Stickman's 2015 - That's All She Wrote...

Hi All! It's been an incredibly busy winter dealing with one thing and another, and it's only about half over here.   Still, it's time to get on the stick and put my seeds in the dirt in preparation for plant-out in another 12 weeks or so. I have a Manzano over-wintering inside that's going on its third year. It's next to a sliding glass door with a great southern exposure but the light it gets here this time of year is pretty paltry... I expect it'll start to perk up sometime in March. I have a couple of MoA Scotch Bonnets over-wintering at a friend's house because there wasn't space in front of the sliding glass door for them and my wife's indoor plants... the deal is that if they both survive the winter, we'll split the plants. If not, he'll keep the one that lives. That seems fair since he did all the work.
 
The rest of the list is looking like this...

Pubiscens Varieties
Total bust this year... nothing that germinated survived.

Baccatum:
Ditto

Frutascens:
Tabasco
Hawaiian Bird chile
 
Chacoense:
Ditto

Chinense:
7-pot Yellow Turned out to be a red "Not"
MoA Scotch Bonnet
Beni Highlands... Also turned out to be a "Not"... maybe a Mako Akokrosade cross?
Ja Hab
Trinidad Perfume
Zavory

Annuum:
Cabe Rawit (mouse turd pepper, in Singapore where the seeds were collected they're called Cili Padi)
Red Thai
Biggie Chile Anaheim
Poblano Gigantia
Jalapeno Ciclon
Jalapeno Tormenta
Serrano Tampiqueno
Hungarian Hot Wax
Almapaprika
Ethiopian Brown Berbere
 
I'll also be planting a sweet Criolla de Cucina plants and about 20 sweet Kurtovska Kapijas. The Kapijas have the longest growing and ripening times of any Annuum I know, but they're big, meaty sweet peppers that average around a half a pound apiece... just the thing for making that eastern european condiment called Ajvar.
 
Too tired to say more now, but will pick up later... Cheers!

 

[bpiela]

Rick, I have a novice question for you. I see that some of your peppers have stakes in the ground next to them but I did not notice any string/velcro/whatever that is keeping the pepper plant next to the stake.

Is that a thing where a pepper plant knows there is a stake close by and grows right next to it in a convenient fashion or is the stake there as a precaution so that if the pepper blows over, you can velcro it immediately to the stake?

Thanks!

 

[tctenten]

Rick, I have a novice question for you. I see that some of your peppers have stakes in the ground next to them but I did not notice any string/velcro/whatever that is keeping the pepper plant next to the stake.

Is that a thing where a pepper plant knows there is a stake close by and grows right next to it in a convenient fashion or is the stake there as a precaution so that if the pepper blows over, you can velcro it immediately to the stake?

Thanks!

 
 
I put the stakes in when I plant my peppers in their final spot and then tie them up as they grow.  I find that if you wait for them to get to big, it's a little more labor intensive putting the stakes in because of all the foliage.   Interested in hearing Rick's response.   

 

[Pulpiteer]

Man those plants are looking great! Nice and healthy, bushy with thick stems.  You got off to a great start for being in a colder climate.  Those flowers on the Chinense are awesome.  Oh yeah, and your food stuff always makes me hungry, so there's that.

 

[stickman]

 
 I think I am going to try my hand at smoking pods this season. A few generous members here have turned me on to that flavor and now I think I'm addicted. Cherry wood you say...

 
Yup... romy turned me on to smoking some of the less tasty chile varieties with cherry wood... Douglahs, Butch Ts and the like. Both are screaming hot, which is why I grew them, but the Douglahs have flavors of earth and wood, and the Butch Ts have a bitter flavor like burnt plastic. The wood smoke seems to make them more palatable. I find I like the flavor in my powders anyway, but so as not to overdo it I smoke a quarter to a third of the peppers before drying and grinding them. Good luck!
 

  Lots of flowers Rick.You are going to have your hands full.I love to see that sun reflecting up on the plants.I could use more of that buddy.

