Stickman's 2013 Glog - Time To Pull The Plug on 2013

I'm pulling things together to get ready for my next growing season. I bought NuMex variety seeds from Sandia Seed company in New Mexico, Hot Paper Lantern Habaneros and Antohi Romanians from Johnny's Select Seeds in Maine and Korean varieties from Evergreen Seeds in California. Due to the unbelievable generosity of a number of THP members I've also gotten seeds to a wide variety of chiles from around the world. Special thanks to BootsieB, stc3248, romy6, PaulG, SoCalChilehead, joynershotpeppers, highalt, cmpman1974, smokemaster, mygrassisblue, Mister No, chewi, KingDenniz, orrozconleche and most recently and spectacularly, Habanerohead with a great selection of superhots and peppers from Hungary!

There are eleven varieties of Hungarian peppers in here, mostly the early, thick-fleshed, sweet ones that range from white through yellow to purple and red.., plus Aji Lemon Drop, BJ Indian Carbon, Naga Morich, Bishop's Crown and TS CARDI Yellow! Now I just have to go through my seed bank and match the space available to what I want to grow. Thanks Balázs!

 

[Trippa]

Curries of all types are one of my specialties as well Rick. The best investment I think for great curries is finding a great cookbook that specialises in Curries (or just generally finding great recipes in general) and can explain some of the backgrounds in them

 

[PeriPeri]

Actually, it's Portuguese... Vindaloo is an Indian domestic trying to say "Vinho de alhos". The Portuguese make a marinade for Pork out of wine vinegar, water, black pepper, paprika, garlic, cumin and potatoes, and let it marinate in the 'fridge for at least 12 hours, and up to 3 days before sauteeing. Vindaloo is rather "busier" than that... It comes from the island of Goa, which was a trade entrepot of the Portuguese for many years, and it's made from the locally available meat... like Lamb and Goat. Here in the west we use Pork and Beef as well.

Oooops, what I meant to say. My bad! Both countries can't play Football though ... that is soccer to you lol

 

[georgej]

The British re-invention of Vindaloo is more widely known and probably what you guys eat, rather than authentic Indian.

 

[Trippa]

The British re-invention of Vindaloo is more widely known and probably what you guys eat, rather than authentic Indian.

a lot of the more popular curries we eat from Takeaway places etc are throwbacks to the British raj era in India where the brits adapted the recipes to utilise left over meats etc (for Example Balti's and Tikka Masala)

 

[stickman]

Curries of all types are one of my specialties as well Rick. The best investment I think for great curries is finding a great cookbook that specialises in Curries (or just generally finding great recipes in general) and can explain some of the backgrounds in them

My first curry cookbook was "A Taste of India" by Indian actress Madhur Jaffrey. She said that the book was aimed at Americans who wanted to make authentic curries with the ingredients readily available here. I found it in a used bookshop back in the 80's, and have been making them ever since. My wife tells me our first date was made memorable when we went on a picnic by a river and I brought a fried potato recipe from Jaffrey's book called Sookhe Aloo. I guess it's true for women as well... the way to their heart is through their stomach!

that is soccer to you lol

I know... I used to play goalie back in grade school in the late 60's. I think we were the only ones who did at the time... I forget his name now, but we had a kid from Perth, West Australia join our class because his Dad took a job at the General Electric Plastics plant for a year and he brought his whole family along. The boy missed playing football with his mates, so we learned how to play, and used to have games during gym class.

Got another hook from the Holy Mole', so that makes it 3/3. I've got a busy day ahead, but If I get home early enough I'll up-pot some of the biggest Annuums. Otherwise, I'll have to get it on Monday.

 

[stickman]

Just got back home a little while ago after a very full day. I drove about 40 miles to Gardner, MA where I met SeanW. We exchanged pepper plants and talked a bit, then I headed home to put the chiles away and drove another 70 miles to my Mom's house. Did some chores around the place she can't do herself and had a corned beef and cabbage dinner with her and visited for awhile before driving back.
New varieties are a Butch T, a Chiero Recife, a little (red?) Rocoto and an FDA Scotch Bonnet. Thanks Sean...I'm looking forward to growing them all, and I'll try to give them a good home!

