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.

 

[romy6]

I think you could easily keep them alive at 50 but they would most likely not grow much. But for overwintering you should be fine.

 

[stickman]

Came home for lunch and decided to try Jamie's brainstrain pod. It was small, he said, and it shouldn't hurt me too bad... with that ringing endorsement I decided to just go for it. This is only the second superhot I've ever eaten. The first was the Naga Morich pod from Chris at Joyner's Hot Peppers. Taking a cue from PaulG, I decided to eat it with food... in this case a corned beef pita pocket. Cut into it to save the seeds, chopped it up and sprinkled it on the corned beef. I noticed a fairly strong taste of dish soap to the pepper that I've heard others mention before... the heat hit by the third bite and kept building until a short time after I finished the sandwich. It lit me up pretty good... my whole mouth was on fire in an uncomfortabe way, so I put out the fire with a half a 25 oz can of Foster's Ale. I still have a Douglah-Scorpion cross of Jamies left to try which will wait for another day... probably tomorrow... but I am noticing that with these few peppers down my tolerance is a little more than it was. I guess familiarity really does breed contempt... or at least not as much trepidation!

 

[stc3248]

It breeds a little respect too...They make an awesome powder. Just a half teaspoon to make an entire bowl of soup nice and toasty plus in small doses the flavor it adds is pleasant instead of harsh. A tad sprinked on some pizza is even better. There are only a couple supers that I have truly enjoyed the flavor of through the burn. Yellow 7's and Yellow Scorpions are really good without the bitter chinense punch in the senses. Not sure if I have eaten a Douglah/Scorpion from Jamie??? Careful, sounds pretty intense!

Just saw your Q on the previous page...if you want some growth you could build a makeshift enclosure of some sort, or if you have a closet or cabinet they would work too. Put your lights on a timer in there and during their on cycle the temps should get close to what you need for growth. My grow shelf was mid 90's when the lights were on and that was just under some mylar blankets. If you put together a basic grow area with some of the silver sided insulation boards you could retain heat very well and get the added reflectivity bonus. The off time temps dropping to 50ish will be fine and the plants should grow well. Running CFL's and shop lights won't cost you very much. I think my grow shelf was adding $6 to my monthly bill. Do the math with the wattage and your local rates and you'll be surprised how affordable it is.

 

[=MadMonkey=]

Thanks! It's good to know that I've got a little margin. So far my biggest problems have been the creepy crawlies.
I lost 2 out of 8 pepper plants last year due to cutworms,

the biggest problem I am trying to face is trying to find a way to kill the Grasshoppers here in Texas.
they are the worst.. they chewed threw almost all of my grandmothers garden destroying entirely everything.

scared me to the point of moving all my grows on top of a high camper & spraying the camper sides with strong pesticides..
I still find a leaf or two chewed on from time to time so now I check them almost hourly.

 

[stickman]

the biggest problem I am trying to face is trying to find a way to kill the Grasshoppers here in Texas.
they are the worst.. they chewed threw almost all of my grandmothers garden destroying entirely everything.

scared me to the point of moving all my grows on top of a high camper & spraying the camper sides with strong pesticides..
I still find a leaf or two chewed on from time to time so now I check them almost hourly.

Ouch... that's a serious infestation! It's been a hot, dry summer here, but fortunately lot so bad that we got locusts. Short of calling in a Seagull army to eat them, I have no idea what to do about them. Good luck!

 

[stickman]

It breeds a little respect too...They make an awesome powder. Just a half teaspoon to make an entire bowl of soup nice and toasty plus in small doses the flavor it adds is pleasant instead of harsh. A tad sprinked on some pizza is even better. There are only a couple supers that I have truly enjoyed the flavor of through the burn. Yellow 7's and Yellow Scorpions are really good without the bitter chinense punch in the senses. Not sure if I have eaten a Douglah/Scorpion from Jamie??? Careful, sounds pretty intense!

Just saw your Q on the previous page...if you want some growth you could build a makeshift enclosure of some sort, or if you have a closet or cabinet they would work too. Put your lights on a timer in there and during their on cycle the temps should get close to what you need for growth. My grow shelf was mid 90's when the lights were on and that was just under some mylar blankets. If you put together a basic grow area with some of the silver sided insulation boards you could retain heat very well and get the added reflectivity bonus. The off time temps dropping to 50ish will be fine and the plants should grow well. Running CFL's and shop lights won't cost you very much. I think my grow shelf was adding $6 to my monthly bill. Do the math with the wattage and your local rates and you'll be surprised how affordable it is.

Hi Shane
My prime directive is still leaning toward flavor more than heat, but the more hot stuff I eat, the more my tolerance seems to be creeping up the scale.
I'm going to have to go back and re-read your earlier posts to check out your lighting setup and see how it affected your growing temps. Thanks for your observations!

 

[SocalChilehead]

Rick I should have some supers in a couple weeks that should be enough to fill a box, but like Shane said the yellow and peach are by far my favorite peppers with great flavor and still maintain heat. Let me know if you want to try anything in particular so to make sure everything is ready.

 

[stickman]

Rick I should have some supers in a couple weeks that should be enough to fill a box, but like Shane said the yellow and peach are by far my favorite peppers with great flavor and still maintain heat. Let me know if you want to try anything in particular so to make sure everything is ready.

Hi Fernando
Thanks so much for your kind offer! If you can spare a Douglah I'd be curious to check that one out, otherwise, do what you will!

