• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

What becomes of the surplus harvest?

G

Ghaleon

Props if ya get the song reference!

Seriously, though. I'm obviously not talking about the A.J. Drew's among us, but the others with a decent number of plants.

When you realize you have far too many to use, even if you freeze, dry or powder them... What do you guys do? Give them to friends? Sell them to a local farmer's market?
 
Once dehydrated I have never come across a problem of too much, unless you have a farms worth. Dont know any locals that like heat.
 
I only know a couple of chiliheads in my area. I gave a CARDI yellow scorpion to a friend and he loved it. Ate it immediately with zero hesitation.
 
You would be amazed how happy a restaurant owner can be if you bring him fresh peppers he cant normally find. One year i had a stellar weekend fishing for white bass and our limits are generous. I took what i could not use right way and gave it to one of my favorite Chinese restaurants. He made me a meal i could not have imagined. From then on i got to sample a huge variety of authentic dishes.
 
I cant wait to see the expression from the owner of my favorite Indian place when i bring him some peppers. This place dont skimp on the spice because many people from India live nearby.
 
 
The place i go to makes a goat curry that is almost too hot for me to eat. Ive got a Thai place that the Tom Yum is pure agony if you ask for it. Now, its not something that will likely end up on the menu but im sure this Indian place does "special requests" for certain people such as friends. I know the 2 Indian markets nearby dont sell Bhuts or Nagas. Im sure because ive looked and asked :D
 
Someone will end up eating a nice plate of seriously painful curry but its not going to be me. :P
 
Every year so far most of my surplus has been pickled. I actually love pickling! There is a lot of freedom for experimentation. Also a great way to include all the various other fruits, veggies, and herbs in the garden. 
 
This year I plan to make a lot of spicy guacamole. Same deal with pairing other plants from the garden to make it.
 
For the first time this year I also really hope to have a enough to make a bunch of boxes to send to friends.
 
I make sauces and powders and have too much in the freezer vacuum sealed.  Love to ferment mine for sauce as well.  I also sell a small amount and give a few boxes away to friends thru the mail.  Last year i dried a whole gallon of Aji types and thai types and haven't done much with them.  
 
1.  fermenting and storing in fridge for sauces.
2.  smoking/de-hydrating and freezing.
3.  de-hydrating smoked and un-smoked peppers for powders.
4.  pepper jelly.
5.  give away.
 
Im moving out of my apartment and literally found pounds of dehydrated peppers zip locked from past harvests. In short, I have no idea what to do with them.
 
I can tell you I have done is the following season grow fewer peppers and the types you will consume and make sauces and powders that you will use and consume. I've gone from growing 100 plants half which were super hots down to 25 plants with only 1 or 2 super hots. I'm counting red savinas this year as super hots.  :)
 
I grow not for more flavor and mid range heat ( Carribbean Reds, Bonnets) and less with the majority being Baccatums. 
 
ShowMeDaSauce said:
You would be amazed how happy a restaurant owner can be if you bring him fresh peppers he cant normally find. 
 
Click to expand...
 
That goes for anything else in your garden that is surplus, too.  There's a highly regarded string of vegetable-centric "farm to table" restaurants in the area that is fond of handing out $50 gift cards when I show up with eggplants, beans, anything, really, once even a grocery bag of basil.   :dance:   
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top