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

stickman · Jul 23, 2014

OCD Chilehead said:
Looking good Rick. Nice poddage you've got there. I haven't had one pod set on my supers. Have been just watering with plain water, just in case there was nitrogen build up. Putting out tons of flowers, but they all drop.

Thanks for sharing. Have a good day.

Thanks Chuck! Sorry to hear your flowers are dropping on the supers... It could be your overnight low temperatures... I'd guess in the upper 40s to low 50s, am I right? I think Infra-red transparent plastic mulch would be beneficial. It uses sunlight to passively warm the soil, which would radiate that warmth at night when the plants need it most. Peppers are day neutral, which means they photosynthesize their food during the day, but do their growing at night after the sun goes down. Warming them up at night would speed growth. Also, flowers are delicate and low temperatures kill them, so it might help you there too.

Devv said:
Now that's what I call pod density on that MoA!

You bet Scott! I can't wait to sample one of those bad boys! :drooling:

Trippa · Jul 23, 2014

Looking great Rick... pods coming out the wazoo!! That is a nice size pod on the OW Douglah 'Alphanerdz' ... one of the bigger ones I have seen. Love that matt finish they have compared with the glossiness of other pods.
MOA's are cranking ... plenty of Jerk seasoning in that lot!

OCD Chilehead · Jul 23, 2014

stickman said:
Thanks Chuck! Sorry to hear your flowers are dropping on the supers... It could be your overnight low temperatures... I'd guess in the upper 40s to low 50s, am I right? I think Infra-red transparent plastic mulch would be beneficial. It uses sunlight to passively warm the soil, which would radiate that warmth at night when the plants need it most. Peppers are day neutral, which means they photosynthesize their food during the day, but do their growing at night after the sun goes down. Warming them up at night would speed growth. Also, flowers are delicate and low temperatures kill them, so it might help you there too.

You bet Scott! I can't wait to sample one of those bad boys!

Thanks for the tips Rick. Lows have been in the low to mid 60's, highs in the upper 90's.

maximumcapsicum · Jul 23, 2014

MoA's are looking good. Did you remove the rougher looking leaves from around the lower pods? I can dig it.

7pot bubblegum lit me up at lunch. Still burning, lol. I think it may have beat the moruga. Not sure if it had a taste just yet.

meatfreak · Jul 23, 2014

stickman said:
Very cool pic of the Takanotsume x Jaloro pods Stefan! Did they have any of the other Jalapeno traits like flavor?

Yeah, it tasted like an Jalapeno but had the heat of the Taka (pod was picked a bit to early). The growth itself is looks a lot like the Taka, also the clusters of pods. The shape and size of the pods is different, more Jalapeno and longer. Your P. Lisa pod is already different from mine and the plant from last year. I've seen some other people with pods like this, more brown/green from the start. Those ripened of to full peach.

stickman · Jul 23, 2014

Trippa said:
Looking great Rick... pods coming out the wazoo!! That is a nice size pod on the OW Douglah 'Alphanerdz' ... one of the bigger ones I have seen. Love that matt finish they have compared with the glossiness of other pods.
MOA's are cranking ... plenty of Jerk seasoning in that lot!

Thanks for the good vibe Tristan.

I've still got plenty of bottled sauce from last year, so I'm thinking I'll make puree with the MoAs to put the by for the winter, and I'll smoke, dry and powder the other Habs and super-hot varieties. Naturally, the Douglahs will have a big presence there!

OCD Chilehead said:
Thanks for the tips Rick. Lows have been in the low to mid 60's, highs in the upper 90's.

Huh... your temps look OK for both the night and day times. Reading more deeply into extension service sources makes me wonder if it might be the combination of the (very) low humidity and intense light at your elevation. I remember my time along the front range country as being extremely dry... it could be 98 degrees outside, and the only way you'd know you were sweating like a pig was the salt stains on your clothes. The sources I was reading say that 80% humidity and 10% shade are optimum for setting fruit... it makes sense that the flowers would be more affected than the plant as a whole because they're so delicate.

maximumcapsicum said:
MoA's are looking good. Did you remove the rougher looking leaves from around the lower pods? I can dig it.

7pot bubblegum lit me up at lunch. Still burning, lol. I think it may have beat the moruga. Not sure if it had a taste just yet.

Yup, I pinched the rough-looking leaves, but also thinned out the leaves in the understory to improve air circulation and help prevent mold. It also makes it easier to harvest the ripe pods.

meatfreak said:
Yeah, it tasted like an Jalapeno but had the heat of the Taka (pod was picked a bit to early). The growth itself is looks a lot like the Taka, also the clusters of pods. The shape and size of the pods is different, more Jalapeno and longer. Your P. Lisa pod is already different from mine and the plant from last year. I've seen some other people with pods like this, more brown/green from the start. Those ripened of to full peach.

