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

Devv · Aug 4, 2013

The Ristras are looking good, nice colors to have in the house!

So I have a batch of the Hab sauce on the stove, I only had a pound of Habs so I did the math. Smells great cooking, wife was like "that's ALL peppers, how are you going to eat that?"

Hahaha...I've been :fireball:

stickman · Aug 5, 2013

HabaneroHead said:
HI Rick!

I am glad to see that you have already harvested some peppers!
Regarding the Hungarian Paprika, be sure that it is in a dry and good aerated place. Last year by the time we harvested them, autumn arrived, and even they were outside, in the humid environment they did not really dry out well. Therefore we put them on the top of the stove, so in a couple of days they were ready. I was cutting them in half to see whether they are ok, and like in 10-15 % of them there were mold growing, which I believe was due to the humid weather. Therefore this year I am planning to dry them in the dehydrator. They were a really big surprise for my Mom, since compared to the shop-bought ones they had the best paprika tase we have ever tasted, and the colour they were giving to our food was outstanding. You are going to enjoy them, I am sure!

Balázs

Thanks Balázs, I'm sure I'm going to enjoy the Coloring peppers! I had the same problem with mold last year, and it looks like it'll be ongoing... so I'll do the same and use the dehydrator even though the color and flavor are at their best if the pods are sun-dried. It's better than throwing out moldy peppers when I only have the two plants. Cheers...

georgej said:
those hungarian sweet paprika look gorgeous. snack worthy

then again, those douglahs look like a good snack until my stomach tells my brain not to even think about it.

nice little harvest going on there!

Thanks G! I know... I'm getting dark hints about the Dougies...

Y'know... I think I got my seedlings switched somehow when I was labeling them. What I thought was the JA Hot Chocolate is looking like the Maya Red Hab now that the shape is stabilizing. It's the first Hab to ripen too, which is right for the Maya Red.

What I thought was the Maya Red seems to be the JA Hot Chocolate. The shape is consistent, and it's ripening brown instead of red.

Cheers mate!

stc3248 · Aug 5, 2013

Nice!!! Looks like mystery solved! That "Hot Chocolate" is taking no prisoners! Holy cow its loaded!

stickman · Aug 5, 2013

meatfreak said:
Good stuff, Rick. Those ristras look awesome, I've been doing the same thing every time I pulled a ripe Chimayo I leave them to dry in the shed where it's pretty hot during the summer so they are dry rather quickly. Your plants look amazing also, I just love Baccatums for their exuberance. The Peruvian Purple looks very similar like the Chinese 5-Color I must say. How's it going with the rest of the non-peppers in the garden??

Thanks Stefan... I just love this time of year... I'd go skinny-dipping with it if I could...

It wasn't such a good year for the Bush Beans, Collards, Beets and Carrots. I did get a bit of a harvest, but not like I've had in other years. The Squash, Cucumbers, Vegetable Amaranth, Eggplants, Tomatoes, Yard-long Beans and Peppers are all doing well. I'll have to quadruple the plantings of the Yard-long Beans next year to get a good harvest and I think I may skip the Bush Beans entirely. I noticed the Striped Cucumber Beetles were attracted to my Tomatillos even more than my Cucumbers early in the season, and smashed every one I saw. The Cukes have been virtually pest-free so far this year as a result. The Squash Bugs have found my Ho Bak Squash though, and it's beginning to yellow and wilt. I got a small sprayer and a bottle of Spinosad to take them out if they try to transfer to the Cukes, and to deal with them next year before they get established in my Squash.

stc3248 said:
Nice!!! Looks like mystery solved! That "Hot Chocolate" is taking no prisoners! Holy cow its loaded!

Thanks Shane... it gets even better... I pulled my first ripe Yellow 7 this morning! I should have put a quarter in the pic for scale, but it's at least 2 inches wide.

Devv said:
The Ristras are looking good, nice colors to have in the house!

So I have a batch of the Hab sauce on the stove, I only had a pound of Habs so I did the math. Smells great cooking, wife was like "that's ALL peppers, how are you going to eat that?"

Hahaha...I've been

Thanks Scott... How did the sauce come out last night? You know... you might have to work on LB a lot more after she got a whiff of the fumes from the cooking sauce...

