Stickman's 2016 Gochu Glog- Transplanting is Finished

Hi All, I'm back again after quite a while and more than a few changes. Health issues got in the way of being active here after Christmas, but I've resolved those and am ready to plug in here again, albeit with less time than I had before. Anyway... on to the chiles!
 
My friends with a CISA farm have started 6 MoA Scotch Bonnets, what I hope are 2 King Nagas and a couple of Jalapenos. I have three 1020 trays worth of 3inch pots planted with 4 varieties of Gochu peppers. I sowed them a week ago and they're just now starting to sprout. I also have 12 pots of Texas Wild Pequins and 6 pots of Guwahati Bhuts planted that haven't started to sprout.
 
In addition to the solar food dryer, I picked up a stainless steel 10-quart pressure cooker at Christmas time, so I'm planning on experimenting with using it to process purees and sauces to hopefully make them more shelf-stable. Any input on that would be gratefully accepted.
 
Gochus starting...

 
Chinense varieties and Jalapenos

 
That's all for now... see ya all later!

 

[stickman]

     Great looking plants, Rick. Those MOAs are some of the best looking pods I've ever seen! Very bulbous and uniform.

 
Cheers Carl! They're just starting to ripen up and I'm Jonesing for some Jerk Chicken!
 
 

Good to see you're getting some color Rick
 
And you're correct, all the growers you mentioned above are killing it this season for sure. Me, I just killed them...LOL nature doesn't tolerate a late start in Tejas. Lesson learned
 
But, I have round 2 in the wings

 
I'd say you do right well most times Scott, but when Ma Nature says no, what can you do but roll with it? We're pullin' for round 2 and sending good vibes your way.
 
 

Rick buddy, as always - the most interesting blog on the block right here. Pod porn, helpful growing tips and tricks, food, other greens... looking super fine buddy. Sorry Naga's are trailing the pack this season I saw the bit about the paint brushes... nice touch. One question, how do you clean them to make sure there is no residual pollen on the hairs? Keep the pod porn coming buddy!

 
Hey Lourens, thanks for stopping in buddy! My original plan was to use a different brush for each variety and keep them well-separated from each other. Since then I've found that if I bag the blossoms just before they open, the wind will shake the plant enough for them to self-pollinate. If the flower stem and bag drop off it wasn't viable. If the flower corolla withers and I can see the pod growing inside the bag then I remove the bag and mark the pod stem with a piece of bright-colored yarn.
 
A few pics of this afternoon's harvest

 
First Bhut ripening up

 
Have a great weekend all, and TGIF!

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Very nice harvest. Your going to eat good tonight. Nice coloring on the Bhut.

I'll put your wanted seeds on the list. I'll probably put in a order soon.

Enjoy your weekend as well.

 

[stickman]

Very nice harvest. Your going to eat good tonight. Nice coloring on the Bhut.

I'll put your wanted seeds on the list. I'll probably put in a order soon.

Enjoy your weekend as well.

 
Cool! Thanks Chuck, and be sure to let me know how much I owe ya, OK? I want to hold up my end of the log on this one. My Mom, Sister and Sister's family are coming over to visit tomorrow and we'll do a cookout Mediterranean-style... Israeli ground Turkey Kebabs, couscous salad with yogurt, lemon, cucumber and mint, Homemade Baba Ganouj, grilled Tomato salad, roasted Corn on the cob, Baklava and Blueberry pie.   
     Tonight is baked Salmon, Saffron Rice, garden salad and Tomatillo salsa with a couple of those Jalapenos.

 

[moruga welder]

 
Man! That's discouraging... hang in there though, next year has to be better.
 
 
Took a few pictures during the Dawn Patrol this morning, but got a call from my office asking for me to cover for a co-worker who fell and injured himself in addition to servicing my regularly scheduled clients... no time to post the pics 'til now. It's been a really long day with the high temp of 96 degrees. I'm finally sitting down with my shoes off... time to pull the pin and let 'er rip!
 
The Moruga is chugging along and kicking out the occasional new pod every day or so. Other plants are more prolific, but quality over quantity, eh?

