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!

 

[Devv]

That IS a cool idea with the cherry trunk.
 
Woot on the Manzano's, I'm hoping still for a few...

 

[meatfreak]

I'm only going to make sauce with the MoAs this year Stefan... I'll smoke the Douglahs and ButchTs, dry them with the other supers and grind them all into my "kitchen sink" powder blend.
 
I'll leave the PL pods on the plant another week to make sure I get viable seeds, then I'll collect them and get them back to you, OK?
 

 
Sounds good, Rick Thanks for the offer but I will have more then enough seeds from my own plant, it's loaded with pods but feel free to share them with people that wanna grow it. Just be sure to tag it F-3 as it's the desired phenotype Have a good weekend!

 

[stickman]

cool idea with the cherry wood.

 
It just sort of happened Jeff... worked well for about an hour or so, until the coals burned their way out at the bottom.
 

     That smoke set up looks killer Rick.I also now know what that fruit .roll-up tray that came with my drying kit is for(them small pods kept dropping thru my screens.)

 
Heh... ya got that reet brother... dried Pequins just won't stay on the screens...
 
As promised, here are the pics of the process of making Thai curry pastes. The first one is a yellow paste that I use to make a vegetarian carrot and pumpkin curry that's extremely good with coconut rice.
 
The ingredients

 
the recipe:
 
3 small fresh orange or yellow hot chiles, coarsely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 shallots, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
12-15 black peppercorns
1 stalk lemon grass (white part only), coarsely chopped
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
 

 
put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process to a thick paste, scraping down the sides as necessary. I added enough water that the blender wouldn't have as much trouble making a smooth puree.

 
and packed 3 tablespoons each into small ziplok bags, then put all the little bags into one big one and froze them for later. One little bag for one meal.

 
The red curry paste had a few more steps...
 
The ingredients

 
1 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp cumin seed
2 tsp shrimp paste
12 fresh Thai red hot chiles, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1-inch piece of fresh galangal, chopped
2 stalks lemon grass (white part only), chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro root
grated rind of 1 lime
1 tsp black peppercorns
 
First, dry-fry the coriander and cumin seeds in a skillet, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, and grind to a powder.

 
Wrap the shrimp paste in a piece of aluminum foil and broil or dry-fry for 2-3 minutes, turning once or twice.

 
Put the shrimp paste, ground spices and chiles in a blender or food processor and process until finely chopped.

 
Add the remaining ingredients and process again into a smooth paste, scraping down the sides as necessary. The results weren't all that red, so I added a couple of chopped sweet Pritamin peppers for the oleoresins to color it up.

 
And lastly, I bagged up enough for one meal in the small baggies, put them in one large resealable bag and froze them for later.
 
Cheers all!

 

[Devv]

Thanks for posting the recipes Rick!
 
My question is how do you use the product?

 

[randyp]

   Chef Rick both of those look great.Some of the ingredients I will have to get on-line.My PO-dunk town does not even have a stoplight,let alone stuff like shrimp paste.

 

[stickman]

Thanks for posting the recipes Rick!
 
My question is how do you use the product?

 
It's easy Scott... usually you saute some of the paste in vegetable oil, add some coconut milk or stock, whisk together while simmering and add meat and veggies. Simmer until cooked and pour over rice.
 
Here's tonight's supper... cubes of Haddock in a yellow curry paste/coconut milk sauce. Once the rice is done, we'll eat.

 
Cheers!
 

   Chef Rick both of those look great.Some of the ingredients I will have to get on-line.My PO-dunk town does not even have a stoplight,let alone stuff like shrimp paste.

 
Sounds like Etail is your friend than Randy...   It's worth it though... and a heckuva lot cheaper than going to a restaurant for sure!

