Stickman's 2012 Gochu Pepper Glog

Well, here we go... Started about 35 Korean Gochu Peppers and a few Korean salad peppers, jalapenos and orange habs. All are mostly up today but the habs. I started them early last week in my heated grow tent down in my cellar on top of a grow mat, but didn't have the thermostat quite dialed in. When I left it it was 70 degrees f. in the tent. When I checked again the next morning it was 85 degrees, and I was afraid I'd cooked the seeds, so I moved them onto my kitchen windowsill on the grow mat and awaited developments. Looking much better now. I'll give the Habs until the weekend to pop, then move the flat down to the grow tent.

 

[Pinoy83]

Sorry to hear that, but if you have to, you have to. They'll probably get a fast start from your aerogarden too. Good luck!

yea i prolly gonna sow them in my aerogarden, those korean peppers i tried the ziplock method and it took forever, ill just leave them in the corner again and see if there will be change in weeks time

 

[stickman]

I just couldn't stand it... Passed by a thirty dollar digital camera today and picked it up. Not as good as the other, but better than nothing. Here's the skinny...

Poblanos blossoming

Both Poblanos... the whole effect

Orange Habaneros blossoming

Holy Mole

Fuzzy pic of a Chimayo pod. I think these guys may turn out to be my biggest producers of the season.

Andy gochus

Kim-Chi pods. Getting pods on other varieties but they're too small to show yet.

 

[Trippa]

Those Poblanos are looking the goods nice work!!

I still think a nice oil painting or charcoal drawing would have been a nice point of difference

 

[stickman]

Those Poblanos are looking the goods nice work!!

I still think a nice oil painting or charcoal drawing would have been a nice point of difference

Hi Trippa, it sure would, but I fear I wasn't born under an artistic planet... I'll have to leave it to someone that has the skill. Any takers? Those Chimayos and Poblanos do look nice don't they? This is the first year I've grown either of them and I'm pretty pleased at how they came out.

 

[Pinoy83]

I just couldn't stand it... Passed by a thirty dollar digital camera today and picked it up. Not as good as the other, but better than nothing. Here's the skinny...

Poblanos blossoming

Both Poblanos... the whole effect

Orange Habaneros blossoming

Holy Mole

Fuzzy pic of a Chimayo pod. I think these guys may turn out to be my biggest producers of the season.

Andy gochus

Kim-Chi pods. Getting pods on other varieties but they're too small to show yet.

its soooo greeennn and u need to put real gut fish instead of the hat so they will explode faster

 

[stickman]

its soooo greeennn and u need to put real gut fish instead of the hat so they will explode faster

Nooo... I don't think so... I don't think it's broke so I don't need to fix it. Plus, I share the community garden space with fifteen other households, and I don't think they would enjoy smelling the tea every time they went out to work in their gardens... gotta turn them up sweet so I can hopefully wheedle some more garden space out of them next year. Thanks for thinking about me though

 

[Pinoy83]

Nooo... I don't think so... I don't think it's broke so I don't need to fix it. Plus, I share the community garden space with fifteen other households, and I don't think they would enjoy smelling the tea every time they went out to work in their gardens... gotta turn them up sweet so I can hopefully wheedle some more garden space out of them next year. Thanks for thinking about me though

introduce them with with the fish tea

 

[stc3248]

I knew this would happen! I'm glad it did! Although it would have been really cool to see the 2 week jump in your plants, cooler to see them every day!

 

[gnslngr]

Plants are looking great Stick! How does that plastic work out when the heat levels rise?

 

[stickman]

Plants are looking great Stick! How does that plastic work out when the heat levels rise?

Hi Gunner, Nice of you to stop by.
Overheating hasn't been a problem yet... it's been a cooler than normal spring here.with the exception of a few days here and there, It's been in the upper 70s to mid 80s by day and in the upper 40s to mid 50s at night... When daytime highs get consistently into the 90s here I'll cover the plastic thermal mulch with shredded newspaper, but any organic mulch should do. That'll block the sunlight to keep it from heating the soil further and help retain moisture. When things cool off again in the early fall I'll uncover the plastic mulch and compost the paper. That should keep the chiles warm enough to squeeze out a few more pods.

 

[stickman]

More pics from the dawn patrol...

Flowers on the Big Jim Heritage.

Flowers on the Wae Mae Wo gochu too.

Blurry pic of a Gwari Put pod. These look a lot like a Shishito or Pepperoncini at this stage... long, yellowish green and deeply wrinkled.

