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!

 

[Comptine]

 
I tried to access the URLs and had problems myself Alana... let's try again with the article in Bon Appetit... I think getting the original URL chopped in half buggered it.
http://www.bonappetit.com/trends/article/gochujang-korean-chile-paste
 
Still some problem with the Maangchi website, but google Gochugaru and a number of pages will pop up to talk about it.

 
Sounds like Gochujang is a very complex flavour, I'll definitely have a look out for it. Looks like there will be some experimenting with Korean food in the near future. How is Korean on the vegetarian front? 
 
 

English food can be bland that's why I grow chillies ... when I was in the Forces we used to carry a small container of curry powder to enhance our 24 hour ration packs ... strangely our national dish is would you believe " Chicken Tikka Masala" and yes we do have some of the best Indian and Pakistani restaurants in the world although they do cater for our taste ... Mushy peas is a northern England thing and personally they are not for me .. but Friday night is Fish and Chips another national dish ... served with a portion of curry sauce for your chips
 

 
Haha, I've heard that the Tikki Masala was an English invention. I always liked the tartar sauce you get with fish and chips, I could eat that all day. 

 

[stickman]

English food can be bland that's why I grow chillies ... when I was in the Forces we used to carry a small container of curry powder to enhance our 24 hour ration packs ... strangely our national dish is would you believe " Chicken Tikka Masala" and yes we do have some of the best Indian and Pakistani restaurants in the world although they do cater for our taste ... Mushy peas is a northern England thing and personally they are not for me .. but Friday night is Fish and Chips another national dish ... served with a portion of curry sauce for your chips

Flying the flag must be Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding or a Roast Chicken Sunday Dinner ....

Tried to find out if they add butter to ice cream as I hadn't heard of that ... butter oil (milk) is ...

Finally Rick I have tracked down an Asian Supermarket that sells Korean food stuffs in Reading not far from me ... let me know if there is anything you need and I will pop in and ask

 
Hi John,
   Thanks for thinking of me, but I'm already set for Korean pantry staples. Pics to follow.
 
I sampled your country's cuisine in '81 and again in '82. I was in St Albans, Herts. during the wedding of Diana Spencer and the Prince of Wales, and in Hyde Park the night before to see the fireworks display. Boy, what a mob scene! I didn't actually see mushy peas at the fish and chip shops then, but I wasn't sure if they'd been added afterwards. Curry sauce on the chips wasn't an option then, but malt vinegar was a pretty tasty addition. My hosts plied me with roast Mutton, and I was definitely underwhelmed... there's no amount of mint jelly that makes mutton palatable...  Chicken Tikka with Raisins and Swedes wasn't too bad, and on my second trip, I went backpacking in Scotland on the West Highland Way with some Venture Scouts I'd met the year before. They asked me for advice on how to prepare since I'd been in the Army here in the States and done quite a bit of long-distance backpacking before that. The girls in the hiking party didn't believe me when I told them that the best way to quickly break in a pair of hiking boots was to get them saturated with water and wear them until they dried (to mold them to their feet.)They paid for it with 3cm blisters. While we were camped out in a farmer's sheep pasture in Crainlarich waiting for them to heal, the farmer asked if we'd be interested in helping him make some Haggis as he'd just butchered a sheep. They passed, but I jumped at the chance. It wasn't too strange to me... we made spicy head cheese at home when we butchered the hogs. (Kinda like English "Brawn")   After helping make it, I helped eat some of it also... I thought it was like a cross between American meatloaf and Liverwurst, with cooked barley as a filler. Lots of grated onions and black pepper, and the organ meat from the sheep.

 

[stickman]

 
Sounds like Gochujang is a very complex flavour, I'll definitely have a look out for it. Looks like there will be some experimenting with Korean food in the near future. How is Korean on the vegetarian front? 
 
 
 
Haha, I've heard that the Tikki Masala was an English invention. I always liked the tartar sauce you get with fish and chips, I could eat that all day. 

 
Koreans aren't as into vegetarianism as the Indians, but they sure do eat lots of vegetables. Their Banchan dishes are mostly vegetarian, and even the meat dishes have a fair amount of veggies in them. Tonight for supper, I made Ttok Galbi... a spicy dish made with chicken, cabbage and Korean sweet potatoes... which have reddish-purple skins and firm white flesh.

 
It also has both Gochugaru and Gochujang. Here's my 1-kilo tub of Gochujang just opened.

