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.

 

[stc3248]

Hopefully frost will stay away for you a little bit longer...maybe you could put your row covers back on to prolong the inevitable for just a bit longer. Either way, its been a fantastic season for sure. Your plan worked out just about perfect! To answer your question about what super I would grow if I could choose only one it would be the Yellow Scorpion or Yellow 7 (both very similar) with Bhut Jolokia a close second to either of those. Really depends on what you wanna use them for. The yellows are hot enough for anybody, but won't melt your face off and have a nice sweet flavor. The Bhuts would be better for powdering, but mine didn't produce as well as any of my yellows. They were some of the first ones to get sick though so that could be why they didn't push out as many pods. Non supers either Fatalii or Scotch Bonnets would be great additions too. Good luck with next year's plan! I hope you find a suitable spot to overwinter the few you want to keep going.

 

[stickman]

Hopefully frost will stay away for you a little bit longer...maybe you could put your row covers back on to prolong the inevitable for just a bit longer. Either way, its been a fantastic season for sure. Your plan worked out just about perfect! To answer your question about what super I would grow if I could choose only one it would be the Yellow Scorpion or Yellow 7 (both very similar) with Bhut Jolokia a close second to either of those. Really depends on what you wanna use them for. The yellows are hot enough for anybody, but won't melt your face off and have a nice sweet flavor. The Bhuts would be better for powdering, but mine didn't produce as well as any of my yellows. They were some of the first ones to get sick though so that could be why they didn't push out as many pods. Non supers either Fatalii or Scotch Bonnets would be great additions too. Good luck with next year's plan! I hope you find a suitable spot to overwinter the few you want to keep going.

Thanks for the input Shane! So far, I've got 4 votes for Yellow Scorpion... that does seem to be the consensus.

With the exception of the Orange Habs, I think I'm ready to let go of the other chiles when the frost comes. Besides... I need the space to plant winter greens like Claytonia and Mache. Cheers!

 

[Ausmith]

Rick - great season. Always love the food pics!!!!

Do whatever you have not done before. Always fun to see something new grow and give it a taste.

Wish you a nice Indian summer!!!

Clayton

 

[stickman]

Rick - great season. Always love the food pics!!!!

Do whatever you have not done before. Always fun to see something new grow and give it a taste.

Wish you a nice Indian summer!!!

Clayton

Thanks Clayton... The same to yourself! I hope you can nurse along the "overages" that don't fit into your grow tent this fall.

 

[stickman]

We're supposed to start getting nights in the mid to upper thirties this weekend, so it's make or break time for deciding whether or not to overwinter any of the chiles. I want to bring one of the Orange Habs inside for the winter but haven't convinced the wife to let me do it... Space inside is limited in front of our south-facing sliding glass door and she has lots of tender perennials she has plans for... If push comes to shove though, I'll chose her over the chiles. I can always grow more...

 

[SocalChilehead]

That awful about season already starting to end, but that is a smart move about choosing her over the chiles. While I don't have that problem I can help you out with some early starts just let me know what you want and I will start them either in November or Dec for you and just ship them out when you ready. I already start with my seeds hoping to have them establish before we hit mid week december frost, so I could prevent any major damage and just trim them up and start podding up by late jan or early feb. Just let me know what you think.

 

[stickman]

Hi Fernando
No worries mate! Fun as they are, they're only chiles, and as my wife observes... "They're a spice not a food item". Cheers!

 

[romy6]

You are much smarter than me Rick. Please don't let my wife see your thread

 

[stickman]

Thanks for the morning chuckle Jamie... I've gotta say, I really like your smoked powder! I've been sprinkling it sparingly on my food every morning and just love the burn along with morning coffee. If you don't mind sharing, what was in the mix?

 

[romy6]

Ricky ticky tack, it is a medly of everything I grow. Brains, barrackpores, other yellow and red 7 pods, red and choc bhuts,choc habs,yellow scorps, aji lemon,dorestt nagas,douglah hybrid, red habs, my mystery annuums, sweet veneteian habs, and some chile de arbol. Everything but the kitchen sink. I am sure I left a few off.

Have a great weekend and don't let the wife steal all your window space

 

[highalt]

Awwww, that's sweet that you're picking your wife over your peppers. I've pretty much told my spouse that anyone visiting us between Nov. - May is sleeping with the peppers, since I turn our guest room into a grow/overwinter room. Hey, it's better than sleeping with the fishes!

I hear you on that morning burn with the coffee. I have a serious pepper jelly addiction. Anything else for breakfast is a let down. Except maybe an omelet with fresh diced peppers inside ...

 

[PaulG]

I had quite an gastronomic adventure catching up on your glog, Rick.
You really do put your peppers to good use, my friend. Your grow turned
out phenomenal this year; good on ya, mate! Seems weird to be thinking
start-up already, but I'm trying to decide what to try to winter over, too, and
which seeds to start come Jan/Feb. For all that happened, this season
went by pretty fast. Now I have to wait a whole year before another
NWChileFest

Have a productive and fun weekend, buddy.

 

[stickman]

Ricky ticky tack, it is a medly of everything I grow. Brains, barrackpores, other yellow and red 7 pods, red and choc bhuts,choc habs,yellow scorps, aji lemon,dorestt nagas,douglah hybrid, red habs, my mystery annuums, sweet veneteian habs, and some chile de arbol. Everything but the kitchen sink. I am sure I left a few off.

