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!

 

[WalkGood]

… … Thanks Ramon,
I can't agree more on how effective the solar mulch is... it's what makes the difference here between doing well and sitting on my hands waiting for things to warm up so the plants can grow.

Rick what I should have said is that it takes a very experienced grower like you in your area to take advantage of that. Personally I would never have thought about it since I know nothing about growing up there, hat’s off mon \o_ I’ve learned a lot by reading along, not that I'll use it here but I love to learn ... Mi northern brethren wishing you and family a great Friday and weekend!!!!
 

 

[stickman]

Time once again for the Dawn Patrol report...
 
It's a few degrees warmer than yesterday, but it was still only 50 degrees at 5am after another day and night of rain. We've been lucky, and most of that has been showers rather than pounding rain and high winds like I've been hearing about in other places. Growth has slowed a bit for the Chinense varieties due to the cool temperatures, but the Maya Red Hab just don't give a D@&% and continues to put out flowers and set fruit that are waiting for the warmth to come back so they can plump up. Even the Douglah is putting out a few flowers, but mostly I think it's kind of like putting a toe into the water at the beach to see how cold it really is...
 
Maya Red Hab

 
Douglah

 
Lots to do this weekend to get the place ready for the in-laws dropping by next week. Have a great one all!

 

[georgej]

i hear that man. flavour is sweet and makes me think paprika.. i have about a half kilo of gochu flakes, its sweet yet my god... be careful. its a creeper!
i've had some really painful morning afters thanks to gochu that makes a bhut look like a toy.

 

[Trippa]

Looking great Rick . hopefully you start to get some consistantly warmer night temps to really kick those Chinense into pod production. The Rest of the plant family are looking great though ... Looks like you have another bumper crop of Annuums in the making.

 

[stickman]

i hear that man. flavour is sweet and makes me think paprika.. i have about a half kilo of gochu flakes, its sweet yet my god... be careful. its a creeper!
i've had some really painful morning afters thanks to gochu that makes a bhut look like a toy.

Do you make kimchi G? Half a kilo just about lasts me for the winter if I supplement with gochujang.

Looking great Rick . hopefully you start to get some consistantly warmer night temps to really kick those Chinense into pod production. The Rest of the plant family are looking great though ... Looks like you have another bumper crop of Annuums in the making.

Thanks Trippa, from your mouth to God's ear, eh? Yeah, most of the Annuums are doing pretty well. I try to pick the varieties that have good flavor and a short to moderate growing season to make sure I get in a good harvest no matter what the weather does. If I get Chinense pods to boot, I call that a bonus. Sweet!
Looking around in the overflow garden after supper tonight I see the Chiero do Brazil is starting to flower. This one's for you Sean!

 

[WalkGood]

Rick beautiful leaves on your Chiero do Brazil, can’t wait to see the pods ^_^

 

[Devv]

You continue to amaze me with what you're doing!
 
I can't wait to see where you are come real summertime in your zone!

 

[MGOLD86]

Looking great brother! I really love e dawn patrol, i think that I should start walking through the garden in the morning before it gets too hot. By like 1130 it is almost 90 degrees, so I guess you got the right idea!

 

[georgej]

Do you make kimchi G? Half a kilo just about lasts me for the winter if I supplement with gochujang.

Indeed i do! my wife and i can't eat regular store bought any more. i made it with smoked Bhut last time (didn't have any gochu but used Japanese ichimi togarashi for the extra colour - its not very hot)
It's too hot now to be making kimchee. i need to order some more powder and make some in the autumn 

 

[stickman]

Rick beautiful leaves on your Chiero do Brazil, can’t wait to see the pods ^_^

Me too Ramon, I'd never heard of this variety before I got it in a trade with SeanW this past winter. The best guess I have on what the pods will look like is from a website called Flavors of Brazil...

 
The pods look small but the author says that they're very aromatic.

I can't wait to see where you are come real summertime in your zone!

I'll be sure to let you know if it happens...   Things usually warm up here at least by July 4th. If they don't, it's a very unusual year for sure.

Looking great brother! I really love e dawn patrol, i think that I should start walking through the garden in the morning before it gets too hot. By like 1130 it is almost 90 degrees, so I guess you got the right idea!

Thanks Matt! I love the cool and quiet of the early morning, and it's hardwired in after years of working as a Home Health Aide... I've got to get up at 5am to start work at 7 because my first client is in the next county.

 

[WalkGood]

Aromatic and I bet tasty too, yea I never heard of it either, nice job! I will have to ask a Brazilian friend but I’m not sure he would know.  

