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PIC 1's............Pod-ography.............2013

  Good Eve-ning, and Welcome to my bog...glog !

Hey folks sorry for the late glog-up I'm a month behind last years startup,...... :rolleyes: ...... I still have 12+ weeks (plenty of time) before I can start think about hardening off the plants outdoors.

First off I'd like to give a shout out to those who followed my grow last season. Thanks for all the comments, thoughts and ideas. The chuckles we shared......there were some good laughs...(and especially all the criticisms........ :liar: .......hah)

To those who are new, I try to follow a "weekend update" format with photos and captions. Although if anyone has questions or replies that needs and answer or response I'll get back during the week. I hope to keep this interesting and entertaining...

and away we go!


Garden Rewind


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Here's my 1st garden (1986)...it was modest but what we grew we used in our kitchen. I had a couple of dual bulb 4ft T12 fixtures in my basement. A couple grow-lux and daylight color temp bulbs. The indoor grow was far superior to the vegetable starts sold at the local nurseries.
My Italian neighbor couldn't understand why his bell pepper starts only had flowers while mine had golfball size peppers very early in the season.....The hot varieties I grew back then were the cayennes, orange habaneros, and a few different type or thai-birds. Things have changed but I still grow those varities.

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Here's a shot from last season. I grew around 150+ pepper plants in two different sections of the garden. Plants were grown in raised beds and containers from 5 gal up to 20 gal

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A typical weekend harvest shot from later in the season when the gardens at full swing.

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This is one of my seed catalogs, the c.chinense....the seeds that invade our gardens every year...
This book and other seed catalogs are kept in a tupperware container container on a shelve in the corner of the basement.
No elaborate system needed, The seeds are kept in 1.5" zip backs. I have seeds that are as far back as 2007, and still germinating without a hitch....theres no need to pitch. Speaking of pitching theres some old baseball card to display the size of the pages used.

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These are what I use to get the seeds on their way. I take 1/4 bag of each, mix that into a 5 gal bucket and moisten with water. The spagnum peat give fluff to the texture also helps indicate when the mix need to be re-moistened but the lighter color it displays. The vermiclite helps with water retension while letting the air and moisture through. The seed starting mix also has fine grain perlite to keep drainage and airflow moving.

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Ha..........I knew this chop stick would come in handy someday. Once the seed medium is moistened I'll make a hole with the stick 1/4" down .
The seeds will be planted at the same depth. That helps when misting the top with water. Seeds that are planted too high may dry out or seeds planted to deep may rot.

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I use two 2ft x 4ft germinating mats. Enough area to warm 8 seed flats at once...

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I don't bother with a thermostat for the mats. I run them through a timer, 2 hrs on, 1 hr off...continous. The average temp of the soil stays at +/-85 deg

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This is the main grow room. I built the 2 tier shelving units 8ft long x 2ft wide. 8 flats fit underneath the lighting units. Here we have four narrow spaced T8 4 bulb fixtures with 6500k bulbs and one 8ft TF twin bulb tight spaced fixture with 4100k bulbs. I have 4 identical systems in the room with an addition of three 400w mh fixtures with 7200k lamps. The room has 2- 20a dedicated circuits and 1-15a to split the current draw..

more photos in a few minutes....thanks for looking!
PIC 1's......Pod Pornage.............2012

















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Looking great Greg!  Great variety, awesome cross you are working on, and the wife may not see the 7 in her salsa....but she will certainly taste it!  Good luck with that! 
 
+1 on the Octopus for dinner!  I guess great minds think alike....
 

 
 
Madame Jeanette ......seeds courtesy of Stefan (meatfreak)
 

 
another first to wake up from the plant. A White Bhut Jolokia, resting its head on the fork............Ouch !
 

 
Hawaiian Hab starting to grow........in most cases these remain shrublike, but I'll accept the outcome.
 

