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]

Haven't heard from nee Rick. He's been AWOL for a while .... I expect he's on lockdown mode

 

[MGOLD86]

Yea, we need an update.  Hunger strike initiated.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I'm hungry.

 

[stickman]

Yea, we need an update.  Hunger strike initiated.
 
I'm hungry.

 
OK, OK... With you twisting one arm and Jamie twisting the other...

 
I'm not quite tired of what Ramon calls "yardbird on a stick" Heh-heh, but I'm thinking African. So this is cubed chicken in a Moroccan-style marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, fresh flat-leaf parsley from the garden, fresh ginger, Gochu powder, garlic, saffron, turmeric, salt and black pepper. I'll fire up the charcoal grill after work tomorrow and thread them on barg skewers.

 
How did the pork shoulder come out today Matt?

 

[romy6]

Salavation overload my friend

 

[KiNGDeNNiZ]

nice work on the updates.. glad things are warming up there and the plants are loving the plantout

 

[stickman]

Salavation overload my friend

nice work on the updates.. glad things are warming up there and the plants are loving the plantout

Hey DeNNiZ, good to see ya brother, and thanks for the good vibe!
Not too much to report from the Dawn Patrol... it cooled off again last night and it was down to 50 degrees early this morning. Low to mid 40's predicted for the next couple of days.
 
I got a pic of one of the bastiges munching on my Tomatillos... a striped Cucumber Beetle. I have Cucumbers and Hobak Squash going in the garden, but they haven't found them yet. Reading up on them I find that the adult beetles chew on the plants above ground while the grubs chew on them below. They spread a bacterial wilt that calls even more beetles and eventually kills the host plants. I'll continue to look for the little s#!%$ to pick them off and flatten them...

 

[Trippa]

Go get the little pricks Rick!!

 

[WalkGood]

Wicked Rick I’m looking forward to see da African yard bird on a stick spear in that killer looking Moroccan mojo That marinade looks awesome … I didn’t know you grew ginger, that’s great … I have two different looking ones growing myself for years, it’s something the bugs never bother here and does well year round.

Dam dem Cucumber Beetles and good on you squishing them, hope you get them all and the grubs too. I’ve often wondered what their purpose is. While our beetles here are not the exact same they still cause similar damage. They love to annoy you by their lousy flight control and keep slamming into you numerous times, which little do they know makes it easier for me to kill dem suckers, hahaha. Have a great day brethren!

 

[MGOLD86]

How did the pork shoulder come out today Matt?

 
Rain really messed with my plans a bit, but it all turned out good in the end.  I have TONS of leftovers! lol! 

 

[Sanarda]

Wow I cant believe I havent checked your glog in this long.  What a great bunch of updates I missed.  And foodie pics to boot.  I will not be missing anymore of these great updates.

 

[stickman]

Go get the little pricks Rick!!

Heh-heh... 

Wicked Rick I’m looking forward to see da African yard bird on a stick spear in that killer looking Moroccan mojo That marinade looks awesome … I didn’t know you grew ginger, that’s great … I have two different looking ones growing myself for years, it’s something the bugs never bother here and does well year round.

Dam dem Cucumber Beetles and good on you squishing them, hope you get them all and the grubs too. I’ve often wondered what their purpose is. While our beetles here are not the exact same they still cause similar damage. They love to annoy you by their lousy flight control and keep slamming into you numerous times, which little do they know makes it easier for me to kill dem suckers, hahaha. Have a great day brethren!

 
Hi Ramon,
   Yardbird on a stick spear sword coming right up...
 
Do you have the spotted Cucumber beetle out your way? I've only seen the striped kind up here. Actually, it was just fresh Ginger from the supermarket. There are people who grow baby Ginger here in a polytunnel, but I'll leave it to them, eh?

 
Rain really messed with my plans a bit, but it all turned out good in the end.  I have TONS of leftovers! lol! 

Your porkage looked "too cool for school" Matt... great job! I'm sure if you had any of your buddies nearby you wouldn't have leftover "problems"... The kebabs aren't anywhere near that cool, but they're quick and tasty on a weeknight.

Wow I cant believe I havent checked your glog in this long.  What a great bunch of updates I missed.  And foodie pics to boot.  I will not be missing anymore of these great updates.

Not a problem Pia... we all gets busy sometimes...
Well y'all asked for it, so here we are... Yellow garlic rice

 
Moroccan Koubiza... collard greens with parsley and cilantro from the garden, cumin, gochu powder, more garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, preserved lemons and kalamata olives

 
And the star of our show... Moroccan chicken kebabs.

 
Final plate pic

 

[MGOLD86]

Damn bro, you are even cooking them on swords!  Looks pretty amazing, do you prefer to cook rice in CI, or did you just do it for this recipe??