Wow, Takanotsume x Jaloro cross sounds tasty and prolific! Pimenta Lisa pods that ripen peach would be very cool, and a first for me. Cheers Stefan!

I made some boiled potatoes tonight, chopped them up and stirred them into some fried chorizo, onions, garlic, cumin and recaito and used it as a filling for tortillas with a squirt of pepper sauce. Used the last of the sauce, so I made some more with a 3 ounce package of Guajillo pods, a handful of Chimayo' pods, salt, sugar, ground cumin and red wine vinegar. Once it cools off, I'll put half in a squeeze bottle and freeze the rest for later.

Have a great night all!

OCD Chilehead · Jul 23, 2014

Thanks for another great tip. I was watering the ground and surrounding fences at night to try and get some humidity. It is very dry here. The good thing is tortilla chips don't go stale.LOL. I'm really liking the sauce. I was wondering if you ever use Achiote/Annatto? I love the stuff. I marinade meats and can be made into a nice condiment. Cumin is another favorite of mine as well.

Thanks again Rick

stickman · Jul 24, 2014

OCD Chilehead said:
Thanks for another great tip. I was watering the ground and surrounding fences at night to try and get some humidity. It is very dry here. The good thing is tortilla chips don't go stale.LOL. I'm really liking the sauce. I was wondering if you ever use Achiote/Annatto? I love the stuff. I marinade meats and can be made into a nice condiment. Cumin is another favorite of mine as well.

Thanks again Rick

Thanks for the reminder Chuck... I put a tsp of cumin and a tbsp of ketchup (in lieu of tomato paste) in the sauce as well... oops. :oops:

I do use achiote, but haven't in chile sauce. Mostly, I use it for making yellow rice or Cochinita Pibil http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/cochinita-pibil/
Traditionally, the folks in the Yucatan use Banana leaves to wrap the meat when making this slow-roasted pork, but aluminum foil works as well. The pickled onions and roasted Habanero sauce that go with it are a must!

OCD Chilehead · Jul 24, 2014

Good morning Rick. That recipe sounds excellent. I really love the foods from that region. Anytime I find a new cooking product or recipe I like, it's usually from around the Yucatan. I'm just getting into different South American cooking. Lots of great things out there. I thought I read about a burnt Habanero paste or something along those lines. Mayan maybe?

Have a great day.

ronniedeb · Jul 24, 2014

Sauce looks nice Rick. Do you have a good recipe for the yellow rice? Bought a big ol' lump of achiote and have only cooked puerco pibil a few times with it. A new recipe using the paste would be good. Thanks!

maximumcapsicum · Jul 24, 2014

Wow great update. Sauce looks like a winner. Still learning down here... Set a batch of funky reapers on fire trying to smoke 'em yesterday. Temps shoot up real quick on those commercial grills they it installed here.

stickman · Jul 24, 2014

OCD Chilehead said:
Good morning Rick. That recipe sounds excellent. I really love the foods from that region. Anytime I find a new cooking product or recipe I like, it's usually from around the Yucatan. I'm just getting into different South American cooking. Lots of great things out there. I thought I read about a burnt Habanero paste or something along those lines. Mayan maybe?

Have a great day.

I think they're just Habaneros that are roasted until the skins blacken and blister a little bit that are ground in a Molcajete together with other roasted vegetables like garlic, onion and tomatoes or tomatillos and seasoned with salt, pepper and sometimes sugar. It makes for a fairly thick and chunky salsa, but oh so tasty!

ronniedeb said:
Sauce looks nice Rick. Do you have a good recipe for the yellow rice? Bought a big ol' lump of achiote and have only cooked puerco pibil a few times with it. A new recipe using the paste would be good. Thanks!

This recipe calls for simmering whole Achiote seeds in vegetable oil, straining out the seeds and using the oil to cook the rice with. That's how I've done it since I generally buy whole spices since they keep their flavor longer. If your lump is a solid one, you could crush a bit of it and substitute 1/8 tsp of Achiote powder per cup of rice. http://www.food.com/recipe/caribbean-yellow-rice-503019

maximumcapsicum said:
Wow great update. Sauce looks like a winner. Still learning down here... Set a batch of funky reapers on fire trying to smoke 'em yesterday. Temps shoot up real quick on those commercial grills they it installed here.

Ouch... that had to hurt... I hope you have more in the wings.

When I smoke my peppers, I like to do it at the lowest temperatures I can. I find that if I start with about a dozen charcoal briquets and add 3 or 4 more every half hour or so, I can easily keep the temperature inside the barrel grill/smoker between 175 and 200 degrees f. Two hours seems to be enough to give them an enhanced smoky flavor without overpowering the pepper flavor completely. Better luck next time!

maximumcapsicum · Jul 24, 2014

Luckily Scott's funky reapers aren't slowing down, so I'm sure I'll get to try again. What was frightening was opening the grill and getting a burst of wet, pepper-laden smoke and flame in the face. Nothing injury-inducing, mind you, but shocking. Turns out the middle burner is stuck on high on that particular grill, so while I got it down to 200° for the first half hour or so, it crept up real fast while I was in the yard playing with the toddler.