 
Here's one for Steve954....the upper forkage from a MoA...........Down and Funky !
 
time to finish this up with a  drink... foodie shot
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Ingedients:Lemon, Lime, Papaya, Boneless Pork Sirlion Roasts, Red Habanero's, Garlic, Onion, Smoked Sea Salt, Dark Brown Sugar, Coconut Palm Sugar, Pineapple, Mustard Curry Blend, Rum, Jerk Spice, Pickled Scotch Bonnets.
 

 
Peel the Papaya, remove the seeds, cut up and add to stock pot. Cut up the remaining Lemon, Lime, Habanero's, Onion and 8 peeled cloves of Garlic. Add fruit, veg, 1/4 cup Coconut Sugar, 2 tbl Salt, 2 tbl Jerk Seasoning, 1 tbl Curry blend, and enough water to cover. Bring mix to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for 1/2 hr.
Let cool and run mix through a blender. I used the VitaMix which takes care of everything...seeds rind, skin. It would be difficult with an imersion wand or a low powdered blender. You'd need to strain the sauce.
 

 
Return the sauce to the pan and add the roasts with one cup of Scotch Bonnet pickling liquid, leave the netting on to keep it all together. The meat would fall apart without it and that's not what I'm looking for here.
Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to low turn roasts over cover pan and simmer for 4 hrs, turning roasts once every hr. When fork tender, remove the roasts and set aside Once cool enough to handle or fork.....remove netting and shred apart the meat. Meanwhile, add 1  rum and 1 cup of Brown Sugar. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce down to a low simmer.
 

 
add the shredded pork and warm through
 

 
plate up  Scottie!........served on toasted Garlic smeared French Bread.
 
Thanks for checking this out......Hope to update again...soon !
Have a safe Holiday !
 
Hi Greg, I read through the last 4 pages of pics and really enjoyed the ride. The best was at the end with the  pic of the future blossoms crowding the fork of that extremely healthy-looking MoA and of course, the foodie shots. Well played sir!... very well played.
 
Wow Greg...too much awesomeness to take in all at once! Hahaha...love the Jab at poor ole Denniz. "Never weed at night...rest in piece little Fresno." That Brain/Bonnet looks amazing! Ahem...nudge nudge. I have some of those Zanahoria seeds saved from pods John sent me last year...keep kicking myself for not starting them! Next year!!!
 
Your pulled pork is even over the top!!! Great job on...EVERYTHING!!!
 
Just when I thought the updates were done, I posted and to my surprise even mas beauty & pod porn hits da glog … simply breathtaking mon!
 
Everything is striking … an impressive array of Habs, awesome I love all dem Habs!!! But the MoA picture is perfect, I can’t wait to see your pods and hope you get loads of “A+” grades. I’m so impressed with the way the MoA grows; my largest one is still moving up, I’d swear I can see an inch a day during the summer. If it continues to grow I’ll have a tree on mi hands, hehe.
 
Exceptional foodie mi brethren hat’s off \o_
 
Pristine! You always put on a good show Greg. I tasted my first "Fish" this morning. Next season I will put it in a container and save the ground space. I was expecting a much bigger plant,hard to find a nicer looking one though.

I noticed my Butch T was late to pod up in it's first and second season. They build one hell of a frame in the beginning. My Z.Triangulo is growing a bit different this season,not as much purple as year 1. The pods are same shape and size but have alittle more texture. They are good for salsa and non chilehead friendly.

I like the look of your bonnet/yellow 7. Knowing your style (flavor first)I would have guessed those two varieties would be on your cross list. I'm sure you will enjoy their taste,but it's nice to see a uniform shape and a pebbled texture to suit your artistic eyes....even in their blurry state. Just hold them at arms length haha.

Congrats on the cup. Your Hawks have that grit/chutzpah that my Pens lack. What an ending to that game!!!!!!!!!!!! We won 3 cups with deep offensive teams and a shoddy D....not my kind of hockey but sometimes it works. Glad you boys took it home. Atleast the Redwings didn't win!!! Could have gotten that baby octopus cheap over in The Motor City hah.
 
