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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...
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Fruts and Bhuts ;) ...
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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!
 
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stickman said:
 
I hope so Tony... the parent plant last year gave me over a kilo of ripe pods, but it was a warmer spring and summer than we're seeing this year.
 
Actually, the U.S. Marines were formed 7 months before the Declaration of Independence... the continental congress approved the resolution to form 2 battalions of Marines on November 10th 1775, and the first Commandant was Maj. Samuel Nicholas. I served in the Army as a supply clerk in a combat engineer company, but I was taught to shoot by a Marine... my Dad, L Cpl Gerald F. Kelley, 1st Marine Reg't, Korea. :)
 
Hope everybody had a great holiday yesterday, I was out of town with my family.
 
Dawn Patrol this morning showed we got about 4 inches of rain between Thursday night and yesterday afternoon but no high winds. Thanks Arthur...Thursday afternoon I put some kelp meal down as a side dressing around my chiles and I've seen some good growth in the last couple of days. Thanks for the tip TJ, Lourens, et. al. :) This Takanotsume is an example... The plant gained about 25% in size in just 2 days.
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Today's show and tell has an oddity... I see one of the DST plants has a double pod growing from a single stem. I've seen Suggestive-looking growths poking out from under the calyx before, but this is a new one on me.
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#2 Peri Peri is podding up now and seems to be a different phenotype than the #1 plant... taller, more upright habit, not as bushy, and the pods are longer and skinnier.
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Lucien, the Pritamins are gaining size quickly. I haven't grown them before, so I don't know how much longer they have to go before ripening, but the biggest pod is about 7cm in diameter and more pods are coming all the time on both plants.
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Lastly, the biggest Poblano has a pod that's almost ready to pull, and all 3 plants are loading up.
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It's a good thing I have this plant in a large tomato cage, but I'm gonna have to stake down the cage before long if it keeps setting pods like it is now. Have a great weekend everybody!
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 takanotsume got the steroids it craves! definitely gonna grow next year! tasty and prolific. very fun to grow. interested to know your opinion when you get ripe pods.

FYI the momotaro tomato are very good. well  balanced with acidity and sugars. i usually prefer sharper tomatoes but i like a low ph in most things. thick skin and juicy flesh. no grainyness, but that skin is a little on the tough side. 
i ate it as a topping for cold chinese noodles (soy, vinegar and sugar base) with home grown cucumber.
tasty as the momotaro was, i personally would use the space to grow something more tart and robust. thats just my opinion.i have some yellow mini plum tomatoes growing, cant wait for them to ripen. mmmm
 
georgej said:
 takanotsume got the steroids it craves! definitely gonna grow next year! tasty and prolific. very fun to grow. interested to know your opinion when you get ripe pods.

FYI the momotaro tomato are very good. well  balanced with acidity and sugars. i usually prefer sharper tomatoes but i like a low ph in most things. thick skin and juicy flesh. no grainyness, but that skin is a little on the tough side. 
i ate it as a topping for cold chinese noodles (soy, vinegar and sugar base) with home grown cucumber.
tasty as the momotaro was, i personally would use the space to grow something more tart and robust. thats just my opinion.i have some yellow mini plum tomatoes growing, cant wait for them to ripen. mmmm
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Cor... you're right about prolific G! :) I'm looking forward to trying the Takanotsume myself before too long... the biggest pods are about 7-8cm long now, so I don't think it'll be much longer...
 
Thanks for your impression of the Momotaro, I think I'll stick with some of the less beautiful, but quite tasty heirloom varieties. If you like tangy tomatoes, you might like to try some Green Zebras. http://www.rareseeds.com/green-zebra-tomato/
Cheers!
 
Hi folks, I made some Javanese Red Devil Chicken on the grill tonight and thought I'd post some pics of the process. Sorry in advance for the blurry pics, but I haven't quite got the hang of the backup camera inside.
 
I started by butterflying a 3-1/2 pound chicken. I used kitchen shears to cut on either side of the backbone, removing it completely and then opening out the cavity so the chicken would lay flat on the grill. Rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled until the chicken was 170 degrees f inside the thickest part of the breast. In the last 20 minutes before the chicken was done cooking, I put together the sauce I coated it with.
 
Here are the ingredients... Garlic, onion, shrimp paste, coconut milk, tamarind pulp and 3 of Devv's ripe Serrano chiles.
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First, I sliced the veggies very thin and put them into a blender.
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then I took about a 2 tbsp chunk of the tamarind paste and covered it with about 4 tbsp of boiling water from a teakettle to let it soften. When it had softened enough, I strained it through a seive by pressing with the back of a spoon to separate out the fibers and the seeds.
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I discarded the seeds and fibers and added the tamarind to the blender with the coconut milk, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp shrimp paste and blended to a fairly smooth puree. The shrimp paste is pretty strong smelling stuff, so you have to go easy on it, but it adds a great depth of flavor.
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The puree went into a wide, shallow pot on the stove and cooked for 5 minutes, stirring constantly over medium heat to blend and develop the flavors.
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When the chicken was cooked, it went into the pot with the sauce over medium heat and I basted frequently with the sauce until most of the liquid had evaporated away and the thickened sauce coated the chicken.
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Lastly, the coated chicken went back on the grill until the coating was crispy.
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Then serve... bon appetite!
 
