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!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Nice review of the MoA. It's a great bonnet, that's for sure. Very cool that you picked up on some vanilla... That's a nice flavor to find in a tropical pod.

Big chinense yields are going to be rolling in now. Hope you got lots of harvest time!

 

[stickman]

Way to grow Rick ....

Nice review of the MoA. It's a great bonnet, that's for sure. Very cool that you picked up on some vanilla... That's a nice flavor to find in a tropical pod.

Big chinense yields are going to be rolling in now. Hope you got lots of harvest time!

 
Thanks guys! As production in the garden picks up and autumn gets closer, things are getting busy around here! A few more Annuums have started to ripen... the Saeng Cho Gochu, Thai Red Demon, Takanotsume and Smokemaster's Pequin-type. I call it a Pequin-type since the pods are quite a bit longer than the wild Texas Pequins I got from Shane, and the plants are more spindly-looking.
 
Clockwise from the top... Saeng Cho, Thai Red Demon, DST, Chimayo', Smokemaster Pequin-type, Serrano and Takanotsume.

 
Have a good "hump" day all!

 

[tctenten]

Nice pods Rick. It is like the calm before the storm. Couple of more weeks and that table will be full of ripe pods.

 

[stickman]

Nice pods Rick. It is like the calm before the storm. Couple of more weeks and that table will be full of ripe pods.

 
Thanks Terry... from your mouth to God's ear, eh?
 
I chopped the 3 Takanotsume pods into my breakfast egg n cheese sandwich after sampling a slice of one... very nice Cayenne-type heat and flavor, and I agree with GeorgeJ, notes of Apple in the flavor as well. These would be great in any recipe where you use Asian chiles. Flesh was crisp and thin, so it would be great for powdering. There are lots of seeds inside too, but should scrape out easily enough if you cut the pods in half first lengthwise. The plant grows well here in the north, and is prolific as #&%@... I give it 5 stars for its type.

 

[JJJessee]

Good evaluation on the MoA, Rick.
It is a dang fine pepper. 
Packed with flavor and just the right heat level.
I'll bet with a little pod selection and  a filling that would work in a pastry sack it would even make a fine popper.
 
Keep up the good work.

 

[ronniedeb]

Nice pods Rick! Your Dedo de Moca is definitely different to the one I've grown. What's the flavour like? 

 

[stickman]

Thanks for dropping in and laying down a good vibe guys!
 

Good evaluation on the MoA, Rick.
It is a dang fine pepper. 
Packed with flavor and just the right heat level.
I'll bet with a little pod selection and  a filling that would work in a pastry sack it would even make a fine popper.
 
Keep up the good work.

 
I could see them as poppers too TJ! Mine are all going into sauce though...
 

Nice pods Rick! Your Dedo de Moca is definitely different to the one I've grown. What's the flavour like? 

 
I'd say typical Aji aroma and flavor Ronan... kind of floral in a different way from the Bhuts. Mildly sweet with a cinnamon-like burn on the tip of the tongue and lips mostly. A good low to medium heat pepper. Not as productive as other Ajis I've grown though... things may speed up towards the end of the season, but for now I'm only getting a few pods a week.
 
Cheers all... I'm off to work.

 

[tctenten]

Nice review on the Takanotsume pods.  I think I will give them a try next year as I enjoy different type cayennes for sauces and powders.

 

[stickman]

Nice review on the Takanotsume pods.  I think I will give them a try next year as I enjoy different type cayennes for sauces and powders.

 
If you like Cayenne-types, I'm sure you'll like this one Terry... if the heat and flavor are similar to the Thais, I think I'd grow the Takanotsume instead. I'll taste the Thais later today and post my impressions then. Cheers!
 
Home for lunch, and I did some more judicial pruning of the lower leaves on the Chinense plants in the raised bed out back to open them up to light and air. The leaf canopy was getting extremely thick!
 
Pimenta Lisa is close to its first ripe pods Stefan... I think they're gonna be orange like Annie's, but a week will tell the story...

 
Nabascos seem to be in a holding pattern ATM... I wouldn't be surprised if that meant that these babies are gonna be hot...