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The MoA Bonnet pods seem a bit a-typical in shape, but the one precocious pod that ripened early tells me that the color and flavor is right. All 6 plants look about like these

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This is actually the smaller of the 2 Bhut plants. The pods are a little smaller, a little more compactly spaced and a little more numerous than on the other plant, but on average they're doing about the same.

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The Aji Pineapple has about 4 dozen pods on it now. Considering the season still has a minimum of 8 weeks yet to go, I'll be surprised if I don't get at least 2-3 quarts of dried pods from it.

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The Wild Texas Pequin hedge is flowering like crazy...

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... and the pods look about like the same size and shape as the ones on the Chiltepin. Different growth habit though.

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The Jwala is really stepping up flower production now and beginning to set fruit in earnest.

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and lastly, the Douglah has stabilized and started putting out flowers and axillary growth from the stem. No pods yet, but when it has a large enough leaf canopy I've no doubt it'll start production.

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looking great my friend !   glad to see good things evolving for you !     

 

[Devv]

Very nice to see the fruits of your labors come to fruition
 
A very nice time of year up your way

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Cool! Thanks Chuck, and be sure to let me know how much I owe ya, OK? I want to hold up my end of the log on this one. My Mom, Sister and Sister's family are coming over to visit tomorrow and we'll do a cookout Mediterranean-style... Israeli ground Turkey Kebabs, couscous salad with yogurt, lemon, cucumber and mint, Homemade Baba Ganouj, grilled Tomato salad, roasted Corn on the cob, Baklava and Blueberry pie.   
     Tonight is baked Salmon, Saffron Rice, garden salad and Tomatillo salsa with a couple of those Jalapenos.

Dang your making me hungry. I'm on a liquid diet for the next week. Nothing but protein, fruits and veggies. Got me a Nutri Ninja as a gift. Purée's everything. Baked Salmon. Yum! Tomorrows detail sounds great as well.

I want to say you don't owe me anything for the seeds, but I know you won't let that happen. LOL. I think a seed for seed trade will suffice. I need to go through my seed collection and get rid of some. I have a ton of seeds from previous years. They only last so long. Might do some kind of giveaway to a new member or something. I believe in Karma. Trying to keep it on the good side.

 

[stickman]

Hi all! It's been a crazy week here... my wife got back on Tuesday from her trip to the "Great White North" to visit her family and we spent the rest of the week getting her back into the groove at her work and cleaning up the place before my Sister came from Wisconsin with her family and our Mom. They came and went yesterday, so today is time to relax and take it a bit more slowly.   I'm having a leisurely breakfast omelet of Jalapeno, Cherry Tomato, Salami, Onion, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella while catching up on glogs. All the veggies in the omelet came from the garden yesterday.

 
 

 

[tctenten]

Nice plate Rick.  That would hit the spot right about now.   

 

[stickman]

 
looking great my friend !   glad to see good things evolving for you !     

 

Very nice to see the fruits of your labors come to fruition
 
A very nice time of year up your way

 
Cheers guys!
 

Dang your making me hungry. I'm on a liquid diet for the next week. Nothing but protein, fruits and veggies. Got me a Nutri Ninja as a gift. Purée's everything. Baked Salmon. Yum! Tomorrows detail sounds great as well.

I want to say you don't owe me anything for the seeds, but I know you won't let that happen. LOL. I think a seed for seed trade will suffice. I need to go through my seed collection and get rid of some. I have a ton of seeds from previous years. They only last so long. Might do some kind of giveaway to a new member or something. I believe in Karma. Trying to keep it on the good side.

 
Sounds like you're ready to process your harvest with the new mini-blender... Good on ya! I believe in karma too. Gotta stay on the positive side of the ledger.    I did something similar a couple of years ago... I gave a shoe box full of seeds from trades to a buddy who runs a CISA farm nearby with his Mother. The deal was I didn't charge for the seeds, and when he started his in January, he'd also start a half-dozen or so for me.  We're both pretty happy with the arrangement.

 

[stickman]

Nice plate Rick.  That would hit the spot right about now.   