 

[stickman]

Indeed i do! my wife and i can't eat regular store bought any more. i made it with smoked Bhut last time (didn't have any gochu but used Japanese ichimi togarashi for the extra colour - its not very hot)
It's too hot now to be making kimchee. i need to order some more powder and make some in the autumn 

Good on ya G! It's not the season for Cabbage kimchi for sure, but you can make it from virtually any vegetable. I use the thinnings from my Korean Radishes to make a summer kimchi called Yeolmu Mulkimchi. It's a mild kimchi that's used together with cold chicken stock as the base for a cold noodle soup called mul naengmyeon. Served chilled with ice chips in the bowl it's a very refreshing summer soup on a hot day.

 
They also make a spicy version without the broth called Bibim Naengmyeon that I'm planning on trying this summer.   http://www.beyondkimchee.com/naengmyeon/
 
I hear ya on homemade being better than store bought... the kimchi I find in the Asian markets hereabouts is always old and sour. About the only thing it's good for is Kimchi Jjigae made with Pork Bellies or smoked Neck Bones.

Aromatic and I bet tasty too, yea I never heard of it either, nice job! I will have to ask a Brazilian friend but I’m not sure he would know.  

Thanks Ramon! I appreciate you trying to find out about it brother!

 

[georgej]

i mean its not the season as in even right now it's 35 degrees indoors. plus ten or 15 a month from now.
i dont wanna ferment anythin in such crazy temps. the brewer in  me tells me not to!

 

[WalkGood]

… Thanks Ramon! I appreciate you trying to find out about it brother!

Rick have you seen or read this http://www.thechileman.org/results.php?find=cheiro&heat=Any&origin=Any&genus=Any&chile=1

 

[stickman]

i mean its not the season as in even right now it's 35 degrees indoors. plus ten or 15 a month from now.
i dont wanna ferment anythin in such crazy temps. the brewer in  me tells me not to!

Actually, the combination of lacto-bacteria and salt has been used for centuries to preserve foods without refrigeration in some of the hottest parts of the world. The shelf-life of these foods is greatly lengthened by refrigeration after the fermentation has taken place (which is why the Koreans buried their ferments in the ground. Most South Korean families now have a second refrigerator just for kimchis), but the fermentation isn't negatively affected by the temperatures you describe. The veggies to be fermented are rinsed well under cold, running water before being cut up and salted. The salt keeps out competing microbes for the few days it takes to ferment, and the lactic acid produced during fermentation does the rest. Just let it ferment until it gets the tang you like and put it in the 'fridge until you've eaten it. The fermentation will continue to progress in the 'fridge, but will be greatly slowed by the cold temps, so be sure to eat it before it gets too sour for your taste. The brine from kimchi is also great for jump-starting fermented hot sauces if you decide to go that route.
 
A good reference book is "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Ellix Katz   http://www.wildfermentation.com/
 
Who knows where this will lead... maybe you'll experiment with making your own vinegars. Malt vinegar for chips can't be easy to find in Japan, can it?

Rick have you seen or read this http://www.thechileman.org/results.php?find=cheiro&heat=Any&origin=Any&genus=Any&chile=1

I've seen the database, but didn't check it out for this chile... I'd say that the pepper I have here looks most like the Pl-497978 based on the pic of the leaves and flower. I'll have to post it on THP to see if anybody else has grown/tasted it before. Thanks Ramon!

 

[WalkGood]

Well you'll know for sure first hand soon, can't wait to see mas pic's from dat one ... have a great day brethren!

 

[DocNrock]

Dude, your wealth of knowledge about foreign foods never ceases to amaze me.  Well done!  As for the plants, love the reference about the "toe in the water" with the Douglah.  Glad to see everything looking happy and healthy -- buds, flowers, and pods!

 

[GA Growhead]

Doc here just stoled my thoughts. Thinking the same thing about the food knowledge & liked the testing of the waters analogy too!

 

[stickman]

Well you'll know for sure first hand soon, can't wait to see mas pic's from dat one ... have a great day brethren!

Y tu campadre...

Dude, your wealth of knowledge about foreign foods never ceases to amaze me.  Well done!  As for the plants, love the reference about the "toe in the water" with the Douglah.  Glad to see everything looking happy and healthy -- buds, flowers, and pods!

Thanks for the positive vibe Doc! You've got some nice pulls coming in the near future too!

Doc here just stoled my thoughts. Thinking the same thing about the food knowledge & liked the testing of the waters analogy too!

Aw shi... shucks, you're making me blush!
It looks like the plants decided to slack off a bit this weekend. No visible progress in the early morning, but once the sun had been out for most of the day I see things beginning to move. One of the Urfa Biber's is starting to bloom...

 
And the potted Criolla Sella may have pods that are ripening now, but the one in-ground is easily twice the size.

 
It may take a month longer to ripen its pods, but it has a s#!*load of 'em!

 

[stc3248]

Still cooking with gas over here I see! Haha, those Brazilian pods look awesome, can't wait to see how yours turn out and hear the reviews!