Stickman's 2014 Glog- That's all folks!

Hi All,
   I've got Manzanos sprouted and my Bhuts, Lotah Bih and Donne Sali seeds planted so it looks like time to leave 2103 behind and begin to concentrate on 2014. Last year I started some of my late-season varieties right after New Year's Day, but our season was too short to bring the pods to full ripeness so this year I started 2-3 weeks earlier.
 
Manzano seedlings...

 
Fruts and Bhuts ...

 
There are many more varieties yet to plant in the proper turn, and I have 4 overwintered pepper plants from 2013 that I'll report on later. Have a great weekend all!

 

[RocketMan]

Looking good Rick. I like the grow tent action you have going and the babies look to be having a good time. Hopefully Ma Nature will stay on schedule this year or let you get them in a but early. Well here's hoping, fingers crossed.

 

[stickman]

Hey Rick - hard to say, the way your green fingers are ushering the plant along, you may have pods before he even gets into the soil

 
Thanks for the vote of confidence Lourens... You probably haven't heard the Combat Engineers' motto... "The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer."
 
I really did want to know how many days from transplant to ripe pods for the Naga Kings in your garden... can ya help a brother out?
 
 

Sweet...pepper and fishing love flowing back and forth! I wouldn't sweat the MOA's leaves too much. I think you're on point with the temps being the cause. I think they'll be fine once they get some warmer weather. All those crazy cool pepper varieties from all over the world!!! Can't wait to see them under their tent out in the great big world.

 
I hope it's just the temps downstairs... they seem fairly healthy otherwise. Spring can't get here too soon for me Shane... I'm jonesin' man!
 
 

Great update Rick! How many different kinds of paprika do you use? Do you have a favorite paprika pepper? What kind of powder did you use to heat the soup? Is the manzano powder hot? Also how many onions are you going for total?

Question barrage!

 
Hi Adam, first off... Paprika is really just a generic term for peppers in Hungary. I don't really have a favorite overall... but I like different varieties for different things. Some for powder, some for pickling and some for fresh use. If you want to know more, you can ask me or our resident Hungarian expert Habanerohead (Balasz)
 
 

Speaking of parsley, I've grown Hamburg root parsley before, probably will again this year.  I'm not a connoisseur of parsley, so I can't speak to the flavor of the leaves; they just taste like parsley to me.  But the roots make a great soup and are alleged to be good roasted or in mashed potatoes.  I like the dual purpose aspect.

 

We use them a lot during winter time here in Denmark and we call them persillerod (Parsleyroot). They are especially good in chicken or beef soup with carrots, potatoes, celeriac, leeks, meat balls and 'melboller' (a sort of dumplings).

 
That's cool... I've cooked Celeriac, but never heard of Root Parsley before. Hi Nulle, and welcome to the zoo! Would you want to share a recipe for melboller? Inquiring minds want to know...

Looking good Rick. I like the grow tent action you have going and the babies look to be having a good time. Hopefully Ma Nature will stay on schedule this year or let you get them in a but early. Well here's hoping, fingers crossed.

 
Thanks Bill! I'm with you brother... like I told Shane... spring can't come too soon!
 
I spent the morning making "Black Mole" with the Chilhuacle Negro, Pasilla and Mulato pods I grew and dried last season. I wish you could all get a good whiff of it!

 

[Devv]

Looking good Rick!
 
What's the main course?

 

[PeriPeri]

Hey Rick - sorry - in my experience, I would say about two months. December to end February. But I did have quite a few set backs... Is this about what you were looking at?
 
Hole Mole that sauce looks great

 

[meatfreak]

Wow that black mole looks really good! Today I did some cleaning at the herb garden and noticed some flat parsley volunteers between the tiles so I don't need to sow them I guess
 

Rick, Stefan's Pimenta Lisa is Maldivian Orange x Pimenta de Neyde.
I have a few too, but none that purple. She is a beaut!

Rick you were right but I created this confusion. I got the seeds tagged as Maldivian Orange but when I contacted the person I got them from he said they could have crossed with the Neyde. Then later he said he could have mixed up the neyde seeds. Let's keep it at a possible Bhut x Neyde cross.

 

[GA Growhead]

OK. Now I'm confused.

 

[stickman]

Looking good Rick!
 
What's the main course?

 
Believe it or not, I just made up the Mole' to freeze ahead. I scoop 2 cups of mole apiece into ziplok bags and put 'em in the freezer downstairs. One bag is a generous amount for two people... I just take out and defrost what I need for the meal planned, stir in chicken broth, heat... pour over poached chicken or turkey and garnish with toasted sesame seeds. It's also great mixed with shredded chicken and used as a filling for tamales.
   Tonight's meal is Moroccan Chicken Tagine with chickpeas, olives, a north african spice blend called Ras al Hanout, and some of the preserved lemons I made last year. That comes with Zalouk... Moroccan style winter greens with red bell peppers, onions, garlic, more preserved lemon, cumin and  turmeric. Have a little rice on the side and a pot of tea to wash it down with... perfect for a winter's night.

 
 

Hey Rick - sorry - in my experience, I would say about two months. December to end February. But I did have quite a few set backs... Is this about what you were looking at?
 