 

[Sanarda]

Freaking phenomenal!!!!!!!

 

[stickman]

Damn bro, you are even cooking them on swords!  Looks pretty amazing, do you prefer to cook rice in CI, or did you just do it for this recipe??

Yup, they're Iranian-type  Barg skewers I got from a California E-business. Just perfect for making kebabs, and no grill grate to brush and oil.
 
The rice was leftovers from last night... I just fried it in a pan with a little olive oil and a half tsp of turmeric. Glad you like...

Freaking phenomenal!!!!!!!

Glad you like too Pia... do you eat collards in your family?

 

[Sanarda]

Yup, they're Iranian-type  Barg skewers I got from a California E-business. Just perfect for making kebabs, and no grill grate to brush and oil.
 
The rice was leftovers from last night... I just fried it in a pan with a little olive oil and a half tsp of turmeric. Glad you like...

Glad you like too Pia... do you eat collards in your family?

Its a staple in most African American homes.  I cook them on Sunday and they mostly last all week.  We cook ours with salted pork or smoked turkey or mostly smoked ham hocks.... I'm a country girl at heart

 

[highalt]

Nicely done, Rick!
 
I'm embarrassed to tell you how lazy I've been in the kitchen lately!  Tonight, I threw some chicken breasts in a dish, poured a bottle of store bought BBQ sauce (gasp, the horror) over it, and tossed it in the oven.  Lame, I know, but I am cooking for kids that think Ranch dressing is one of the four food groups.  

 

[stickman]

Its a staple in most African American homes.  I cook them on Sunday and they mostly last all week.  We cook ours with salted pork or smoked turkey or mostly smoked ham hocks.... I'm a country girl at heart

Oh yeah... I love 'em cooked with smoked ham hocks... Nice flavor and creamy mouthfeel... that's comfort food as much as mashed potatoes!

Nicely done, Rick!
 
I'm embarrassed to tell you how lazy I've been in the kitchen lately!  Tonight, I threw some chicken breasts in a dish, poured a bottle of store bought BBQ sauce (gasp, the horror) over it, and tossed it in the oven.  Lame, I know, but I am cooking for kids that think Ranch dressing is one of the four food groups.  

Wait'll they hit their teen years Bonnie... Then nothing edible will be safe during their growth spurts... Lol!
 
As for making chicken with bottled sauce... you're working 2 full-time jobs... Nobody'd better complain unless they want to take over the cooking chores, eh?

 

[Sanarda]

Y
 

Oh yeah... I love 'em cooked with smoked ham hocks... Nice flavor and creamy mouthfeel... that's comfort food as much as mashed potatoes!

Wait'll they hit their teen years Bonnie... Then nothing edible will be safe during their growth spurts... Lol!
 
As for making chicken with bottled sauce... you're working 2 full-time jobs... Nobody'd better complain unless they want to take over the cooking chores, eh?

Yeah the super trick is ... and keep this between you and me.. 1/4 tsp of baking soda.. Tenderize your greens.. Do it after they start juicing... dont know what that means but if you show me I can tell you.....Melt in your mouth

 

[stickman]

Yeah the super trick is ... and keep this between you and me.. 1/4 tsp of baking soda.. Tenderize your greens.. Do it after they start juicing... dont know what that means but if you show me I can tell you.....Melt in your mouth

They do that in Kashmir province in India... adding baking soda to Collards (they call it Haak). I think I remember reading that they do it to preserve the green color of the leaves so they don't turn brownish. Do you see this happening?
Time once again for the report from the Dawn Patrol...
 
Overnight lows were a little cooler last night. It got down to 45 degrees, but the extended forecast is for nights in the 50's for the rest of the week. The Chimayo' and Gochu peppers are very happy about now... they're dropping their skirts every night

 
Kapia peppers are getting really bushy

 
Marconi Rosso has definitely tipped over into production mode

 
The Orange Hab in the pepper plot is half the size of the one in the overflow garden, but it's deffo kicking out the flower buds and has one blossom on it this am.

 
Have a great hump-day all!

 

[RocketMan]

Man Rick, the garden is looking good but between you and Pia talking Collards now I gotta pick up some on the way home and get my Greens and Cornbread on. I'm totally on with the Smoked Ham Hocks. In my family we dice up some onion and Jalapenos and layer them Collards, Hocks, onion and Jap, till the pot's full. Of course that means having to push everything down in the pot a couple of times to get it all to fit let them simmer all day. Then the cook has to sample the "Pot Liquor" at times to make sure theyre cooking good.
 
Pia, I'd never heard of the baking soda trick but I'm gonna give it try, yes ma'am