(Tried posting this yest. But THP was being funky)

Looks like you did a nice job restoring it back to status quo Greg. I feel your pain though. I remember you guys meeting up last year...at least I think I remember reading about it...lol sounds like a crazy cross. Wonder how they are pickled?! As always, love the garden. It's one of my fav's. keep an eye out on that garden sunny!

Maaaaaaan. I was just thinking...we live not 35-40 miles from each other and you've got every type of plant under the sun, podding up already....jealous and nervous. Hope my supers have enough time to give me some pods...I'll be standing on nails until I see them start popping off. You sure know how to get it done.

That MOA is so freaky deaky! Can't believe that wicked growth. You're cross is looking awesome! What a delicious sounding pod. You'll have to send me some seeds sometime. I'll put it next to my SBJ7 from Patrick! Haha, that would be awesome!

Your food always makes me want to go in the kitchen and get deep into a new recipe. You're a wonderful cook Greg.
 
Awesome update, Greg!  In those 10+ gallon tubs those plants are going to get massive, and produce massively.  Mine are in 5s and they produce more than enough.  Happy to see some color there, especially the Datils.  That pulled pork looked killer.  With the stock you cooked it in, the flavor must have been out of this world.  All complementary to the flavor of pork.  Well done!
 
Happy 4th!
 
Just realized I'll be in Chi-town for an hour and a half today! Not 'buff time to check out Casa De Greg...but I'm sure I will feel the force of the Jedi master from the AP!
 
That pork looks awesome and very creative. I used some hot habaneros  a few years back making a ham in the oven. The pineapple/habanero glaze actually broke down the meat. A complete train wreck!
 
Greg, fabulous as always.  Just one scintillating
pod shot after another.  How do you do it   ;)   
Great foodies.  Fortunately, I just ate breakfast!
 
amdweb82 said:
It helps being in Australia...BUMP
 
thanks, for the Fire 1
Spicegeist said:
Yellow Scotch Bonnet x Yellow Brain is looking nice, do you have any goals with the cross, or is it just for fun?
 
A lot of this is for fun (with positive results)...My plan is to have a pod with the shape and flavor of the Scotch Bonnet, but to bring in the extra heat...somewhat like the SBJ7
WalkGood said:
Always a pleasure to peruse thru your updates, typical excellent photos and great layout, you’ll be having massive harvest soon with all those pods popping. Love them all but very impressed with the look of your Yellow Scotch Bonnet x Yellow Brain cross, that should be an interesting one to taste. Do I smell a review coming Greg?
 
Have a great 4th brethren \o/
Thanks Ramon,
Sure I'll do a review of the cross...photos, and opinion. I'm hoping it retains the Bonnet flav and is not all burn...
My 4th was great...we got in rather late and had to get up by 4:30 for work....but half's  the day gone.....and its almost the weekend !
Enjoy yours, also

Spicegeist said:
Dorset Nagas, yum...
 
I like the Dorset Naga as a whole success (plant producer, heat and taste....variety of uses for the pods)
MGOLD86 said:
Looking great Greg!  Great variety, awesome cross you are working on, and the wife may not see the 7 in her salsa....but she will certainly taste it!  Good luck with that! 
 
+1 on the Octopus for dinner!  I guess great minds think alike....
 
Thanks Matt,
Some folks check the photos, some also read on through the captions....you do both,... cool !
Ha, I backed down on the 7/Pot in the salsa since other folks might indulge not knowing........ :hot:
 
But I did bring some small ripe one's to the gathering yesterday  and even though they were runt size, no seeds, oil nor placenta......they were hot as hell. After not eating fresh super-hots for sometime we all felt out of shape. Brings back good memories, stomach cramps and all......... :D  
stickman said:
Hi Greg, I read through the last 4 pages of pics and really enjoyed the ride. The best was at the end with the  pic of the future blossoms crowding the fork of that extremely healthy-looking MoA and of course, the foodie shots. Well played sir!... very well played.
 