BTW... the seedling I was unsure of is confirmed as a Red Rocoto... It's still too small to see the hair on the leaves in a pic, but they're definitely there. So I actually managed to get one Pubiscens sprouted for the 25 or so seeds planted. Good thing I didn't make book on the outcome...

 

[SeanW]

Just got back home a little while ago after a very full day. I drove about 40 miles to Gardner, MA where I met SeanW. We exchanged pepper plants and talked a bit, then I headed home to put the chiles away and drove another 70 miles to my Mom's house. Did some chores around the place she can't do herself and had a corned beef and cabbage dinner with her and visited for awhile before driving back.
New varieties are a Butch T, a Chiero Recife, a little Orange Manzano and an FDA Scotch Bonnet. Thanks Sean...I'm looking forward to growing them all, and I'll try to give them a good home!

and thanks for my new plants

I think the Manzano might be a Red variety, unsure. I got it from CPI, where they just listed it as "Rocoto" with a picture of a red pepper.

 

[stickman]

and thanks for my new plants

I think the Manzano might be a Red variety, unsure. I got it from CPI, where they just listed it as "Rocoto" with a picture of a red pepper.

Thanks for the correction Sean! And glad you like your new plants...

 

[SeanW]

Hey Rick - rereading your glog, I noticed those pancake fans, I might have to steal that idea, my fan is too big

Also, was it you that was growing the low-acid tomatoes? Do you have some favorites for sauce? I might need to add a tomato variety, if that's the case, my stomach and I have an ongoing war (I think I'm winning...but it certainly wins a few battles)

 

[meatfreak]

Just got back home a little while ago after a very full day. I drove about 40 miles to Gardner, MA where I met SeanW. We exchanged pepper plants and talked a bit, then I headed home to put the chiles away and drove another 70 miles to my Mom's house. Did some chores around the place she can't do herself and had a corned beef and cabbage dinner with her and visited for awhile before driving back.
New varieties are a Butch T, a Chiero Recife, a little (red?) Rocoto and an FDA Scotch Bonnet. Thanks Sean...I'm looking forward to growing them all, and I'll try to give them a good home!

BTW... the seedling I was unsure of is confirmed as a Red Rocoto... It's still too small to see the hair on the leaves in a pic, but they're definitely there. So I actually managed to get one Pubiscens sprouted for the 25 or so seeds planted. Good thing I didn't make book on the outcome...

Yeah, Rick I noticed the same thing with those Pubescens, so when I only got 1 sprouted I decided to sow some more. Now this week they apparently felt like it's time to show their heads, got 4 hooks at once The onlye Pube I got to sprout was the CGN 22796, the other two didn't sprout at all (30 seeds).

 

[stickman]

Hey Rick - rereading your glog, I noticed those pancake fans, I might have to steal that idea, my fan is too big

Also, was it you that was growing the low-acid tomatoes? Do you have some favorites for sauce? I might need to add a tomato variety, if that's the case, my stomach and I have an ongoing war (I think I'm winning...but it certainly wins a few battles)

Sure Sean, go for it. I got the AC muffin fans at Radio Shack. They didn't come with a power cord, so I bought an "el cheapo" 3 foot extension cord, cut off the female plug and wired them together. If you have a soldering iron, you can use electrical solder to make the connections very durable and go over the join with electrical tape to replace the insulation, but I just twisted the wires together and went over them with the tape... it's not like it's load-bearing or anything...

If you want low-acid tomatoes, you might want to check out the Japanese pink and Sungold cherry tomatoes. The Cook's Garden catalog says that their Brandywine Red variety is no-acid, but I'll be growing them for the first time this year, so can't speak from experience.

Yeah, Rick I noticed the same thing with those Pubescens, so when I only got 1 sprouted I decided to sow some more. Now this week they apparently felt like it's time to show their heads, got 4 hooks at once The onlye Pube I got to sprout was the CGN 22796, the other two didn't sprout at all (30 seeds).

You too Stefan! Well, if you're having trouble getting them to pop, I don't feel so bad. The freshest seeds I had were from Shane, but after his viral issues last year I wasn't going to plant them... especially because he sent the pods late in the season when it was running rampant. He was very upfront and said as much at the time, but those pods were what made me determined to grow them if at all possible.