 

[stickman]

I got the morning to get caught up on some of your glogs... sorry for anybody who I didn't get to, it's been crazy busy lately. After the warm weather of the last couple of weeks it's taken a big downward plunge. The overnight lows have been in the mid 40s the last few nights, and should be even lower... to the upper-mid 30s by mid-week. We're taking a "staycation" beginning Tuesday, and top priority for me is to deal with the garden, potting a few chiles up for over-wintering and covering the ones left in the ground... especially the Bhuts and Scorpions.
 
Pulls are getting much smaller too... Here's today's, with Stefan's Pimenta Lisa F2 and the first ripe pod from my OW Manzano taking pride of place in the center. Clockwise from the left around it are King Naga, MoAs, Douglahs, Yellow 7s, Butch Ts, White Habaneros, Nabascos and BOCs.

 
Have a great Sunday afternoon all!

 

[JoynersHotPeppers]

All kinds of overwinter cooking going on up in here....preparing for something other than winter?
Looking good Rick!

 

[meatfreak]

Pods look great, Rick. Sorry to hear about the temps dropping so quickly Have you decided which plants you are gonna OW this time?

 

[ronniedeb]

Great looking Thai pastes Rick. Must do the same. Pity about your temps dropping sooner than you'd like. Look forward to seeing more harvests after you cover your rows!

 

[Devv]

Although I don't want anymore heat down here until spring, I'll take it if that means the northern growers can get a few more weeks in.

 

[stickman]

All kinds of overwinter cooking going on up in here....preparing for something other than winter?
Looking good Rick!

 
Hi Chris! Just trying to make easy to prepare weeknight meals through the winter.   Having the curry pastes made up and frozen ahead of time in 1-meal portions means we just need to saute the paste in a little oil, add stock and/or coconut milk, veggies and/or meat and simmer until done, then ladle over rice or noodles... easy.
 

Pods look great, Rick. Sorry to hear about the temps dropping so quickly Have you decided which plants you are gonna OW this time?

 
I'm thinking MoAs, Texas Pequins and the Manzano to OW... I doubt the Bhuts would do well here through the winter.
 

Great looking Thai pastes Rick. Must do the same. Pity about your temps dropping sooner than you'd like. Look forward to seeing more harvests after you cover your rows!

 
I hope so too Ronan! Worst case... I'll pull up the plants with pods yet to ripen and hang them up to finish ripening down cellar.
 

Although I don't want anymore heat down here until spring, I'll take it if that means the northern growers can get a few more weeks in.

 
I appreciate the thought Scott, but I've learned to be a bit fatalistic in regards to weather here.   I've gotten enough pulled to make sure of adequate powders and sauces, so no complaints.
 
Cheers all!

 

[Jeff H]

 
 I've gotten enough pulled to make sure of adequate powders and sauces, so no complaints.
 
Cheers all!

 
 
I concur. The garden and the weather wasn't the best, but I got enough for the sauces and powders too, just not as much to share as last year. Wishing us all a better summer next year Rick.

 

[stickman]

 
 
I concur. The garden and the weather wasn't the best, but I got enough for the sauces and powders too, just not as much to share as last year. Wishing us all a better summer next year Rick.

 
Amen brother...    Glad to hear you also did OK Jeff, I'd say we all deserve a pat on the back for dealing with growing conditions this year.

 

[RocketMan]

Curry's looking good there Rick and getting some nice pods too. Looks like things are going well up there

 

[Devv]

 
Amen brother...    Glad to hear you also did OK this year Jeff, I'd say we all deserve a pat on the back for dealing with growing conditions this year.

 
Yeah you do! I'm impressed!

 

[PeriPeri]

Very excited about trying some smoking of the old capsicum here in the southern hemisphere... I have had a lot of local enquiries for smoked peppers... so I guess theres only one thing for it - ask Rick how it's done and do it

 

[stickman]

Curry's looking good there Rick and getting some nice pods too. Looks like things are going well up there

 
Thanks brother Bill! You've reminded me that I need to get over to your glog to find out how things have been going at your place...
 

 
Yeah you do! I'm impressed!