In other garden-related news, the Cheiro Recife is starting to color up in multiples. You wanna talk about prolific... this baby probably has at least a hundred pods on it ranging from the size of a dime up to a nickel, and each one of them is Habanero hot!

Dried Gochus in a gallon-sized ziplok bag

Chimayo's in a similar bag

and a quart jar nearly full of dried Criolla Sella pods

Have a great week all!

georgej · Aug 5, 2013

all good news on the labelling mixup then. those choc habs are looking great, but the plant seems to be pretty low on fruit

haha, it's more pods than plant!

MGOLD86 · Aug 5, 2013

Looking really great Rick! It is great to see them douglahs turn huh, awesome stuff! I noticed that I get the suntan on those pods, more so the thin-skinned ones than the thick skinned ones. But then the color takes over and it all ripens beautifully. Really cool that you are hang drying those pods, how long does that typically take? Is it more for looks or do you prefer it over the dehydrator??

Anyways, looks like you are gonna be up to your ears in dried pods brother, really good stock for the winter!

stickman · Aug 5, 2013

georgej said:
all good news on the labelling mixup then. those choc habs are looking great, but the plant seems to be pretty low on fruit haha, it's more pods than plant!

S'right... if I gotta have troubles... those are the troubles to have!

Cheers G!

MGOLD86 said:
Looking really great Rick! It is great to see them douglahs turn huh, awesome stuff! I noticed that I get the suntan on those pods, more so the thin-skinned ones than the thick skinned ones. But then the color takes over and it all ripens beautifully. Really cool that you are hang drying those pods, how long does that typically take? Is it more for looks or do you prefer it over the dehydrator??

Anyways, looks like you are gonna be up to your ears in dried pods brother, really good stock for the winter!

Hi Matt,
I'm hanging them to fully ripen more than to dry them. I tried to air dry last year, and about 30% of the pods molded when I did that. Hanging them to ripen rather than heaping them in a bowl or basket also reduces mold. I find the East coast climate demands it. The pods I already dried were done in my dehydrator. I'll definitely be using Ramon's tip on using rice bagged up in coffee filters as a dessicant before putting the pods away down cellar.

georgej · Aug 5, 2013

hoping i might have a few come autumn. i wanna make some booze with some peppers. i made some Ume-shu (japanese plum brandy) recently with a dried peach ghost scorpion in it. had a try a few weeks ago, wowsers! peppers in liquor are great!

poypoyking · Aug 5, 2013

That JA Hot Chocolate plant is beautiful. What do the Maya Red's taste like?

PIC 1 · Aug 5, 2013

Rick,
You'll be happy with the Chocolate Habs. They make great tasting powders. Some varieties have a red tinge that runs through the inner walls while others have a darker placenta. I find the "red tinged" variety to have a real smokey scent to it. Enjoy the rest of your season !

stickman · Aug 5, 2013

georgej said:
hoping i might have a few come autumn. i wanna make some booze with some peppers. i made some Ume-shu (japanese plum brandy) recently with a dried peach ghost scorpion in it. had a try a few weeks ago, wowsers! peppers in liquor are great!

Interesting... I can see how the peppers would go with the sweet/sour taste of the liquer... I remember somebody steeping pepper pods in Vodka last season, and they didn't like the results at all... apparently it brought out the worst traits of both.
I'm not a fan of Ume-boshi... too sour, but I think I could like Ume-shu if it has enough sugar in it to iron out the rough spots.

poypoyking said:
That JA Hot Chocolate plant is beautiful. What do the Maya Red's taste like?

Hi Ben,
Now that I've correctly identified the Maya Red Hab, here's my impression of the taste... http://thehotpepper.com/topic/35512-stickmans-2013-glog-chinense-are-ripening/page-91#entry860747

PIC 1 said:
Rick,
You'll be happy with the Chocolate Habs. They make great tasting powders. Some varieties have a red tinge that runs through the inner walls while others have a darker placenta. I find the "red tinged" variety to have a real smokey scent to it. Enjoy the rest of your season !