I have 3 quarts of powder put away for the winter and I've swapped away about a pound more, and the Gochus are still coming! I'm ready for a little experimentation... Been reading about making lacto-fermented sauces, and think I'd like to try my hand at a batch. One of my favorite Korean dishes is the panfried squid called Ojingo Bokkum. It has a very complex flavor compounded of Hoisin sauce, gochujang, ginger, garlic, scallions and soy. I'm going to see how close I can come to re-creating that in a table sauce. Maybe I can use round Asian Pear for additional flavor and enough pectin to keep the sauce from separating.

 

[romy6]

Rick, tried my first fremented sauce and I can say it is some of the tastiest ever. With you skills it should be a no brainer ( no ounn intented).

Now the douglah is a pepper like no other. You either love it or hate it. I am one that loves it. Hopefully Fernando can get you one to try. If not in a few months i should be able to get ya one or two .

 

[stickman]

Rick, tried my first fremented sauce and I can say it is some of the tastiest ever. With you skills it should be a no brainer ( no ounn intented).

Now the douglah is a pepper like no other. You either love it or hate it. I am one that loves it. Hopefully Fernando can get you one to try. If not in a few months i should be able to get ya one or two .

Thanks Jamie... I appreciate your offer. Let's see what happens.
I was a little worried about the Brainstrain, so I didn't take any pics, but with more confidence... here goes with the Douglah x Scorpion cross you sent for lunch today...

Saved the seeds...

Chopped the peppers onto the last of the corned beef with tartar sauce on a pita.

And some of the local hooch to wash it down and put out any smoldering embers... I think the combination of corned beef and tartar sauce suited the taste of this pepper very well. IMHO

On a side note... After sampling the generosity of yourself, Fernando and Chris, I'm finding my tolerance has definitely ratcheted upwards... I grabbed a quick sandwich between getting home from work last night and heading back out again for a Grange meeting... spread a spoonful of my Yucatan Orange Hab sauce on the filling and it seemed a lot tamer.

 

[SocalChilehead]

Yea Rick in two weeks I should be able to harvest some brown and red Douglahs let me know how many you need and whatever else you may need peach bhuts are amazing and heavy producers.

 

[stickman]

Yea Rick in two weeks I should be able to harvest some brown and red Douglahs let me know how many you need and whatever else you may need peach bhuts are amazing and heavy producers.

You're too generous Fernando... I don't want to be greedy. If you care to send anything, whatever it is will be gratefully accepted. I intend to pay it forward since I don't have the variety of ripe chiles to make an interesting swap with you. Cheers mate... you're a mensch!

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Nice looking meal!!!!

 

[stickman]

Nice looking meal!!!!

Sorry Bodeen... it wasn't really up to my usual standards, but this time was about sampling the pepper without getting hurt too badly... I'll do better soon with the chocolate habs that Jamile sent.

 

[stickman]

This is a little more like it... I had some green chiles hanging around that I needed to use, so why not an onion/pepper/cheese omelette. Started with a quarter of one of the onions I am currently curing for storage, an unripe gochu I knocked off the plant when harvesting yesterday, 2 unripe Orange Thai crosses I got from Chris, a ripe Corno de Toro from the garden...

And a venetian hab from Jamie

Saute the filling and make the omelette with slices of sharp cheddar...

Make coffee and I'm ready to face the morning.

 

[highalt]

Now all you need is some of that Peach Serrano Jam you made on those slices of bread.

 

[roper2008]

the biggest problem I am trying to face is trying to find a way to kill the Grasshoppers here in Texas.
they are the worst.. they chewed threw almost all of my grandmothers garden destroying entirely everything.

scared me to the point of moving all my grows on top of a high camper & spraying the camper sides with strong pesticides..
I still find a leaf or two chewed on from time to time so now I check them almost hourly.

Do you think DE would work on them?

 

[stickman]

Now all you need is some of that Peach Serrano Jam you made on those slices of bread.

Hi Bonnie
Man, if I'd a done that I wouldn't have gotten out of my chair in time for work, lol! I'm not sure if it's an asset in the long run, but my morning eye-opener these days isn't just coffee...

Do you think DE would work on them?

I don't know Linda... it would probably slow them down a little anyway... unless it rained. I'll have to check in with the guy in Missouri that's experimenting with reflective mulch to see if it keeps the creepy crawlies away at all.

 

[romy6]

Just amazing stuff Rickster. Love the ingenuity of your cooking and seeing you slowly get hooked on the heat. Before long a meal won't be a meal unless your eyes are watering and your sinuses are wide open . Keep the pics comimg . We love it

The douglah cross is not too hot and has a nice chinese flavor. Very glad enjoyed it.

 

[stickman]

Got a load of cherry tomatoes loaded up in my dehydrator before leaving for work. Half are the Principe Borghese tomatoes... the other half is the sungold tomatoes that we're knee-deep in.

Came home after work to find a box from PaulG that's full of Aji Omnicolors!

Paul, you're a gentleman sir! Thanks so much for contributing to my education! Or delinquency... take your pick! I cut into a small one and removed the seeds, then ate it unadorned... Slightly fruity smell and peppery taste. This would make a great salsa chile I think. Cheers mate!

Just amazing stuff Rickster. Love the ingenuity of your cooking and seeing you slowly get hooked on the heat. Before long a meal won't be a meal unless your eyes are watering and your sinuses are wide open . Keep the pics comimg . We love it

The douglah cross is not too hot and has a nice chinese flavor. Very glad enjoyed it.

Jamie! Thanks for stopping in! I've got a question for you... I noticed an aroma from the douglah cross that reminded me a little of fruit, but was a little off. I'm not at all put off by it, just wondering, Is that what Douglahs usually smell like?