps «« ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪

PeriPeri · Mar 3, 2013

Sawyer said:
Great pictures, that mystery pod practically radiates its "pepperness".

You should install a line of infrared "monkey detectors" and hook them up to a series of compressed air pepper powder dispersal units. I bet once the little buggers inhaled some nice hot pepper powder they'd learn to avoid your plants. The only "monkeys" I have raiding my garden are the neighbors kids, and they aren't so bad, usually.

Hey Sawyer, that mystery pod is really a great pepper. Time to capture a taste test me thinkst! It is HOT! lol oh man, I could cope with the neighbors kids I think... but I do like the idea with the infrared monkey detectors! I also thought about pegging a leopard in the middle of the field with a (lets say) 4m leish... but then I guess my peppers truly would be trashed lol

Vegas_Chili · Mar 3, 2013

You should start training those monkeys to help you pick those pods. Seriously I doubt they'll dare take a bite out one Lmao!

,Vegas

PeriPeri · Mar 3, 2013

WalkGood said:
Lourens, again with the great pod porn @_@ Love dem all, too many to name off but every ting looks great! I like Sawyer’s pepper powder idea or if you could somehow get a hold of tear gas to chase dem crazy ballheads out of town (da pepper patch) »» Foobar2ooo ::: Bob Marley & The Wailers - Rastaman Vibration (1976) - 06 - Chase dem Crazy Baldheads Out of de Pepper Patch ::: 0:17/3:12 (•••••••••&bull ::: 364 kbps «« ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪

Grow your dreadpods rastaman! Yea mon! lol I an I agree...

Vegas_Chili said:
You should start training those monkeys to help you pick those pods. Seriously I doubt they'll dare take a bite out one Lmao!

,Vegas

Trying to train my kids at the mo... that's difficult enough thanks!

Purple Tiger...

Red Fatalii... still waiting

Jonah X ButchT Flowering

Red Hab's changing colour now...

Now seeing these babies yesterday, they looked ghostly pale... the NAga Kings are looking lethal... just waiting for the colour - can't wait! This is SUCH an amazing tasting chilli. The sweet orange flavour still haunts me. And a burn that goes on for ever! I did a taste test last year and the burn lasted half an hour at least. The flavour was incredible and while it was blisteringly hot... the heat was not overpowering. This has to be one of my favourites.

Another close up of a brainstrain pod...

Cheyennes still producing loads of pods...

The Condom chillies changing colour... These actually have quite a burn to them. Tried one the other day... was not mi;d by any standards.

Bump please

Sawyer · Mar 3, 2013

Beautiful plants and pods.

PeriPeri · Mar 3, 2013

Yellow Fataliis

Tabasco's

7 Pod changing colour

th th thats it f f folks! Good night...

stickman · Mar 3, 2013

PeriPeri said:
th th thats it f f folks! Good night...

Probably to drift off to sleep counting pods...

wildseed57 · Mar 3, 2013

Great Pics as always.
Bump.

Stefan_W · Mar 3, 2013

Really well done, the pods look fantastic! I wonder if "pod envy" is a psychological disorder, because if it is I have it.

The tabascos look different from the ones I grew last year. Maybe it is just the picture, but my pods seemed to be bunched up a bit more and a touch smaller. It could be a difference in strain, or the difference between container and in-ground gardening.

kiddc · Mar 3, 2013

i need to get me one of them condom chiles

wildseed57 · Mar 3, 2013

I think those are a resistant strain that is being grown now, I grew some of the origal strain of Tobasco a couple of years back and liked the texture and flavor better than the new strain.
I like the looks of your Carolina Reaper the pods really look mean, so do the Brain Strain I bet those monkey will give up eating your peppers if they get a hold of one of those, I got some Brain Strains along with some Barrackapors and Chocolate Bhuts that are coming along nicely,and I finally had some Birgets Locoto's pop up the other day.

PIC 1 · Mar 3, 2013

Great pod shots. I'm still in awe over how big and productive the plants are..............nice work !

PeriPeri · Mar 4, 2013

stickman said:
Probably to drift off to sleep counting pods...

Morning stickman... chopping pods and counting seeds actually lol I dreamt I was drowning in pods lol

wildseed57 said:
Great Pics as always.
Bump.

Hi wildseed57, thank you! Sorry it was just a few this time - but I will try an make up next time

Stefan_W said:
Really well done, the pods look fantastic! I wonder if "pod envy" is a psychological disorder, because if it is I have it.

The tabascos look different from the ones I grew last year. Maybe it is just the picture, but my pods seemed to be bunched up a bit more and a touch smaller. It could be a difference in strain, or the difference between container and in-ground gardening.