Hole Mole that sauce looks great

 
Wow! That's fast work Lourens! When I transplant my Habaneros outside by the end of April it usually takes until the end of July to get ripe pods... say 90-100 days. Supers take 120 days or more. As fast as the one plant is growing though, I think you could be right.
 
 

Wow that black mole looks really good! Today I did some cleaning at the herb garden and noticed some flat parsley volunteers between the tiles so I don't need to sow them I guess
 
Rick you were right but I created this confusion. I got the seeds tagged as Maldivian Orange but when I contacted the person I got them from he said they could have crossed with the Neyde. Then later he said he could have mixed up the neyde seeds. Let's keep it at a possible Bhut x Neyde cross.

 
Nice going with the Parsley volunteers! It's a biennial though... do you have volunteers coming up every year?
 
It'll be interesting to see what we get when the plants grow out this year... I'm hoping for the shape and heat of a Bhut with the purple color of the PdN on the darker plant, but we'll see...
 
 

OK. Now I'm confused.

 
Hey, it's all good Jay...

 

[HabaneroHead]

Holy Mole ! :-)))))))
That looks fantastic! Just like chocolate, or even better: brownie before baking :-)
May I ask the recipe, my friend?

 

[stickman]

Holy Mole ! :-)))))))
That looks fantastic! Just like chocolate, or even better: brownie before baking :-)
May I ask the recipe, my friend?

 
Funny you should mention chocolate Balazs... there's a cake of Mexican "Table Chocolate" in the recipe, If you can get it where you are. If not, you can probably substitute 30g of bittersweet chocolate with a touch over a gram of ground Cinnamon or just use 7.38g of Cocoa powder.

 
You'll probably want to start out simple if you want to make Mole'... here's a great Mole' Poblano recipe that'll fit that bill...
http://gourmay.net/recipes/fowl-recipes/how-to-make-authentic-chicken-mole/
 
Then, if you want to up the ante, you can try this Mole' Negro recipe... it's the one I made today...
http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/chicken/black-mole-from-oaxaca-mole-negro-de.html
 
In either case, you start with dried Mexican chiles... I made mine with Pasillas, Mulatos and Chilhuacle Negros

 

[ronniedeb]

Mole and Tagine both look great!

 

[JJJessee]

Yes, that Black Mole, looks intense. In a good way.
Cheers!

 

[PIC 1]

Nice color with the Mole...although you through me for a culinary loop. Made the sauce to freeze, then went all Moroccan on us.....ahaha.
That's a hearty looking dish regardless.

 

[stickman]

Thanks for the good vibe guys!
 
 

Nice color with the Mole...although you through me for a culinary loop. Made the sauce to freeze, then went all Moroccan on us.....ahaha.
That's a hearty looking dish regardless.

 
Sorry if you got a stiff neck from the whiplash Greg...   This particular Mole' is a bit complicated, so it takes a few hours to get it done and almost as long to clean up afterwards, so it's definitely a weekend project. We've got some friends coming over from Vermont this weekend and I wanted to get it done ahead of that.
 
I've almost finished my last jar of preserved Lemons... time to make more!

 

[Penny]

That sauce looked great, and the meal, delish!!

 

[RocketMan]

Black Mole! Man Rick, that's looking good. I've made some of Scovies Mole but not a Black one, very nice 

 

[stickman]

Black Mole! Man Rick, that's looking good. I've made some of Scovies Mole but not a Black one, very nice 

 
If you ever decide to make any, I can send you seeds for the Chilhuacle Negro. Seeds for Pasillas and Mulatos are a lot easier to find.
 
You were right on the money when you said the bottles of sauce would get here yesterday. Now that I've wrestled the camera away from my wife, here's a pic...

 
I'll check them out this weekend and let you know what my impressions are... Thanks muchly brother!

 

[RocketMan]

Thanks Rick, I like good feedback, whether it's good or bad, it all helps me to make better sauce.

 

[Jeff H]

Great Mole' sauce and the Moroccan chicken too. Love your food pics.
 
I'll probably make some mole' this year along with adobo once the peppers get ripened and dried.
 
For the dried peppers, I have Pasilla, Mirasol, and poblano growing this year.
 
Oh, and here is another mole for your thread.

 

[stickman]

Great Mole' sauce and the Moroccan chicken too. Love your food pics.
 
I'll probably make some mole' this year along with adobo once the peppers get ripened and dried.
 
For the dried peppers, I have Pasilla, Mirasol, and poblano growing this year.
 
Oh, and here is another mole for your thread.

 
Heh, heh... Thanks for the chuckle Jeff...
 
I'm finding that dried Mulato chiles have more of an Anise flavor and Anchos are more like raisins. You might want to try growing some of those... Chilhuacle Negros are just as easy to grow if you can find the seeds. I got mine here... https://www.horizonherbs.com/product.asp?specific=2775
 Guajillos are good in Mole' too, but it has a more berry-like flavor... now that I think of it... Guajillos are good in desserts too. I have a recipe for Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream that calls for Cinnamon and Guajillo powder. I've heard of folks putting it into cookies and seed cakes too.

 

[Trippa]

Cooking up a storm Rick ... Loving it !!