 
There's also the gummy, chewy rice cake the Koreans call Ttok

 
and surprisingly, a mild curry powder that's mostly Turmeric

 
The rest is chicken, garlic, fresh ginger, oil pressed from toasted sesame seeds and leaves from a Perilla plant the Koreans call Kkaennip. I grow Kkaennip, but it's nowhere near ready to plant, let alone harvest, so I substituted fresh Basil leaves.
 
Chicken marinating

 
Cooking in the wok. The red colors are looking washed out in this pic, so I plugged the camera in to recharge the batteries meanwhile...

 
I also made some mixed-grain rice  (Japgok-bap) to go with it.

 

[GhostPepperz]

I lived in Korea for almost a year and really enjoyed Yaki, and bulgogi. Soju was always around too.  Dont eat Kegogi though, wont go into what that is. 

 

[tctenten]

Looks pretty tasty Rick.  I enjoy seeing the diverse dishes you prepare.   

 

[stickman]

I lived in Korea for almost a year and really enjoyed Yaki, and bulgogi. Soju was always around too.  Dont eat Kegogi though, wont go into what that is. 

 
Cheers Matt... and welcome to the zoo! I've never eaten Kegogi so I don't have anything to compare it to, but it can't be as bad as Hongeo for smell... that's the most concentrated Ammonia aroma I've ever come across outside of shoveling out chicken runs in an industrial farm... overlaid by the smell of rotting fish. I really like Korean food, but I won't go there. Eating Silkworm pupae is also an experience I'll take a pass on...
 

Looks pretty tasty Rick.  I enjoy seeing the diverse dishes you prepare.   

 
Cheers Terry! There's plenty more if you want to drop by tonight.

 

[GhostPepperz]

Thats crazy, I had never come across that stuff. We shared our barracks housing with Korean soldiers (called KATUSAs) and they would cook Kimchi in their rooms. The whole floor would smell. They were good guys, I guess we just werent used to it.  Did like Korean ginseng. 

 

[stickman]

Thats crazy, I had never come across that stuff. We shared our barracks housing with Korean soldiers (called KATUSAs) and they would cook Kimchi in their rooms. The whole floor would smell. They were good guys, I guess we just werent used to it.  Did like Korean ginseng. 

 
Yeah... they even get kimchi in their field rations. Sure beats ham and lima beans...
 
Here's a few pics from the Dawn Patrol this morning...
 
Chinenese varieties in the back yard raised bed have settled in nicely, like this Bhut

 
Some of the MoA Bonnets have gotten very tall and started to fork.

 
The Moruga was looking pretty beat-up when I transplanted it, but it's much happier now

 
Aji Pineapple looking much better as well

 
The Lima Market Red Rocoto is still looking pretty rocky, but is putting out new leaves at the branch tips and axillary growth at the stems.

 
King Naga also recovering from stress and putting out axillary growth

 
Moving on to the community garden raised beds... I planted companions along with the chiles to call in friendly insects like Ladybugs and Lacewings. Cilantro and Basil you know, but maybe Gem Series Marigolds you don't. This is an Orange Gem.

 
Gochus looking happy. Here's a random sampling.

 
Pequins are spreading out and making themselves comfortable

 
That's all for now. Have a great day all!

 

[FreeportBum]

Everything is looking great Rick. Another week or so here of crazy work then I can relax a little and catch up on some of the glogs on here. Best of luck this season my friend, cheers.

 

[stickman]

Everything is looking great Rick. Another week or so here of crazy work then I can relax a little and catch up on some of the glogs on here. Best of luck this season my friend, cheers.

 
Cheers D! I hope things are warming up enough to plant out along the Maine coast.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Food looks great.

Plants are adjusting well. Your Aji Pineapple is looking bigger than mine. I see them side chutes starting.

I almost picked up some marigold yesterday. The leaf hoppers are back at my place. Instead of delclaring an outright war in them, I figured I would try and deter them. I mixed some garlic water up. Hot pepper powder doesn't work. They ate a lot of my super's last year. I read all per pose flour will gum up their mouths so they can't eat. I seen a bag of Nolo bait, to expensive. I'll keep the weeds down and maybe they'll migrate to the neighbors.

Have a good weekend

 

[stickman]

Food looks great.

Plants are adjusting well. Your Aji Pineapple is looking bigger than mine. I see them side chutes starting.

I almost picked up some marigold yesterday. The leaf hoppers are back at my place. Instead of delclaring an outright war in them, I figured I would try and deter them. I mixed some garlic water up. Hot pepper powder doesn't work. They ate a lot of my super's last year. I read all per pose flour will gum up their mouths so they can't eat. I seen a bag of Nolo bait, to expensive. I'll keep the weeds down and maybe they'll migrate to the neighbors.