 
You bet Terry! I roasted the Jalapeno, Sungold Cherry Tomatoes and onion in a little olive oil, fried the Salami and added everything to the eggs when they were cooked through. Nice salty bacon crunch from the Salami, fruity sweetness from the Cherry Tomatoes, chewy umami from the Mozzarella, heat from the Jals and onion and basil to add to the layers. Toast with good EVOO and a sprinkle of salt, and a cup of coffee rounded out the meal.

 

[FreeportBum]

Breakfast looks great Rick. What's the striped tomato in your hand looks like a paste/sauce tomato? like the look of that one 
 
Cheers 

 

[stickman]

Breakfast looks great Rick. What's the striped tomato in your hand looks like a paste/sauce tomato? like the look of that one 
 
Cheers 

 
It's a Speckled Roman plum Tomato D... I got the seeds from Botannical Interests.   https://www.botanicalinterests.com/product/tomato-pole-speckled-roman-organic-seeds/
 

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Glad to see your in relaxation mode. Nothing like a meal from the garden. Doesn't get any better than that. Yeah, I'll have to sort through my seeds. There is a couple I want to revive next year.

Enjoy your day off.

Oh, how was the Kebabs?

 

[stickman]

Glad to see your in relaxation mode. Nothing like a meal from the garden. Doesn't get any better than that. Yeah, I'll have to sort through my seeds. There is a couple I want to revive next year.

Enjoy your day off.

Oh, how was the Kebabs?

 
Kebabs were great Chuck... once I figured out how much of the ground meat to pack onto the sword skewers so it didn't fall off the bottom side before I cold turn it...   we pulled them off the skewers onto a round of pita bread and the guests could put on their own Lettuce, Tomato salat and Tzatziki sauce... kinda like Shwarma or Gyros.

 

[moruga welder]

Hi all! It's been a crazy week here... my wife got back on Tuesday from her trip to the "Great White North" to visit her family and we spent the rest of the week getting her back into the groove at her work and cleaning up the place before my Sister came from Wisconsin with her family and our Mom. They came and went yesterday, so today is time to relax and take it a bit more slowly.   I'm having a leisurely breakfast omelet of Jalapeno, Cherry Tomato, Salami, Onion, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella while catching up on glogs. All the veggies in the omelet came from the garden yesterday.

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Don't get any better than that , Rick !     

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Kebabs were great Chuck... once I figured out how much of the ground meat to pack onto the sword skewers so it didn't fall off the bottom side before I cold turn it...   we pulled them off the skewers onto a round of pita bread and the guests could put on their own Lettuce, Tomato salat and Tzatziki sauce... kinda like Shwarma or Gyros.

Making me hungry. Never tried ground meat on the skewers before. Good to know.

I love me some Greek food.

You make your own Tzatziki?

 

[stickman]

Making me hungry. Never tried ground meat on the skewers before. Good to know.

I love me some Greek food.

You make your own Tzatziki?

 
S'right brother...  Dill and Mint and grated cucumber from my garden, Whole milk Greek yogurt, good Sicilian EVOO, lemon juice, minced Shallot, 2 cloves of garlic crushed in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper and a dusting of my Paprika powder.   http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/tzatziki-cucumber-yogurt-dip. It probably would have been a lot easier to broil the ground meat mixture as patties and thinly slice them on a bias, but I had the sword skewers and wanted to learn how to use them.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

That's a good recipe. Thanks.

I bet it was the best tasting sauce. Beings it had fresh ingredients from the garden.

I'll have to make it as soon, as I'm done with my diet. Looking at all the good foody pics isn't helping me.

 

[stickman]

That's a good recipe. Thanks.

I bet it was the best tasting sauce. Beings it had fresh ingredients from the garden.

I'll have to make it as soon, as I'm done with my diet. Looking at all the good foody pics isn't helping me.

 
I understand...
 
I picked things over pretty well this past weekend so not much to report this morning, but I pulled my first ripe Texas Pequin. The hedge is now taller than the Poblano plants and just shy of 3 feet in places.

 
Still waiting on the Jwala, Chiltepin and the other 4 Gochu varieties for Annuums. It shouldn't be long now. Only one more ripe Bonnet pod and I'll make Jerk rub.
 
Have a great week all!

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Can't wait to hear your review on Jwala.