 

[SeanW]

Sure Sean, go for it. I got the AC muffin fans at Radio Shack. They didn't come with a power cord, so I bought an "el cheapo" 3 foot extension cord, cut off the female plug and wired them together. If you have a soldering iron, you can use electrical solder to make the connections very durable and go over the join with electrical tape to replace the insulation, but I just twisted the wires together and went over them with the tape... it's not like it's load-bearing or anything...

If you want low-acid tomatoes, you might want to check out the Japanese pink and Sungold cherry tomatoes. The Cook's Garden catalog says that their Brandywine Red variety is no-acid, but I'll be growing them for the first time this year, so can't speak from experience.

I've found some fans that have the cables attached, so that'll make it easier (though, I do have a soldering iron and wire nuts/etc)

Thanks for the tomato pointers. After a quick googling around, it does look like the "low acid" varieties are actually just "high sugar" varieties, and not necessarily really all that less acidic. Did find someone suggesting to add a small amount of baking soda to tomato sauce, to counter the acidity. I'll keep an eye out for those, though, when I'm buying from places, anyway. Never hurts to grow more, right?

 

[highalt]

Hi Rick! Just stopped by to let you know that one of the Oschenhorns popped today.

Also, wanted to add that you are growing some great tomato varieties this year! The purple/blacks are my favorites next to the pinks, such as Earl's Faux, Giant Belgium, and Caspian Pink. I really need to get my tomato growlist figured out. They need to get sown in the next week or two.

 

[stickman]

Hi Rick! Just stopped by to let you know that one of the Oschenhorns popped today.

Also, wanted to add that you are growing some great tomato varieties this year! The purple/blacks are my favorites next to the pinks, such as Earl's Faux, Giant Belgium, and Caspian Pink. I really need to get my tomato growlist figured out. They need to get sown in the next week or two.

Awsome Bonnie, thanks for the input on both fronts!

 

[stickman]

The second planting of Annuum/Manzano seeds is starting to pop! This morning a Guajillo hook is showing itself.

 

[RocketMan]

WooHoo, insert off color joke about Rick and his Pubes here, glad to see their coming up Rick. I've really been liking this Rocoto powder I made, very tasty so you should be in for some great peppers.

 

[stickman]

Thanks Bill, Shane sent me some of his smoked Manzano powder last summer, and my wife and I love it! The superhots are a harder sell, but she knows what she likes.

 

[PIC 1]

I'm glad to see the Manzano's sprouting. They seem to need a long soak in warm water to soften the hull....... they are.one of the best tasting thick walled peppers around...

 

[stickman]

Got a pic of the newbies when I came home for lunch. The Guajillo tailed, and now there's a Big Jim Anaheim hook and another just below the surface. Sorry 'bout the blurry pic guys...

Got the first wave of Annuums up-potted...

Some of the other early vegetables... Onions...

Mache'...

Claytonia (Miner's Lettuce)...

The Chinense varieties planted in Solo cups are growing well...

But a few of them seem to have Iron deficiency. From what I gather, it's tied to my addition of Dolomitic Lime to the pots. I noticed that there was some yellowing in the new leaves early on, and using Epsom Salts as a foliar spray seemed to take care of it entirely. I figured that adding Dolomitic lime would add as much Ca/Mg as the plants would want until plant-out, but it increased the pH to the point that it locked out the Iron in the growing medium. I've watered with some very dilute white vinegar to correct the pH but I may have to add a little 10% chelated Iron initially to get them back on an even keel.

I'm glad to see the Manzano's sprouting. They seem to need a long soak in warm water to soften the hull....... they are.one of the best tasting thick walled peppers around...

Thanks Greg, I'm sold!

 

[MisterNo]

Hi Rick.
Things are looking great overthere

Congrats on Manzanos, it payed off to be stubborn. I'm using same approach for Aji Cubanelle. I had 0/10 last year, so those are probably bad seeds, but never the less, I'm trying again

Those chinensis are already big, real monsters, you could be up for some early pods