Thanks Greg, I appreciate the info... it gives me something to look forward to! Still a bit behind in keeping up with the glogs, but I hope to "ketchup" to yours this week...

meatfreak · Aug 5, 2013

stc3248 said:
Nice!!! Looks like mystery solved! That "Hot Chocolate" is taking no prisoners! Holy cow its loaded!

+1 does it even have leaves? :lol:

stickman · Aug 5, 2013

meatfreak said:
+1 does it even have leaves?

Oh you kidder Stefan...

One more ripe pod today... When I got home from work I looked a little deeper into my Cheiro Recife and found this...

Small enough that you want to just pop it in your mouth, but hot enough to command respect... kinda like the pepper equivalent of "little guy syndrome"...

Ramon, I finally got around to sampling the MoA SB you sent, and this number commands respect mon! I cut it up into matchsticks, and ate a 2 inch piece with placenta attatched to give it a good trial. The taste and aroma are very pungent and spicy, but not at all fruity or floral... kinda hard to describe. They reminded me of the combination of fresh Thyme and green onions in a Jerk marinade. It had a relatively quick burn that kept building for about another 2 minutes before reaching a plateau that it held for another minute and began to gradually subside. The heat seemed to concentrate on the middle of the tongue and back of the throat and felt like little needles, then spread out to a sensation of warmth down the throat and into the stomach. I can see why this pepper would be preferred when making a Jerk marinade. If anybody wants to see some great pics of the MoA Scotch Bonnet, check out Walkgood's glog http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36338-walkgood-2013-grow-tanks-for-stopping-in/ Steve954s glog http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36983-steve954-grow-log/ or the MoA thread started by KingDeNNiZ http://thehotpepper.com/topic/37675-moa-jamaican-scotch-bonnets/?hl=moa

After sampling a piece of the pod raw, I made sofrito with the rest and added it to some leftover stir-fry. The results were surprisingly mild. I'm not sure if it was because there wasn't much placenta in the pod or the capsaicin got too diluted in the vegetable oil, but if you want a burn that lasts a while in your food I think you might want to use 3 or 4 pods at once.

Devv · Aug 5, 2013

+1 on the choc hab comments, tasty pod! And that plant is so loaded down it's ridiculous!

I see you're getting the collection going on the dried peps, cool to be in that position!

The hot sauce came out exactly like the sauce you sent me, and that makes me happy, that was my goal. I did things a tiny bit differently because of available ingredients and the too lazy to drive into town syndrome.

LB even tried it, you know a pinky taste..LOL. She said she couldn't taste the flavor over the heat, but we do have a start!

Have a great week!

stickman · Aug 5, 2013

Devv said:
+1 on the choc hab comments, tasty pod! And that plant is so loaded down it's ridiculous!

I see you're getting the collection going on the dried peps, cool to be in that position!

The hot sauce came out exactly like the sauce you sent me, and that makes me happy, that was my goal. I did things a tiny bit differently because of available ingredients and the too lazy to drive into town syndrome.

LB even tried it, you know a pinky taste..LOL. She said she couldn't taste the flavor over the heat, but we do have a start!

Have a great week!

Thanks for the good vibe Scott! Glad the sauce came out like you wanted... did you add the coconut milk too? Amazing... you got LB to try it after she smelled it cooking... good job! :woohoo:

Devv · Aug 5, 2013

stickman said:
Thanks for the good vibe Scott! Glad the sauce came out like you wanted... did you add the coconut milk too? Amazing... you got LB to try it after she smelled it cooking... good job!

No, I didn't have any, it's still in the pot, in the fridge. I tasted both yours and mine, and can tell the difference after one than the other, the flavor is the same but the coconut milk does really knock the edge off! I couldn't tell the difference when tasting yesterday, thought they were identical. Gonna get some tomorrow and add it.

I had yours with tacos tonight...most excellent! Thanks again for posting the recipe, I did have a chuckle, I had posted right after you posted the recipe...guess I have CRS!

WalkGood · Aug 5, 2013

Plus 3 on da Chocolate Habs, great stuff Rick! I also love the look on dat Maya Red, I bet they're super tasty ... great job!