Hey Rick,
I just went through the last 4 myself, I forgot what and when .....how and why. I don't get around here as much as I planned this season but I can see by looking back how things have progressed. I've got a couple of MoA's with the same main stem structure and a few others with totally different growth patterns. I noticed this last year with some other seeds I acquired from Jamaica. It was to bad it was late in the season when I planted because I didn't get to see a harvest. I'm also growing those this season along with the MoA's and another Jamaican seed stock from 2007. I'll have to compare them all..........and also bring  a few to a local "Jerk" joint to here their comparison.
Thanks for the comments.
stc3248 said:
Wow Greg...too much awesomeness to take in all at once! Hahaha...love the Jab at poor ole Denniz. "Never weed at night...rest in piece little Fresno." That Brain/Bonnet looks amazing! Ahem...nudge nudge. I have some of those Zanahoria seeds saved from pods John sent me last year...keep kicking myself for not starting them! Next year!!!
 
Your pulled pork is even over the top!!! Great job on...EVERYTHING!!!
 
Shane-o
What's happening on the garden frontline.
Ha............................ok, I admit,  I did weed at night..........but that was along time ago, ..........maybe from Fresno.................. :shocked: ..
 
Plant the Zana-do's along with my Bonnet Brain next season.........nudge.
 
Pork was tasty, the rum and brown sugar at the finish brought on another flavor.
WalkGood said:
Just when I thought the updates were done, I posted and to my surprise even mas beauty & pod porn hits da glog … simply breathtaking mon!
 
Everything is striking … an impressive array of Habs, awesome I love all dem Habs!!! But the MoA picture is perfect, I can’t wait to see your pods and hope you get loads of “A+” grades. I’m so impressed with the way the MoA grows; my largest one is still moving up, I’d swear I can see an inch a day during the summer. If it continues to grow I’ll have a tree on mi hands, hehe.
 
Exceptional foodie mi brethren hat’s off \o_
 
Thanks for the encouraging words....  I may need some of your Florida Sun bottled up, our light levels here in September take a drastic turn. But if I have enough pods on the plants by the end of that month I should have a good final harvest, late in October.
 
Your plants could be 5+ ft tall 3ft wide by then. thanks for the reply, once again !
 
Pr0digal_son said:
Pristine! You always put on a good show Greg. I tasted my first "Fish" this morning. Next season I will put it in a container and save the ground space. I was expecting a much bigger plant,hard to find a nicer looking one though.

I noticed my Butch T was late to pod up in it's first and second season. They build one hell of a frame in the beginning. My Z.Triangulo is growing a bit different this season,not as much purple as year 1. The pods are same shape and size but have alittle more texture. They are good for salsa and non chilehead friendly.

I like the look of your bonnet/yellow 7. Knowing your style (flavor first)I would have guessed those two varieties would be on your cross list. I'm sure you will enjoy their taste,but it's nice to see a uniform shape and a pebbled texture to suit your artistic eyes....even in their blurry state. Just hold them at arms length haha.

Congrats on the cup. Your Hawks have that grit/chutzpah that my Pens lack. What an ending to that game!!!!!!!!!!!! We won 3 cups with deep offensive teams and a shoddy D....not my kind of hockey but sometimes it works. Glad you boys took it home. Atleast the Redwings didn't win!!! Could have gotten that baby octopus cheap over in The Motor City hah.
 
My Fish plants are also more condensed this season but its early. Normally they're in the 2/3ft range.
 
Oops, if we're talking about the same plant......(Orange pods you sent)........then I'm spelling it wrong, my photo with the cheapo camera does not do the plant justice. The plants leaves have a subtle tone of purple not displayed in any other purple tinged plant that I'm growing. 
 
We'll see what happens with the Bonnet cross. I'll keep the best seeds to replant. Hmm, I'll be how old by the F7 gen. I'll have to speed things up....not my age though.
 