 
I hear ya brother... you guys and gals in the midwest are getting whacked with torrential rains this year...   Hopefully by the time you get decent-sized pods, you get enough sun to help them ripen.

 
 I think I am going to try my hand at smoking pods this season. A few generous members here have turned me on to that flavor and now I think I'm addicted. Cherry wood you say...

 
Yup... romy turned me on to smoking some of the less tasty chile varieties with cherry wood... Douglahs, Butch Ts and the like. Both are screaming hot, which is why I grew them, but the Douglahs have flavors of earth and wood, and the Butch Ts have a bitter flavor like burnt plastic. The wood smoke seems to make them more palatable. I find I like the flavor in my powders anyway, but so as not to overdo it I smoke a quarter to a third of the peppers before drying and grinding them. Good luck!
 

  Lots of flowers Rick.You are going to have your hands full.I love to see that sun reflecting up on the plants.I could use more of that buddy.

 
I hear ya brother... you guys and gals in the midwest are getting whacked with torrential rains this year...   Hopefully by the time you get decent-sized pods, you get enough sun to help them ripen.
 

Rick, I have a novice question for you. I see that some of your peppers have stakes in the ground next to them but I did not notice any string/velcro/whatever that is keeping the pepper plant next to the stake.

Is that a thing where a pepper plant knows there is a stake close by and grows right next to it in a convenient fashion or is the stake there as a precaution so that if the pepper blows over, you can velcro it immediately to the stake?

Thanks!

 

 
 
I put the stakes in when I plant my peppers in their final spot and then tie them up as they grow.  I find that if you wait for them to get to big, it's a little more labor intensive putting the stakes in because of all the foliage.   Interested in hearing Rick's response.   

 
Actually, the weather here is fairly predictable Ben... violent weather comes from the southwest during the growing season, so I place the stakes alongside the main stem on the northeast side to give it something to lean against when that happens. I once lost a mature Poblano plant in a wind squall. It was top-heavy with unripe pods and the wind sheared it off flush with the ground. That's what I'm trying to prevent. I'm not worried about the plants blowing over that are low to the ground Terry, but when they get at least a foot tall I set the stake next to them, and if the plant gets top-heavy enough I loosely tie it to the stake with strips of old nylon stockings that are soft and stretchy enough to prevent branches from breaking at the point of contact.
 

Man those plants are looking great! Nice and healthy, bushy with thick stems.  You got off to a great start for being in a colder climate.  Those flowers on the Chinense are awesome.  Oh yeah, and your food stuff always makes me hungry, so there's that.

 
Cheers Andy! How did the maple syrup boil in the big electric pot come out?

 

[randyp]

    I will take the rain over the snow you guys got this past year anytime my friend.

 

[ronniedeb]

plants look great Rick. Particularly like the shape of the Thai varieties. Xec looks great too. Must give it a try.

 

[suchen]

The pictures just kept going in that last update! Beautiful grow.

 

[stickman]

    I will take the rain over the snow you guys got this past year anytime my friend.

 
S'ok Randy... we can deal...
 

plants look great Rick. Particularly like the shape of the Thai varieties. Xec looks great too. Must give it a try.

 
Cheers Ronan! We had another hard rain last night, and the Thais have nearly doubled in size. The raised bed out  back is looking lush this morning too

 
Here's another salsa recipe you might like to try. I fired up the hibachi this morning to grill a dead-ripe pineapple. I could tell it was because when I sniffed the bottom where they cut it from the stem it smelled decidedly like ripe pineapple.

 
Chopped it up with a couple scallions from the garden, half a red onion, a teaspoon of minced fresh ginger, a fresh Habanero pod, a Fresno pod I had kicking around, a dollop of good olive oil, the juice of a lime and seasoned it with a bit of kosher salt and a few grinds of  black pepper.

 
 

The pictures just kept going in that last update! Beautiful grow.

 
Cheers Josh, and if I haven't said so before, welcome to the zoo!
 
It's still hit or miss with chile blossoms setting pods. Overnight lows are doing a yo-yo loop between the 50s and 60s. The Annuums usually don't care, but the Fruts and Chinense varieties don't usually really kick in until the nights are consistently in the 60s or better. Here are some spent blossoms I found this morning.