 

[stc3248]

I'm not gonna lie Rick...I was worried for your grow when you started sticking them in the ground under that hoop house so early. Those things are so tricky, way too hot in the day if you're not real careful, and less than great protection from frosty nights. At first your little plants looked like they wanted to revolt! A lot of yellow in there in the early days along with a little frost damage around the edges...I just knew your grow would end up as one of the sad ones...Well way to prove me wrong brother! Wow, your plants look fantastic and are so far ahead of the game! With your summer temps the hauls you get off those plants July-September will rival anyone's grow anywhere! Way to set yourself up for success...now if we can just get the better camera back home!

 

[stickman]

Made some Korean pan-fried squid called Ojingo Bokkum tonight for supper. Pics posted in Cooking With Fire on Stickman's Tasty Treats thread. It seemed better to post food stuff there. Cheers

 

[stickman]

Checked on the chiles this morning and see that the Serranos and Chilacas are in blossom. Only one holdout so far... the Oe Mat Put that got frosted and came back. I'm sure it only needs a little more time and it'll bloom too.

Serranos

This shot of the Big Jims got kind of washed out in the bright sunlight but it's a good look at just how bushy these guys really are.

Korea Winner gochus... I just kind of stood back about six feet and took a group shot to show just how prolific these chiles are. Good thing too, because I eat a lot of them!

 

[stc3248]

Can't get over how lush and green your plants are! You're also getting better with your replacement camera! Seems as though it does better from a distance. I know you're going to put them to good use!

 

[Pinoy83]

Checked on the chiles this morning and see that the Serranos and Chilacas are in blossom. Only one holdout so far... the Oe Mat Put that got frosted and came back. I'm sure it only needs a little more time and it'll bloom too.

Serranos

This shot of the Big Jims got kind of washed out in the bright sunlight but it's a good look at just how bushy these guys really are.

Korea Winner gochus... I just kind of stood back about six feet and took a group shot to show just how prolific these chiles are. Good thing too, because I eat a lot of them!

Your peppers so lush and green and those koreans looking good you should make some korean paste

 

[stickman]

Your peppers so lush and green and those koreans looking good you should make some korean paste

I'm on it!... got some mezo last week at the Korean market nearby and I already have a good supply of glutinous rice flour to make Jeon and the chile paste I use in making kimchi... They didn't have any malt powder though. I'll look around a little more and get it before the gochus fully ripen.

 

[hooda]

Looking good buddy, good job.

 

[Pinoy83]

I'm on it!... got some mezo last week at the Korean market nearby and I already have a good supply of glutinous rice flour to make Jeon and the chile paste I use in making kimchi... They didn't have any malt powder though. I'll look around a little more and get it before the gochus fully ripen.

tell me how it goes , and tell me how to do it steps by steps after u finish it

 

[stickman]

I'm on it!... got some mezo last week at the Korean market nearby and I already have a good supply of glutinous rice flour to make Jeon and the chile paste I use in making kimchi... They didn't have any malt powder though. I'll look around a little more and get it before the gochus fully ripen.

Sorry, senior moment... I said mezo and I meant meju... fermented soybean cake left over from making soy sauce. They dry and powder it and use it to make toenjang (Korean equivalent of miso) and gochujang.

tell me how it goes , and tell me how to do it steps by steps after u finish it

Not hard at all... it's just finding the ingredients. First, dissolve a cup and a half of malt powder in five cups of sterilized water. Let stand overnight in a warm place or keep warm in an electric rice cooker or crockpot. strain through a fine mesh or 3 layers of cheesecloth into a heavy stockpot, add 2 cups of sweet rice flour and dissolve well. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat until volume is reduced by a third to a half. Cool and set aside. Measure out a cup of sea salt or kosher salt and set aside. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of finely ground red pepper (gochu garu), 1 cup of meju powder, the rice and malt paste, a quarter cup of the salt and a half a cup of soy sauce. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Note: if too little salt is added, the gochujang may turn sour or mold may grow. Let the mixture stand overnight at room temperature.
The next day, sprinkle half the remaining salt in the bottom of a sterilized glass or ceramic jar with a food-grade glaze. Transfer the gochujang paste to it and sprinkle the remaining salt on top. Make sure to leave at least 2 inches of space at the top. (In Korea they use wide, shallow ceramic containers with tight-fitting, peaked lids that are wider than the container underneath. Why becomes obvious when you see what comes next.) Cover the jar with a mesh or gauze cloth and tie on tightly with string around the neck. Cover with a lid. Sun dry every day with the lid off and cover with the lid at night.
Now you can use the paste right away, but the flavor greatly improves if you sun-dry (ferment) the paste for about a month outside. The gauze cover is to keep out dust, mold and bacteria. Obviously, you don't want it to get wet if it rains, so you'd take it inside if the weather threatens. In any case, when you've aged it enough to suit yourself, store in a tight container in the 'fridge, and it will keep indefinitely... which for me is usually a couple of months. I'll post pics after I make it. Cheers