Szechuan pepper.....in Scotland !

[Englander]

Hi Guy's

I bought a little szechuan pepper seedling 2 possibly 3 years ago from a seller in England they are ment to be very hardy and can with stand my Scottish winter's !

It has grown like a weed and looks similar to a Ash tree but covered in evil thorns ....everywhere ! Stems, stalks even on each leaf !!

It's in a big pot and is now over 6ft tall it smells divine but hasn't produced any szechuan pepper corns yet so I'm having to buy them to make my Nagaland pork belly curry

It's not long been in leaf this season and the leaves are still small but it looks like it will produced this year ......

Pure evil !

Fruit ?

Anyone else growing them ? I'm amazed how tough and hardy they are .


Stephen

 

[Ratatouille]

Nice. My friend has a plant and she had a first harvest two years ago I think? You can use the leaves as well it seems. Have you tried those yet?

 

[Englander]

Hi Guy's

Extremely excited

It would appear I have my first harvest from my szechuan pepper tree

Obviously I have to wait till they go red they are similar to beech mast they ripen to a rough red husk and a shiny black stone which is rock hard !! The dried husk is the part you use

Finger's crossed the current heavy rains and storms we are getting don't damage them

Hopefully I'll be able to use my own Dorset Naga and own szechuan pepper in my Nagaland pork belly curry by the end of the season

Stephen

 

[Englander]

Hi Guy's

I followed online instructions from a uk nursery about when to harvest my szechuan peppers..........turns out southern England can ve weeks or even months different from us !

Looked at my tree one day and realised most had fallen off !

Lesson learned sadly the hard way...............

I've already eaten what I salvaged I'm still completely addicted to my Nagaland pork belly recipe had to order more online at whole food's 25g 50g 125g ......they do discount buying bulk ......1kg £74 !!

Anyway I decided to try and germinate a few seeds......put them in the fridge for a few week's then into the heated propergater........nae luck !

Then I tried natural scarification A wee pot left outside over winter then put in my greenhouse.

Result

I've so far pricked out two seedlings even at this size they have the strong szechuan pepper aroma

Looks like I won't be running out of szechuan pepper again

 

[Englander]

Hi Guy's

I kept 3 of the Szechuan peppers I germinated from my own seed very satisfying !

Learning from last years failure to pick my crop before it fell off I've started harvesting as they ripen the scent as you pick them is divine

The 3 seedlings I germinated the growth rate is remarkable ! I had been toying with planting one in the ground but I fear it would grow huge and a don't really have the space........... even at this diminutive size the are vicious ! Thorns on trunk, stems, centre of leaves top and bottom ! It really is quite a dangerous............and painful to harvest the crop but so worth it

 

[Englander]

Hi Guy's

Night temps have dropped down to 3oC !

I've been keeping an eye on my szechuan pepper pods they have been slowly changing from green a "pink blush" I decided to start picking some before they go completely red hopefully to avoid loosing fruit like last season.

I've found the "husk" of the pepper reddens and darkens as the dry so i reckon I made the right decision.

My harvest so far the scent is incredible

Picking szechuan pepper reminds me very much of picking Sloe berries in the fact you pick and pick ........see no more fruit than move 1/4" to the side a a gazillion hoove into view !

However with szechuan pepper harvesting you have the added aspect of masochism I've never seen so many thorns !

This is a mixture of freshly harvested szechuan pepper the darker dryer one's harvested a couple of day's ago.

Strangely the round shiny black seeds that looks similar to the black pepper we all know and love are the part you discard !! the "husk" is the objective of the harvest.

My tree must be 3 or 4 years now .......possible 5 ? It lives in a very large tub and is 6ft-7ft tall this season it has way more fruit than ever before

I use a table spoon of the stuff every time I make Nagaland pork belly curry