 
The Manzano seems to have met its goal though...

 
The herb bed has never looked this good... I'd say setting up the soaker hose for it was the best thing I could have done. This is sage, summer savory, Greek oregano, Italian parsley, sweet mint, za'atar and thyme for making jerk marinade when the Bonnets ripen.

 
I have loads of volunteer epizote! I only planted it once from seed, and now it'll always be with me... Basil's looking nice too.

 
 
The six sesame plants all look about like this... they've put out their 4th node and are starting to ramp up.

 
One last "non" pic... the Rose Campion I started from collected seed last year is beginning to blossom. I love the color on this... a really vibrant reddish-purple that got a bit washed out by the flash in this picture.

 
Have a great weekend all!

 

[georgej]

looking great! i love that campion. im trying to get some colour in this year and not just heat. nice to balance it out. a bit of Wabi sabi if you follow. after all, im growing in Japan.

what are your average temps there right now.
rainy season here. 20 at night and humid, its perfect for growing (sadly for aphids and other bugs, too)

 

[stickman]

looking great! i love that campion. im trying to get some colour in this year and not just heat. nice to balance it out. a bit of Wabi sabi if you follow. after all, im growing in Japan.

what are your average temps there right now.
rainy season here. 20 at night and humid, its perfect for growing (sadly for aphids and other bugs, too)

 
I think I take your meaning G... a celebration of things ordinary and humble... if everything was vivid then nothing would stand out. Besides, even ordinary things have a charm of their own.
 
Here's the extended forecast in Celcius... it's a little cooler and dryer here than out your way.

 
.
No pics, but I brought some of my pineapple/habanero salsa out to my Moms and we had it on hot dogs instead of relish. Top with honey mustard and you've got Hawaiian Dogs!

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Beautiful herb bed. I wish I had something going. Nothing this year. Salsa looks delicious. Plants look awesome.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

 

[stickman]

Beautiful herb bed. I wish I had something going. Nothing this year. Salsa looks delicious. Plants look awesome.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

 
Getting herbs started from seed is the hardest part Chuck. It's much easier to buy the plants already established and put them in a bed that's been prepared for them. We have really sandy soil here so I add lots of humus and make sure they get plenty of water.
 
We've got to use up our first sowing of cilantro before it starts to bolt, so I'm making a cilantro-infused curry with black-eyed peas that'll use it up. I'll clean up the spot later today and plant our third sowing of cilantro.

 

[georgej]

 
I think I take your meaning G... a celebration of things ordinary and humble... if everything was vivid then nothing would stand out. Besides, even ordinary things have a charm of their own

yep, you gets its.

so now right now its rainy season. and people love the sight of hydrangea. which i personally think are ugly flowers cause they look fake. Reason why people love them is cause they look beautiful compared to the grey skies.

i think they are ugly flowers, but set and setting. i like them. they are opposite t what we are are talking about yet define it at the same time..

rainy season is an ugly time of year. an ugly flower takes the stage. yet its noteworthy, and you wouldnt notice it if you only looked up

 

[stickman]

yep, you gets its.

so now right now its rainy season. and people love the sight of hydrangea. which i personally think are ugly flowers cause they look fake. Reason why people love them is cause they look beautiful compared to the grey skies.

i think they are ugly flowers, but set and setting. i like them. they are opposite t what we are are talking about yet define it at the same time..

rainy season is an ugly time of year. an ugly flower takes the stage. yet its noteworthy, and you wouldnt notice it if you only looked up

 
interesting... do they grow Peonies and Roses in Japan, or are those too prone to bugs? I know that what we call Japanese Beetles here (popillia japonica)  love eating Roses...
 
My Annuums aren't quite ready to be used yet, but I can't wait any longer to make spring radish kimchi (Yeolmu Mulkimchi). I have the baby radishes and their cut up leaves salting right now. When that's done and I've rinsed off the excess salt I'll make up the rice flour paste and chop the flavoring vegetables into it and mix everything up and pack it into jars to begin fermentation.