I'll get this pepper smoking thing down. I can tell it would really boost the flavor profile on the reds.

stickman · Jul 24, 2014

maximumcapsicum said:
Luckily Scott's funky reapers aren't slowing down, so I'm sure I'll get to try again. What was frightening was opening the grill and getting a burst of wet, pepper-laden smoke and flame in the face. Nothing injury-inducing, mind you, but shocking. Turns out the middle burner is stuck on high on that particular grill, so while I got it down to 200° for the first half hour or so, it crept up real fast while I was in the yard playing with the toddler.

I'll get this pepper smoking thing down. I can tell it would really boost the flavor profile on the reds.

Brother Jamie (romy6) and a few others put me onto a good thing when they suggested I smoke my Douglahs and Chocolate Habs with Cherry wood. The brown habs and scorpions do have earthy and woody notes in their flavor that seem to be complimented positively by the cherry smoke. As I said earlier, I smoke and dry the pods together that go into my powder blends, and it's just as well, since the smoke would permeate everything in the dehydrator anyway.

Nice to know you've got many more pods coming along from your FRs... looks like brother Scott hit a home run with that variety. Cheers!

stickman · Jul 25, 2014

Home for lunch and checking out the veggie garden, I see the Goat's Weed is starting to get some ripe pods!

Chintexle cross is really pumping 'em out

I'm not sure what it's crossed with, but I suspect it might be either a Bhut or an Anaheim... hard to say...

The true Chintexle is loading up too

My Wife's Melon plant is also jammin'... she had to string up some more jute cord for the vines to climb... they looked like they were getting into a tangle in the corners and we had to separate them like unruly kids in a schoolyard...

OW Manzano is plugging along... it has 10 pods on it, and another 4 on the young-of-the-year plant.

Chinense pods are growing quickly...

Yellow 7

Butch T.

BOC

MoA... the least I can say is there aren't any "A"grade pods on them, but they sure are big suckers!

TGIF and have a great day all!

meatfreak · Jul 25, 2014

Your BOC's look a lot like mine, stingers all over the place. I guess it's still not quite stable yet but it does give interesting podshapes

That Melon is going crazy, will the vines be strong enough to carry the weight as the melons get bigger? Have a good weekend!

maximumcapsicum · Jul 25, 2014

Very cool Rick. Your MoA variant looks like a lot of fun as well. I think next year I need to start experimenting with the manzanos... they sure do look like tasty pods, and a hab-level fleshy pod seems like it would have a ton of uses.

We just had a ton of rain down here that kind of made a few things go haywire. Not such a big deal but interestingly it supercharged the jalapenos. When I cut them up they leaked red juice everywhere. Made an interesting looking preserve... haven't tried it yet.

stickman · Jul 26, 2014

meatfreak said:
Your BOC's look a lot like mine, stingers all over the place. I guess it's still not quite stable yet but it does give interesting podshapes That Melon is going crazy, will the vines be strong enough to carry the weight as the melons get bigger? Have a good weekend!

True enough on the BOC Stefan... it's all good though!

After a couple weeks of nothing but male flowers, the Melon is finally producing quite a few female flowers, and the plant has set about a half a dozen fruit. The largest so far is only about 4cm, but growing quickly. We're re-enforcing the vines with stout Jute cord and think that'll be enough since it has a breaking strength of over 10 kilos.

maximumcapsicum said:
Very cool Rick. Your MoA variant looks like a lot of fun as well. I think next year I need to start experimenting with the manzanos... they sure do look like tasty pods, and a hab-level fleshy pod seems like it would have a ton of uses.

We just had a ton of rain down here that kind of made a few things go haywire. Not such a big deal but interestingly it supercharged the jalapenos. When I cut them up they leaked red juice everywhere. Made an interesting looking preserve... haven't tried it yet.

Sorry to hear your raised beds are getting waterlogged lately Adam... do you have any drainage holes bored in the sides down low?

I think you'd like the Manzanos, but folks in the South seem to have a hard time getting them to produce more than a few pods. Even here I probably lose 5 flowers to every pod set, and they're a slower-growing variety that takes at least 2 seasons to really get going. To me the flavor and novelty are worth the trouble of growing them and cold tolerance seals the deal.

OCD Chilehead · Jul 26, 2014

Pod formations are looking great Rick. The melon is looking really good as well.

Have a great weekend.

stickman · Jul 26, 2014

OCD Chilehead said:
Pod formations are looking great Rick. The melon is looking really good as well.

Have a great weekend.

Thanks Chuck! You do the same.

I don't think the Peruvian White Habs will get much bigger than this... hopefully they ripen soon.

I picked about a dozen ripe pods from the Peri Peri this week, so I think it should start to ripen in bigger numbers after this.

Have a great weekend all!