Great job on spreading da pepper love Rick! Got your package in da mail today, thank you! Both my son and I were home when it came in and we both loved the strawberry rhubarb jam and the Hab hot sauce, great job! My wife will give the jam a go in the morning and she'll probably try the Hab sauce with us for dinner \o_

Edit: any recommendations on the sweet paprika? I use regular paprika in cooking yellow rice, on top of some dips/spreads … was thinking of testing some out on some pork we're having in a few minutes. Thanks again brethren!

stickman · Aug 5, 2013

WalkGood said:
Plus 3 on da Chocolate Habs, great stuff Rick! I also love the look on dat Maya Red, I bet they're super tasty ... great job!

Great job on spreading da pepper love Rick! Got your package in da mail today, thank you! Both my son and I were home when it came in and we both loved the strawberry rhubarb jam and the Hab hot sauce, great job! My wife will give the jam a go in the morning and she'll probably try the Hab sauce with us for dinner \o_

Edit: any recommendations on the sweet paprika? I use regular paprika in cooking yellow rice, on top of some dips/spreads … was thinking of testing some out on some pork we're having in a few minutes. Thanks again brethren!

Thanks for the good vibe Ramon, and glad you liked the package! :dance:

The Hungarian Paprika powder I sent is the same stuff you use around the kitchen, just fresher. Cheers!

WalkGood · Aug 5, 2013

stickman said:
… Ramon, I finally got around to sampling the MoA SB you sent, and this number commands respect mon! I cut it up into matchsticks, and ate a 2 inch piece with placenta attatched to give it a good trial. The aroma was very spicy, but not at all fruity or floral... kinda hard to describe. It had a relatively quick burn that kept building for about another 2 minutes before reaching a plateau that it held for another minute and began to gradually subside. The heat seemed to concentrate on the middle of the tongue and back of the throat and felt like little needles, then spread out to a sensation of warmth down the throat and into the stomach. I think this would marry perfectly with the lime juice, fresh thyme and green onions in a Jerk marinade. If anybody wants to see some great pics of the MoA Scotch Bonnet, check out Walkgood's glog http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36338-walkgood-2013-grow-tanks-for-stopping-in/ Steve954s glog http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36983-steve954-grow-log/ or the MoA thread started by KingDeNNiZ http://thehotpepper.com/topic/37675-moa-jamaican-scotch-bonnets/?hl=moa

Rick, very nice read and interpretation of the JA SB MoA pod. When you grow some you’ll note what I mean when I say you can smell them from far across the yard. That smell might be more inherent of the plants flowering & full of pods and not one picked pod as I have not noticed it then. I read that Greg (PIC 1) and Steve (STEVE954) noted similar sweet pungent aroma in their grow.

Although once the pod is cut open I do sense an intense rich aroma that tantalizes my senses. I agree with you in that they are not fruity but more gingery citrus like in savor with a hint of smoky flavor. When I said fruity in my review I tried to clarify it by saying “towards the citrus side of fruit.” But in retrospect I shouldn’t have even used that word, regardless I stand by my review. If anyone wants to read it, Click Here.

I’m glad you enjoyed the pod, now I can’t wait to see it in your next years grow

georgej · Aug 6, 2013

stickman said:
Interesting... I can see how the peppers would go with the sweet/sour taste of the liquer... I remember somebody steeping pepper pods in Vodka last season, and they didn't like the results at all... apparently it brought out the worst traits of both.
I'm not a fan of Ume-boshi... too sour, but I think I could like Ume-shu if it has enough sugar in it to iron out the rough spots.
.

Ume boshi is very different to ume shu. ume boshi is pickled with red shizo (very unique flavoured leaf that looks like a nettle) so its sour. shu just means booze basically and Ume is a type of plum.

Ume shu has alot of sugar in it. its easy to make as far as its Ume fruit, candy sugar and spirits or sake of your choice.
im not huge on ume shu because it is SO sweet. so i upped the fruit and downed the sugar ration and thought the fruity burn of a ghost scorpion would add to it well. first taste was awesome, we will see how it is after its steeped for 4 months.

im sure chilli vodka can be pretty awful, because there is little complexity other than heat from pods and heat from booze too. i have faith that its gonna be pretty good on those winter nights