 
You did great too Scott... I'm constantly amazed at how well you shepherded your plants through the hot and arid climate of south Texas. This was only your second year growing supers too, wasn't it?
 

Very excited about trying some smoking of the old capsicum here in the southern hemisphere... I have had a lot of local enquiries for smoked peppers... so I guess theres only one thing for it - ask Rick how it's done and do it

 
Believe me Lourens... it ain't rocket science...   Mostly, it's a matter of taste. Only using hardwood (deciduous) as the pitch in softwoods gives food the flavor of turpentine. You don't need to smoke peppers very long or use some of the more pungent woods because you'll want to enhance the flavors of the peppers, not overpower them... fruitwoods would probably work best.  I use cherry wood to smoke peppers, and I seem to remember hearing about vinyards in SA... you could probably do it with grapevine prunings. I only smoke my pods for a couple of hours after cutting them in half lengthwise, (and collecting the seeds first if it's a variety I want to plant again.) I don't smoke all the pods in a blend either... just the ones that need the extra help.  This year I'm only smoking my Douglahs and ButchTs... then grind them together with the other pods in the blend to spread out the smoky goodness.
 
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Feel free to ask any questions that occur to you.
 
Cheers!

 

[PeriPeri]

 
Thanks brother Bill! You've reminded me that I need to get over to your glog to find out how things have been going at your place...
 
 
You did great too Scott... I'm constantly amazed at how well you shepherded your plants through the hot and arid climate of south Texas. This was only your second year growing supers too, wasn't it?
 
 
Believe me Lourens... it ain't rocket science...   Mostly, it's a matter of taste. Only using hardwood (deciduous) as the pitch in softwoods gives food the flavor of turpentine. You don't need to smoke peppers very long or use some of the more pungent woods because you'll want to enhance the flavors of the peppers, not overpower them... fruitwoods would probably work best.  I use cherry wood to smoke peppers, and I seem to remember hearing about vinyards in SA... you could probably do it with grapevine prunings. I only smoke my pods for a couple of hours after cutting them in half lengthwise, (and collecting the seeds first if it's a variety I want to plant again.) I don't smoke all the pods in a blend either... just the ones that need the extra help.  This year I'm only smoking my Douglahs and ButchTs... then grind them together with the other pods in the blend to spread out the smoky goodness.
 
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Feel free to ask any questions that occur to you.
 
Cheers!

Thanks Rick... that is great advice already. Our Acacia wood I believe is similar to mesquite that is used traditionally. Great idea with the vine wood! I also have an old apple tree? Or I heard about another chap locally that is using australian bluegum to smoke his peppers... I will have to play around. I would also like to play about a bit with creating a smoking pit underground like I believe the Indians used to do... filter the smoke from one chamber to a secod chamber via a tunnel. sounds fun

 

[stickman]

Thanks Rick... that is great advice already. Our Acacia wood I believe is similar to mesquite that is used traditionally. Great idea with the vine wood! I also have an old apple tree? Or I heard about another chap locally that is using australian bluegum to smoke his peppers... I will have to play around. I would also like to play about a bit with creating a smoking pit underground like I believe the Indians used to do... filter the smoke from one chamber to a secod chamber via a tunnel. sounds fun

.
Lots of folks here use apple wood to smoke peppers, that would certainly work. You could smoke in the ground in pits, but I wouldn't want the sides of a pit to collapse and bury the peppers I'm smoking... maybe you could cut the bottoms off of metal oil drums and bury them a little apart, with a pipe connecting the two for the smoke to travel through. You'd still have to figure out how to get enough of a draft through the system to support slow combustion and keep a smooth flow of smoke from one chamber to the other. I've known people who modified old refrigerators or kitchen stoves into smokers with a metal can for the fire and a length of stovepipe to connect the two. The smoke cools off as it travels through the stovepipe, and the door of the improvised smoker is held part-way open to keep a steady draft going through.