"bacainvidiosus" would be fruit/berry envy

It's official - but I think you are ok. Do you display symptoms of sweaty palms, throbbing eyeballs and nervous twitches when you see these pods? lol

From what some people have said, pods are bigger. I do get the feeling this may be due to growing these in the ground. I have also noticed that with the colder weather we have been having pods are getting smaller. Golden Habs in particular are not getting as big as when we had the really hot weather. There are one or two Tabsco bushes outside where the Tabasco pods are really quite big. On the inside area, the pods are quite a lot smaller. The Tabscos are bigger in comparison to the Peri Peri pods.

kiddc said:
i need to get me one of them condom chiles

Hi kddc, welcome - glad you are enjoying them Condom chillies. I think they would make a perfect match for the Peter pepper!

wildseed57 said:
I think those are a resistant strain that is being grown now, I grew some of the origal strain of Tobasco a couple of years back and liked the texture and flavor better than the new strain.
I like the looks of your Carolina Reaper the pods really look mean, so do the Brain Strain I bet those monkey will give up eating your peppers if they get a hold of one of those, I got some Brain Strains along with some Barrackapors and Chocolate Bhuts that are coming along nicely,and I finally had some Birgets Locoto's pop up the other day.

Hi Wildseed57, I do know I tried germinating the Tabascos several times without success. From other people on the forum, I gather that Tabascos are difficult to germinate. In any case, I managed to get a good dozen bushes this year. I do not know where I got the seeds from. Some of the bushes do have rather large pods - this is true. Taste wise, I can't say they taste like the sauce, but what amazed me is that they get really mushy when they go ripe and are quite fibrous inside once orange/red. But I imagine this makes them idea for fermenting. I must say the taste is unique. I quite like it.

The Caroline Reapers have lived up to their advertised look and feel in my opinion. I know in some forums, people were getting their knickers into knots and throwing accusations out there... but I must say - they look pretty much what I was told they would look like. Now if only they would turn red and I could try one, I could even tell you if they were heat wise as advertised. I know from other peppers that luckily the heat of the peppers coming out of this soil is pretty much right up there. Even the Bishops pack a punch.

The Brainstrain seem to be getting really big! I think they are going to be massive, judging by the pod growth from last week till now. I am also excited to try those. I have Barrackpore though I may well be bringing those indoors and Jonahs... and Primo's... but the seeds arrived late - so yea, I may see these pod up indoors. Bummer! but hey, gives me some fun indoors

PIC 1 said:
Great pod shots. I'm still in awe over how big and productive the plants are..............nice work !

Thank you Pic1 - coming from you, that means a lot! I must say, your set up is amazing! Perfection comes to mind actually. The pods have been big and as I said earlier, I think planting them in the ground and the hot weather do have a lot to do with it. But I can not take much credit really... its all down to mother nature and JA

Well here is a pic showing PeriPeri's top and Tabsco's at bottom of hand. Showing smallest and largest pods from those picked. Actually, I must correct my earlier statement that the Tabsco's were larger. I think only by a margin. Somehow I get the feeling they are larger. I think the pods still to be harvested are bigger still. The PeriPeri are all within the size range as shown.

I do however get the feeling that the Tabasco and the PeriPeri are genetically linked. Their shape and look is very similar. Taste wise they are totally different. Also, once ripe, the PeriPeri does not have that mushy fibrous texture... anyway. Good to see them side by side

Brown Habs...

Pasilla Bajio...

These are the pods from that Mystery chilli...

Big Jim...

Bishops

Now I just love the flavour of these guys... if one could bottle that smell... they smell like musky, bannana & boiled sweets/toffee... man these are just the best!

Cayenne

Serrano's

Naga Morich

Ok folks... now I must go and work so I can afford my hobby

Thanks for checking out my glog. Thank you all for your positive feedback and good advice!

Chiao, PeriPeri

armac · Mar 4, 2013

very nice pods. glad to see your reapers were more reminescent of the adverising pods than some of the earlier examples we saw.

giant pods....or tiny hands....which is it?

WalkGood · Mar 4, 2013

Dam impressive IMO! As you may know that Texans say “everything is bigger in Texas,” well they didn’t know Lourens from South Africa which can now say … “haha hehe haha I got you Texans beat,” lol. Now you just need to write a diddly tune …

Edit: WG runs for the Caribbean as the Texans get their guns :o

PeriPeri · Mar 4, 2013

armac said:
very nice pods. glad to see your reapers were more reminescent of the adverising pods than some of the earlier examples we saw.

giant pods....or tiny hands....which is it?

lol normal size hands fits a size 8 1/2 lol

WalkGood said:
Dam impressive IMO! As you may know that Texans say “everything is bigger in Texas,” well they didn’t know Lourens from South Africa which can now say … “haha hehe haha I got you Texans beat,” lol. Now you just need to write a diddly tune …

Edit: WG runs for the Caribbean as the Texans get their guns :o

Thank you - lol Going to trade my flip flops for a stetson, texas ranger badge, chaps and rattle snake boots

PIC 1 · Mar 4, 2013

That Big Jim is huge, and ripened up fast. I've got some Big Jim Chile II seeds that are a few years old. I may try to get those going now . I forgot, are those hotter than an Anaheim, Hatch or similar New Mex variety ?

AzoreanRuister · Mar 4, 2013

Awesome grow PeriPeri!

I read that you were inquiring on the different types of Peri Peri peppers found throughout Africa. I didn't know there were different varieties (thanks for sharing that!). You are right - the peri peri did in fact come from South America. It is a very common pepper in Brazil. This is where it gets a bit confusing...