The Hawks played well...no need for speed on our team...........bring back Lemieux, teams seem to keep bringing back Jagr........will the Bruins ?
Haha , good one with the Baby'O comment.........sorry D'troit.
 
tanx for the comments
3/5King said:
(Tried posting this yest. But THP was being funky)

Looks like you did a nice job restoring it back to status quo Greg. I feel your pain though. I remember you guys meeting up last year...at least I think I remember reading about it...lol sounds like a crazy cross. Wonder how they are pickled?! As always, love the garden. It's one of my fav's. keep an eye out on that garden sunny!

Maaaaaaan. I was just thinking...we live not 35-40 miles from each other and you've got every type of plant under the sun, podding up already....jealous and nervous. Hope my supers have enough time to give me some pods...I'll be standing on nails until I see them start popping off. You sure know how to get it done.

That MOA is so freaky deaky! Can't believe that wicked growth. You're cross is looking awesome! What a delicious sounding pod. You'll have to send me some seeds sometime. I'll put it next to my SBJ7 from Patrick! Haha, that would be awesome!

Your food always makes me want to go in the kitchen and get deep into a new recipe. You're a wonderful cook Greg.
 
Hey David,
I'll have to try the Pegranos pickled or in a Giardiniera, sounds like a winner.
 
Your plants will come around, mine started out slow. Some are doing better than others but most have only buds and flowers.
 
Sure when I can dry some seeds I'll send ya some, or perhaps a few pods of sorts.
 
Thanks for the "more than" kind complements
 
DocNrock said:
Awesome update, Greg!  In those 10+ gallon tubs those plants are going to get massive, and produce massively.  Mine are in 5s and they produce more than enough.  Happy to see some color there, especially the Datils.  That pulled pork looked killer.  With the stock you cooked it in, the flavor must have been out of this world.  All complementary to the flavor of pork.  Well done!
 
Happy 4th!
 Thanks,
  Your plants are in 5g, wow they're putting out great. I'm happy with 10g , things have been slow go early on, but I've seen a surge lately with all the rain and now with the heat and sunny days. The Datils were a hit in the salsa....just enough zing for the wives, while the guys sectioned off some 7 Pot's. The pork was tasty........much different than the smoked picnic or pork shoulder. This was still moist with some Caribbean flavors.
Have a great weekend...
WalkGood said:
I had to peek again and now I'm starving -_-
 
:cool:
stc3248 said:
Just realized I'll be in Chi-town for an hour and a half today! Not 'buff time to check out Casa De Greg...but I'm sure I will feel the force of the Jedi master from the AP!
 
Dang..........sorry we couldn't hook up.
PeriPeri said:
Wow, Wow, Wow and Wow!
   :party:
adamk2212 said:
The "forkage" on the MoA is crazy and the pulled pork looks amazing. Congrats and well done!!
 
The fork on the MoA is starting to branch out in 4 directions with each branch already showing signs of doubling. It will be one stacked plant down the "dirt road".
JoynersHotPeppers said:
That pork looks awesome and very creative. I used some hot habaneros  a few years back making a ham in the oven. The pineapple/habanero glaze actually broke down the meat. A complete train wreck!
 
Thanks Chris,
Wow that's intense, .....fresh ham?
That's one reason I left the roast in the netting. Normally I'd let it break down in a bbq sauce, bu there I wanted to add a few things into the sauc eat the end  and needed to bring temp back up to a boil, then reduce. I kept the meat out so it wouldn't dry out.
PaulG said:
Greg, fabulous as always.  Just one scintillating
pod shot after another.  How do you do it      
Great foodies.  Fortunately, I just ate breakfast!
 
Thanks Paul,
I'm waiting for the day when I can shoot pictures of plant shot after plant shot (with many pods on them) just like Jamie and Shane have been doing for months now  .. ;)
 
Amazing pics, an recipe! I am definitely going to try it out. Thanks for sharing :-)
Amazing pics, and recipe! I am definitely going to try it out. Thanks for sharing :-)
Amazing pics, and recipe! I am definitely going to try it out. Thanks for sharing :-)
 
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