stc3248 said:
Very cool double pod Rick! I have had that happen a couple times...they sure are fun to look at. That chicken looks to be the BOMB too!!! 
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It surely is Shane! :)  I took it over to a bachelor neighbor's place and we ate outside and downed a couple of beers. :cheers:  He's not so big on the hot stuff, so I pulled the punch and used the 3 Serranos instead of something stronger. ;)
 
OCD Chilehead said:
Wow. That was cool. Recipe with pics. Looks excellent.

Thanks for sharing

Chuck
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:)
 
Things are moving right along in the pepper patch... Checking in on them this morning I see my first ripening PeriPeri. Woot!
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Pinched the Basil tops and got enough for some pesto or a pizza Marguerita. Also pulled my first ripe chiles... 3 Chimayo's. Also 4 Improved Espanola Anaheims and a couple Hungarian Pointed Hots... not a bad little pull. :)
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Breakfast omelet with onion, one of the Hungarians, cheese and fresh herbs... They've got some nice heat... about like a Poblano.  Have a great Sunday everybody!
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PeriPeri said:
Hey Rick, looking great! That No 2 PeriPeri pod that you posted before the last post looks off white - or maybe its just the strong sunlight. They should be grass green turning orange then red. Looks like you might have a Tabasco there if that pod is off white lol
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chilli whisperer said:
Looking great. Peri peri's are the bomb (for me) love them.
Chicken looks absolutely divine :)
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Thanks guys. :)  That's cool Lourens... I didn't think I was successful in getting any Tabasco plants started with the seed I had. Any chance it could be a Periperi crossed with a Tabasco? I thought they were from your seeds, but maybe I got some mixed up during the planting... it wouldn't be the first time... Either way I'm happy!
 
Nice weekend vittles Rick. I love butterflying chicken recipes... last year I had a very simple jerk recipe I burned through all my scotch bonnets on. This year I'm going to start out with the one you sent my way, but need to get a little more time (cooking a whole chicken on the grill generally takes about an hour or so on the roof... compare to wings 20). 
 
You ever try a "tandoori" chicken?
 
stickman said:
 
 
Thanks guys. :)  That's cool Lourens... I didn't think I was successful in getting any Tabasco plants started with the seed I had. Any chance it could be a Periperi crossed with a Tabasco? I thought they were from your seeds, but maybe I got some mixed up during the planting... it won't be the first time... Either way I'm happy!
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Hey Buddy, my bad I think. Not sure if I sent you the Tabsco seeds too, but yea, definitely looks like a Tabasco. And there you thought you couldn't grow any... as if the Stickman I know has any problems growing anything in the Nightshade genus lol Time to break out them French Oak Barrels and start preparing for the old Hot Sauce!
 
maximumcapsicum said:
Nice weekend vittles Rick. I love butterflying chicken recipes... last year I had a very simple jerk recipe I burned through all my scotch bonnets on. This year I'm going to start out with the one you sent my way, but need to get a little more time (cooking a whole chicken on the grill generally takes about an hour or so on the roof... compare to wings 20). 
 
You ever try a "tandoori" chicken?
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Bummer you have to share the grill(s) Adam... how many people in your condo sharing how many grills?
 
Yeah, I've had chicken kebabs cooked in a Tandoor (Indian clay oven), but there are as many recipes as there are cooks over there... you just have to sample what's going around until you find what you like.
 
Before going fishing this afternoon, I've cut up and marinated some pork for Vindaloo. Love that stuff! It's a recipe that you can't cut corners with because it takes time to fully develop the flavors... like a day and a half... but it'll kink your curlies and leave you begging for more. ;)

PeriPeri said:
Hey Buddy, my bad I think. Not sure if I sent you the Tabsco seeds too, but yea, definitely looks like a Tabasco. And there you thought you couldn't grow any... as if the Stickman I know has any problems growing anything in the Nightshade genus lol Time to break out them French Oak Barrels and start preparing for the old Hot Sauce!
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Thanks for the vote of confidence Lourens, I'll try not to let down the team... ;)  I'm definitely planning on making hot sauce, so having some Tabasco and Periperi would be just too cool. :D
 
Did you catch the pic of the Peri Peri pod ripening on #1387? It's already starting... :cheers:
 
Just a few pics from the raised bed out back before I head out...
 
First pod on the King Naga #1 is about an inch long
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Got some MoAs that are about as big as walnuts now
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Manzanos have definitely set a few pods... glad to see them underway :dance:
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... and a "non" pic to close. We had a family of Chickadees in the nesting box out back that moved on when their chicks fledged. Last week a family of Bluebirds moved in, and there's 3 eggs in there now. I was careful to wait until I saw both parents leave the nest before I opened up the side of the nesting box to take the pic, and I closed it up and got out of there as quickly as possible to avoid stressing them enough to abandon the nest.
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Everything is looking solid. 
 