 
Douglahs still have a few weeks to go if last year is any indication, but there's a fair number of good-sized pods on the two plants.
First year Douglah

 
OW Douglah

 
Bhut Orange Copenhagen pods are atypical for a Bhut... they seem more like a Chinense in that they're deeply lobed and very wide. Most of the pods have stingers too.

 
Yellow 7-pot showing the flag...

 
Butch T.

 
Guwahati Bhut. That's 10... a couple more later.

 

[PeriPeri]

Sheesh Kibab man, that is just looking insanely awesome your side! Loving them monster pods and those plants. The Nabasco looks like it could be a killer. I know the Tabasco do take time to change colour. They do like a good hot spell to bring on that colour change. Chomping at the bit here to see how they will turn out

 

[stickman]

Sheesh Kibab man, that is just looking insanely awesome your side! Loving them monster pods and those plants. The Nabasco looks like it could be a killer. I know the Tabasco do take time to change colour. They do like a good hot spell to bring on that colour change. Chomping at the bit here to see how they will turn out

 
Me too Lourens... me too.   I sampled one of the green pods last week to get some indication how they might taste when they ripen, and there are the floral qualities and heat of a Bhut in there right enough! My hope is that when they finally ripen they'll have the sweet fruity flavor of the Tabasco too, but we'll see...
 
Here are the pics I didn't have room for in my earlier post...
 
King Naga

 
Peruvian White Habanero

 
Looks like we'll have plenty of heat here if they all ripen. Cheers all!

 

[ronniedeb]

Wow great looking pods. What are the Peruvian White Habs like? Do they have a local Peruvian name, do you know? 

 

[meatfreak]

I chopped the 3 Takanotsume pods into my breakfast egg n cheese sandwich after sampling a slice of one... very nice Cayenne-type heat and flavor, and I agree with GeorgeJ, notes of Apple in the flavor as well. These would be great in any recipe where you use Asian chiles. Flesh was crisp and thin, so it would be great for powdering. There are lots of seeds inside too, but should scrape out easily enough if you cut the pods in half first lengthwise. The plant grows well here in the north, and is prolific as #&%@... I give it 5 stars for its type.

 
Nice pull, Rick! The suspected Takanotsume cross are starting to change color to, although from what I remember when I sampled an unripe one the flesh wasn't thin. Didn't had much flavor back then but guess I picked it to early. Looking forward to tasting an ripe one. What did you think of the Thai Red Demon? I really like it a lot, crisp and thin, will make an excellent powder and great for Sambal Oelek like I anticipated
 
About the Pimenta Lisa, seeing those pods. I'm pretty convinced they will turn just like my purple/dark phenotype. So they will need longer. The purple will stay but the green will go to different color phases. First orange, yellow and eventually white.
 

 
Your BOC is identical to mine, although yours has a whole lot more pods! I like the stingers on the pods and as long as it tastes good
Like the Nabascos, will be interesting to know what taste it will have.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Hey Rick! Nice Annuums and supers. You've inspired me to grow numerous varieties of Annuums next year. Going back to my roots. I really like the varieties your growing. I liked the Taka's I grew last year. Wish I grew them this year. Can't wait for future reviews on them Annuums.

Thanks a bunch for sharing.

Have a great week.

Chuck

 

[Devv]

Wow! Just an explosion of pods Rick!
 
I'm stoked for you!
 
And glad to see the pulls which will most definitely increase.
 
Keep it green!

 

[PeriPeri]

Thanks for posting the pic of the Naga Kings... they have transformed since I last saw them. Looking bigger and more like it I'm real glad these are turning out ok. Nice elongated pointy pods... I like it! I just love that pale ghostly green of the pods... that to me is perfect. You have to see the plant at dusk and those pods just jump out like they are luminous

 

[stickman]

Wow great looking pods. What are the Peruvian White Habs like? Do they have a local Peruvian name, do you know? 

 
Sorry Ronan, I couldn't say for sure, but I expect they just call them white Habaneros. The flavor is kind of hard to describe because there mostly isn't one, or it's so delicate that the burn overpowers it. Plenty of heat though... at least 300,000 Scovilles. I'd say it would be best in sauces or powder blends as a source of clean-tasting heat.
 