 
<Break>
Two hours later it's packed into jars ready to ferment over the next couple of days.

 
Made the cilantro infused black-eyed peas in the slow cooker

 
Plate shot minus the garden salad

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Kimchi looks like it's going to be good. I can almost taste and smell those beans. Plate looks fantastic. Nice of flavors going on there. I'm sure that salsa got better with time. Give me some Naan and I would be eating that plate up with my fingers. Naan taste good with everything. LOL

THANKS FOR SHARING

 

[RocketMan]

Garden's looking fantastic Rick and the food is always great on your pages.
 
Have you ever considered planting Culantro instead of Cilantro? It keeps a lot longer and and doesn't loose it's flavors.

 

[Spicegeist]

Mmm... the beans and the ferment look delicious! 

 

[stickman]

Kimchi looks like it's going to be good. I can almost taste and smell those beans. Plate looks fantastic. Nice of flavors going on there. I'm sure that salsa got better with time. Give me some Naan and I would be eating that plate up with my fingers. Naan taste good with everything. LOL

THANKS FOR SHARING

 
You bet Chuck! I've made chapatis before, but not naan... I think you need a tandoor to make those.
 
The spring radish kimchi is an integral part of a cold summertime noodle dish called naengmyeon in Korea... it's a cold noodle dish that's served either savory or spicy depending on the taste of the eater. It's a refreshing and satisfying light meal on a hot day for sure.   http://www.beyondkimchee.com/naengmyeon/
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/naengmyeon
 

Garden's looking fantastic Rick and the food is always great on your pages.
 
Have you ever considered planting Culantro instead of Cilantro? It keeps a lot longer and and doesn't loose it's flavors.

 
Thanks Bill, I appreciate the good vibe.     Yeah, I did try to plant culantro last year for the reasons you gave, but I think it's just too cold for it to thrive here. I had it in my raised bed out back with the supers but it was stunted and woody, and had very sharp thorns. Fortunately we have a local market that carries it year-round along with dried habaneros, ghost peppers and numex chiles, plantains, avocados, coconuts, corn husks, masa harina and manioc root, and occasionally have jicama, chayote and other latin vegetables in season.
 

Mmm... the beans and the ferment look delicious! 

 
Cheers Charles   what have you been cooking up?

 

[Pulpiteer]

 

 
Cheers Andy! How did the maple syrup boil in the big electric pot come out?

 
 
We ended up with a good batch of syrup, in part because a parishioner had several buckets of extra sap they collected that they weren't going to boil down, so we got 1-2 gallons by the time I was done.  And, of course, it tastes great!
 
You're cooking looks top notch once again!

 

[stickman]

 
 
We ended up with a good batch of syrup, in part because a parishioner had several buckets of extra sap they collected that they weren't going to boil down, so we got 1-2 gallons by the time I was done.  And, of course, it tastes great!
 
You're cooking looks top notch once again!

 
Glad it worked out well for you Andy. My wife and I probably go through a gallon of maple syrup in a year. I'd imagine your tribe would finish it a lot faster...
 
Good news on the Red Rocoto clones... both are putting out new leaves. Thanks again Devan!

 
It's obvious now that the plant I thought was an Orange 7-Pot, isn't. The seed came from a packet of OP seeds so it must be a hybrid, it sure has a hybrid's vigor.

 
Its pods have gotten big enough to begin to get an idea of their final shape.

 
The OW Manzano is busily setting pods looking at the dropped skirts beneath it.

 
The JA Habs first pod

 
The Annuums are beginning to produce too... Biggie Chile

 
Serrano

 
Kapijas are beginning to blossom too

 
My experiment with "green manure" is looking good... I planted oats and field peas in two blocks of my square-foot veggie garden. They're looking pretty lush ATM. The plan is that I'll cut them down and spade them in when the peas start to blossom or the July 4th weekend, whichever comes first, and then plant Napa cabbage for autumn kimchi-making. If I like the results, I'll probably do this for the entire garden as the season draws to a close.

 
Cheers all!