In Brazil, these peppers are called "Malagueta". I am growing some right now. I also really love the peri peri sauce (definitely one of my favorites!). The Brazilian Malagueta is supposed to be the same as the African and Portuguese Peri Peri peppers.

Where I am from (the Azores - islands off the coast of Europe) we call basically all peppers malagueta, and call peri peri peppers - well, peri peri! Any semi-hot to hot pepper is called a malagueta there, except for the peri peri (at least that is what it was amongst my family).

Since you are in the process of making a lot of sauce, perhaps you will want to make a batch of the typical Azorean pepper paste? No vinegar or water is used. Just peppers, salt, olive oil and garlic. The peppers are ground up, and left to ferment for a week (give or take). My dad never used garlic or olive oil really. Just ground up peppers with salt, and allowed them to ferment. Once packaged into a bottle, he would simply add olive oil to the top of sterilized jars, and seal them with wax paper.

I make this myself every year amongst the other sauces I make. I can't think of any Azorean dishes that don't have at least a dab of this sauce on it. Brings out the natural flavors of the peppers. I haven't tried this with Peri Peri peppers yet, but will be trying it this year. We normally use "Hot Portugals" for this sauce, but i am sure it would be great with any kind of pepper

Too bad I can't go to Mozambique - I could be your translator and find you the best peri peri peppers there

haha

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/hingham/2010/09/peppers.html

PeriPeri · Mar 4, 2013

PIC 1 said:
That Big Jim is huge, and ripened up fast. I've got some Big Jim Chile II seeds that are a few years old. I may try to get those going now . I forgot, are those hotter than an Anaheim, Hatch or similar New Mex variety ?

Hi Pic1, Actually - these peppers are not hot at all. I was expecting a little bit of something, but they have absolutely no burn

AzoreanRuister said:
Awesome grow PeriPeri!

I read that you were inquiring on the different types of Peri Peri peppers found throughout Africa. I didn't know there were different varieties (thanks for sharing that!). You are right - the peri peri did in fact come from South America. It is a very common pepper in Brazil. This is where it gets a bit confusing...

In Brazil, these peppers are called "Malagueta". I am growing some right now. I also really love the peri peri sauce (definitely one of my favorites!). The Brazilian Malagueta is supposed to be the same as the African and Portuguese Peri Peri peppers.

Where I am from (the Azores - islands off the coast of Europe) we call basically all peppers malagueta, and call peri peri peppers - well, peri peri! Any semi-hot to hot pepper is called a malagueta there, except for the peri peri (at least that is what it was amongst my family).

Since you are in the process of making a lot of sauce, perhaps you will want to make a batch of the typical Azorean pepper paste? No vinegar or water is used. Just peppers, salt, olive oil and garlic. The peppers are ground up, and left to ferment for a week (give or take). My dad never used garlic or olive oil really. Just ground up peppers with salt, and allowed them to ferment. Once packaged into a bottle, he would simply add olive oil to the top of sterilized jars, and seal them with wax paper.

I make this myself every year amongst the other sauces I make. I can't think of any Azorean dishes that don't have at least a dab of this sauce on it. Brings out the natural flavors of the peppers. I haven't tried this with Peri Peri peppers yet, but will be trying it this year. We normally use "Hot Portugals" for this sauce, but i am sure it would be great with any kind of pepper Too bad I can't go to Mozambique - I could be your translator and find you the best peri peri peppers there haha

http://www.boston.co...09/peppers.html

Hi AzoreanRuister. You are most welcome! Thank you for popping by and sharing this with me. I am most appreciative. Being a neighboring country to Mozambique we have a large Portuguese population here in South Africa. Portuguese food is intrinsic to our culture or should I say cultures. PeriPeri sauce is the sauce of choice... and yes Nando's (though commercial) is very popular here.

I took an interest in PeriPeri, where it originated from and how it established itself in Africa. I do believe it was the Portuguese that first settled in Mozambique. The PeriPeri as we know it, orginated there I believe. What I find so funny is that all the seed collectors on the internet seem to look for Zimbabwe Birdseye seeds. When actually, living here in South Africa, Birdseye or PeriPeri is always synonymous with Mozambique and not as much Zimbabwe. Being neighboring countries, the ever popular PeriPeri has established itself in most countries in southern Africa. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Angola and Kenya... just to name a few. Just like the Ghost Peppers of the Indian continent, the Peri Peri of southern Africa has slight mutations throughout the various countries in southern Africa - or so I am led to believe. For instance, I have read that the Malawian PeriPeri is larger. Besides the chillies being different in appearance depending on area... they also have different names. I understand that the PeriPeri in Mozambique is called Bile Bile in Zimbabwe and Piri Pri and also Pili Pili in other countries. I find it all quite interesting and would love to do more research on this.

Thank you for your info on the sauce. I spent some time with an Italian family when I was a kid. And while staying with them, they too harvested chillies for the year and boiled and minced them into a paste before bottling the paste for the year. This was eaten neat on a slice of baguette and eaten with a glass of red wine. I think this is where my love for chillies started.

Any time you are in South Africa, look me up. It would be great to do some taste testing.

Thanks again for the great feedback - its much appreciated!