 
Nice pull, Rick! The suspected Takanotsume cross are starting to change color to, although from what I remember when I sampled an unripe one the flesh wasn't thin. Didn't had much flavor back then but guess I picked it to early. Looking forward to tasting an ripe one. What did you think of the Thai Red Demon? I really like it a lot, crisp and thin, will make an excellent powder and great for Sambal Oelek like I anticipated
 
About the Pimenta Lisa, seeing those pods. I'm pretty convinced they will turn just like my purple/dark phenotype. So they will need longer. The purple will stay but the green will go to different color phases. First orange, yellow and eventually white.
 

 
Your BOC is identical to mine, although yours has a whole lot more pods! I like the stingers on the pods and as long as it tastes good
Like the Nabascos, will be interesting to know what taste it will have.

 
Interesting that the Takanotsume x Jalapeno cross has the prolific production of the Takanotsume and the pod characteristics of the Jalapeno. I'd call that a win even though you'd need a pastry bag with a thin tip to make poppers with them...
 
I had a taste of the Thai Red Demon tonight, and find that it packs a lot more punch than the Takanotsume and lasts longer too! I ate a slice of one pepper and my lips and the tip of my tongue were burning for a good half an hour. The flavor was actually a little bit bitter, so I made Sambal Oelek with the rest of the peppers. I sliced them up and ground them in a suribachi with a pinch of salt, then gave them a squeeze of lime juice. It was still a bit bitter, so I stirred in a quarter teaspoon of sugar to iron out the rough spots. I bet it'll be good on a shredded pork taco with some rice and beans for lunch tomorrow.
 
On the PL... It'll be interesting to see which way it turns out... white with a purple blush or orange. Whichever way it goes I'll keep you apprised my friend.
 

Hey Rick! Nice Annuums and supers. You've inspired me to grow numerous varieties of Annuums next year. Going back to my roots. I really like the varieties your growing. I liked the Taka's I grew last year. Wish I grew them this year. Can't wait for future reviews on them Annuums.

Thanks a bunch for sharing.

Have a great week.

Chuck

 
Cheers Chuck! At your elevation, I think you might have better luck with Annuums unless you take heroic measures to keep the plants happy as per growing conditions. Cheers!
 

Wow! Just an explosion of pods Rick!
 
I'm stoked for you!
 
And glad to see the pulls which will most definitely increase.
 
Keep it green!

 
Cheers Scott! We're getting there!
 

Thanks for posting the pic of the Naga Kings... they have transformed since I last saw them. Looking bigger and more like it I'm real glad these are turning out ok. Nice elongated pointy pods... I like it! I just love that pale ghostly green of the pods... that to me is perfect. You have to see the plant at dusk and those pods just jump out like they are luminous

 
And bumpy, twisted and gnarly too!   I can see what you mean about the luminous nature of the unripe pods. Maybe that's where the ghost came from in Ghost peppers. Thanks so much for sharing your seeds my friend, it's been a great experience!

 

[Jeff H]

Rick, again I had a couple pages to catch up on. Salsa looks great and so do all the peppers. Things are really moving in the east coast these days.

 

 
Thanks Chuck!   It's the first time I've grown Tabasco chiles, and I haven't tasted them yet so I don't have any plans. I was thinking of making sauce with the ripe ones and pickling the green ones at the end of the season, but nothing firm yet.

 
That is about what I did last year. Fermented and aged the ripe ones for sauce and pickled the green ones. Worked well, but the pickled green ones are a little harsh.

 

[stickman]

Thanks for the good vibe and the heads-up on the unripe Tabascos Jeff! I'll try to counter the harshness with sugar in the brine. Cheers!
 
I'll have enough tomatoes for another case of canned salsa by the weekend. Some folks at work have asked me to make another case of Peach-Serrano jam, so I'll have to do that too while the Peaches are in season. The early Apples are starting to come in now too. I think I'll wait until the Ginger Crisp variety starts coming in to make some of brother Bill's Apple Butter.

 

[randyp]

    Jesus Rick,you'r going to have to use 55 gallon barrels to collect all those pods.Talk about pod crowding.Everything looks great.