Have a great weekend and don't let the wife steal all your window space

Thanks Jamie! I guess the lesson is... Just go with what mother nature gives you! I started to do that with my mixed annuums. I have powder compounded of Pusa Jwala, Gwari Put, Frigitello Peppers and a few Gochus. I think I'll add Fernando's Chocolates and Burgundys to that, and any odd Habaneros left over after making sauce. I'm still going to keep the Anchos, Pasillas, Anaheims and Chimayos seperate though. They make a great traditional chili powder blend.
I haven't given up on the idea of starting Orange Manzanos on the south-facing kitchen windowsill even if I let go of the Orange Habaneros. I think she might agree to that since it won't take any of her space away from the larger sliding glass door that also faces south.

Awwww, that's sweet that you're picking your wife over your peppers. I've pretty much told my spouse that anyone visiting us between Nov. - May is sleeping with the peppers, since I turn our guest room into a grow/overwinter room. Hey, it's better than sleeping with the fishes!

I'll second that emotion! How many of your chiles are you planning to OW?

I hear you on that morning burn with the coffee. I have a serious pepper jelly addiction. Anything else for breakfast is a let down. Except maybe an omelet with fresh diced peppers inside ...

And ham, and cheese and herbs... Yes Virginia... Western Omelets are better with chile peppers!

I had quite an gastronomic adventure catching up on your glog, Rick.
You really do put your peppers to good use, my friend. Your grow turned
out phenomenal this year; good on ya, mate! Seems weird to be thinking
start-up already, but I'm trying to decide what to try to winter over, too, and
which seeds to start come Jan/Feb. For all that happened, this season
went by pretty fast. Now I have to wait a whole year before another
NWChileFest

Have a productive and fun weekend, buddy.

Hi Paul!
It's probably not news to you, but my clients tell me that the older they get, the faster the time seems to fly by, and it seems that way to me too. Oh well, we just have to keep on keepin' on the best way we know how. This past year was a gas... I grew many more varieties of chiles than I had before thanks to the kind folks at THP, and they also shared their harvests so I could sample even more. I'm already looking forward to next year and its new opportunities, and expect to pay it forward as I can. Take care all, and have a good autumn season!

 

[Chewi]

So far, I've got 4 votes for Yellow Scorpion... that does seem to be the consensus.

Make that 5 votes!

 

[stickman]

Make that 5 votes!

Six if you count Paul! Thanks for weighing in Chewi.

... And then I go out to the mailbox and find a package from Denniz...

Thanks Denniz! Between you and Fernando it looks like I have enough heat to carry me through until Halloween at least! Thank you very much!

 

[stc3248]

Two in the lower left look to be Jamaican Hot Yellows. Great peppers! Save those seeds, they're one you'll really like. The Chocolates look to be Chocolate Habs. The other seem to be pretty good guesses. I got about 4 lbs of Manzanos seeded and ready for the smoker in the morning. I hope I can get them smoked, dried and ground this weekend, but it'll be close. They take a while to dry. I'll let you know when they're on the way!

 

[stickman]

Two in the lower left look to be Jamaican Hot Yellows. Great peppers! Save those seeds, they're one you'll really like. The Chocolates look to be Chocolate Habs. The other seem to be pretty good guesses. I got about 4 lbs of Manzanos seeded and ready for the smoker in the morning. I hope I can get them smoked, dried and ground this weekend, but it'll be close. They take a while to dry. I'll let you know when they're on the way!

Muchisimas Gracias Shane! I'll be looking forward to it! Would you be interested in some Criolla Sella seeds? Chewi sent me some from Tradewinds Fruit which aught to be free of disease, and there's enough to share.

My season is definitely winding down. There's about two or three weeks left, and the harvest is getting much smaller. The Serranos have stopped blossoming, and the Chimayos are tapering off... They were the last chiles blossoming. The Jalapenos are loaded with jumbo pods that are beginning to turn orange rather than red, so I guess it's time to pull them all, make one more round of poppers and pickle the rest. The last of the Chimayos and Gochus are still getting red-ripe, and I'll pull them as they ripen. There won't be anything new to report on the chiles after this, so I'm going to sign off on my 2012 glog now. I made some big mistakes out of ignorance this year, like not staking up the Poblanos, but the harvest was exceptional! I think I've got the timing dialed in for starting Annuums and Habaneros to plant outside here in zone 5 and I'm thinking of the next challenge as learning how to grow some of the Chinense, Baccatum and Pubiscens varieties here. I'll be experimenting in the kitchen this fall and winter with the pickles, sauces and powders I've put by this year, but I think the growing season is just about done for chiles. Looking back on my notes, I guess that by starting my seeds inside in mid February and planting outside under cover in mid April, I was able to extend my growing season to 32 weeks with great results. Thanks to all for your interest and help through the growing season. And your willingness to share your harvests so I could educate myself about the different varieties of chiles. Special thanks to Fernando, Bonnie, Shane, Jamie, Paul, Denniz, Balasz and Robert (Mr No). Take care all, and good growing!

 

[stc3248]

 

[stickman]

I got the last of my Jalapenos squared away for the season between yesterday and today... Smoked the last of my red-ripe Jals yesterday and ground them for powder. There were only about eight or ten, so there isn't much, but I'll take it. Next year I'll have to powder more. Had the dozen largest Jals for supper last night as poppers and there was still a peck of the green ones to pickle today. I got 5 and a half quarts when I was done
I thought I'd try something new to keep the pickled peppers crisp... I heard that if you included a couple of green leaves from an Oak or a Grape vine, the tannins in the leaves are supposed to take the place of alum in the brine.

I'll crack one of the jars in a couple of weeks to see how it came out.

 

[RocketMan]

Nice looking pepper slices there Bro. I got the Ground Cherries this weekend. Thanks, I'm looking forward to getting them in the ground.