The complex is big, but partially vacant. Maybe around a thousand tenants, but most don't grill, and some folks have installed electric rotisseries and smokers on their balconies. This is against the rules but they don't seem to be penalized for it... giving me ideas.
 
We have four big grills, one on the roof of two of the buildings, a huge grill by the pool and another in a BBQ area that I never use. Mostly I stick to the grill on the top of my building... I know the hot spots and it stays clean. Most people don't like to use it because despite the view, it gets toasty up there.
 
I don't generally try to use it on the weekends... would be asking for trouble. So Thursday is kind of becoming grill day. Making up my mind for a thursday recipe this week.
 
Vindaloo is fun. I rarely have the time to give real Indian recipes their due. I'd really like to get some egg curry and simple ol' chana masala into rotation, but if you make the curries you need the rotis, and that is a lot of work. Most middle class Indian families have cooks who work on this stuff full time.
 
maximumcapsicum said:
Everything is looking solid. 
 
The complex is big, but partially vacant. Maybe around a thousand tenants, but most don't grill, and some folks have installed electric rotisseries and smokers on their balconies. This is against the rules but they don't seem to be penalized for it... giving me ideas.
 
We have four big grills, one on the roof of two of the buildings, a huge grill by the pool and another in a BBQ area that I never use. Mostly I stick to the grill on the top of my building... I know the hot spots and it stays clean. Most people don't like to use it because despite the view, it gets toasty up there.
 
I don't generally try to use it on the weekends... would be asking for trouble. So Thursday is kind of becoming grill day. Making up my mind for a thursday recipe this week.
 
Vindaloo is fun. I rarely have the time to give real Indian recipes their due. I'd really like to get some egg curry and simple ol' chana masala into rotation, but if you make the curries you need the rotis, and that is a lot of work. Most middle class Indian families have cooks who work on this stuff full time.
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Who says you need flatbread to eat Indian? Here in America we have forks and spoons. You could just make rice, or if you want to take a vacation from washing the flatware,  buy whole wheat pita bread. The differences are miniscule.
 
Started a batch of Vindaloo this morning... cut 2-1/2 pounds of pork into bite-sized pieces and marinated them for 2 hours with 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar and a teaspoon of salt. Then ground a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger root and 10 cloves of garlic with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and another tablespoon of water so it would puree smoothly, then ground and stirred in the spice mixture of 12 dried Thai chiles, 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 12 whole cloves, 1/2 tsp turmeric, a 3-inch cinnamon stick (broken up), the seeds from 5 cardamom pods and 1 tablespoon of paprika. Added half the spice mixture to the meat and put everything away in the 'fridge to marinate overnight.
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Finishing up will take about an hour and a half in a Dutch Oven.
 
stickman said:
 
Who says you need flatbread to eat Indian? Here in America we have forks and spoons. You could just make rice, or if you want to take a vacation from washing the flatware,  buy whole wheat pita bread. The differences are miniscule.
 
Started a batch of Vindaloo this morning... cut 2-1/2 pounds of pork into bite-sized pieces and marinated them for 2 hours with 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar and a teaspoon of salt. Then ground a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger root and 10 cloves of garlic with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and another tablespoon of water so it would puree smoothly, then ground and stirred in the spice mixture of 12 dried Thai chiles, 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 12 whole cloves, 1/2 tsp turmeric, a 3-inch cinnamon stick (broken up), the seeds from 5 cardamom pods and 1 tablespoon of paprika. Added half the spice mixture to the meat and put everything away in the 'fridge to marinate overnight.
 
 
Finishing up will take about an hour and a half in a Dutch Oven.
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Nice one Stickman, will you be serving this with Lemon/Lime Pickle or Mango Atchar? Best you eat this on a nail bed hey? lol Looks amazing!
 
PeriPeri said:
Nice one Stickman, will you be serving this with Lemon/Lime Pickle or Mango Atchar? Best you eat this on a nail bed hey? lol Looks amazing!
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I have a jar of lime pickle in the 'fridge Lourens. :)  This time around, I'm making it with the dried Thai chiles, but I'll make it again when the Nagas ripen up. I'll just use one or two naga pods and increase the paprika to 3 tbsp.
 
To go with the Vindaloo, I'll be making Cauliflower curry, Cucumber Raita and Coconut Rice with Mustard Oil. My wife doesn't like cauliflower, and the Vindaloo is too hot for her, so now's my chance... ;)  I absolutely love the coconut rice! I put a couple tablespoons of mustard oil in the pot and heat to smoking, then turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. This drives off the volatile compounds that give the mustard its sharpness and mellows the taste of the oil to smooth and nutty. I coat the raw rice with the oil and heat it until it gets translucent, then add water, salt and coconut milk and cook as usual.
 
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