Have a good weekend

 
I know the garlic emulsion works for flea beetles, why not leafhoppers? Dusting with flour I think is supposed to dehydrate them when they eat it... it's probably cheaper than insecticide too.  Good luck with your critter issues!
 
The Tepin plant I got at a local source is doing better than the Pequins. I wouldn't be surprised if it started blossoming in the next week or two.

 
A "non" pic to finish... this is the Korean Lilac I mentioned transplanting into our front yard in last year's glog.

 
Have a great weekend all!

 

[Devv]

Plant are looking great Rick!
 
I've been away, either due to heavy rain knocking out our wireless Internet, or canning. I read about catching rain water, After 6+"s since Sunday I have no where else to store it. And I think I saw a cowpie float! I sure wish I had the $$$ to buy a 2,500 gallon tank
 
I will say, your plants are already ahead of mine, due to a combination of issues beyond my control. Keep it going!

 

[stickman]

Plant are looking great Rick!
 
I've been away, either due to heavy rain knocking out our wireless Internet, or canning. I read about catching rain water, After 6+"s since Sunday I have no where else to store it. And I think I saw a cowpie float! I sure wish I had the $$$ to buy a 2,500 gallon tank
 
I will say, your plants are already ahead of mine, due to a combination of issues beyond my control. Keep it going!

 
Boy! I'll bet you did see cowpies float Scott! Lots of flooding not too far from where you are. That's the second year running isn't it?
 
Thanks for the kind words... I decided to sow my seeds a little later in the season to save money on indoor lighting. I'm waiting to find out if it makes much of a difference in the end.
 
I picked up the kit for fixing up a rain barrel this morning. Putting it together will have to wait for this afternoon. I have to go out to my Mom's to pick up the chipper/shredder so I can run the compost through that doesn't fit through the screen.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

That lilac is doing quite well. I need to do something for the hoppers. I was walking through the grass today and saw what I thought was hundreds of gnat's. Upon close inspection, leaf hoppers! They ruined about a pound of super's last year, and the year before. That's why I planted so much Goats Weed. The didn't seem to want to eat the leaves or pod's on them last year. Just the super's. Any way. Good luck with shredder and rain barrel projects. That kit might do well for a 50gal compost tea barrel.

 

[Sanarda]

Wonderful Glog.  I always love your variety. 

 

[stickman]

That lilac is doing quite well. I need to do something for the hoppers. I was walking through the grass today and saw what I thought was hundreds of gnat's. Upon close inspection, leaf hoppers! They ruined about a pound of super's last year, and the year before. That's why I planted so much Goats Weed. The didn't seem to want to eat the leaves or pod's on them last year. Just the super's. Any way. Good luck with shredder and rain barrel projects. That kit might do well for a 50gal compost tea barrel.

 
I've never seen that many leafhoppers Chuck. Ihope they don't  plague you this year! I wonder what else doesn't like to eat Goat's Weed chiles?   TheMexican restaurant here in town wants me to plant more of them because they used them to make a very popular salsa a couple of years ago and they've just about used up all they put away in the freezer. Probably next year... I'll have plenty of Gochugaru after this season.
 
The rainbarrel project went along tikety-boo. The installation was child's play, and the kit included the hole saws I needed to do the job in addition to the hardware. We don't have gutters and downspouts, so I used some window screen and two 10-inch plastic flowerpots to make the funnel on top.

 
I also picked up the chipper/shredder to use to chop up the bits of compost that don't shake through the 1/4 inch hardware cloth screen... once things dry out after the rain tomorrow.

 
Have a great evening all!

Wonderful Glog.  I always love your variety. 

 
Hi Pia! Long time no hear from. Hope all is well with you.

 

[Sanarda]

All is well my friend.  I missed you

 

[Devv]

Chipper/shredder, and rain barrels, can't go wrong with either!
 
I think our rain event is done, until next time . We're on a 15 year cycle it seems. Remember the lake I had mentioned eons ago that was at 4%, it's been brimming over the spillway for a week.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Very good my friend. That barrel looks great.

That chipper is awesome. I wish, I had a portable one like that.

I hope the birds take care of the leaf hoppers. Every year, the whole area gets plagued by them. LoL. Last year I could walk in my back yard and hundreds would take flight. Everyone I've talked to has the same experience. Obviously, not enough natural predators. I might have to net the super's.