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favorite What is your favorite Baccatum Chili and why?
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wayright said:
Thats a beautiful tree Gary
Kevin
Thanks Kevin! It was grown from seeds you shared with me way back when I first joined THP…Thanks for that, dude!
That Birgit's looks mighty familiar! Lol. Hope the bishops crowns grows as well (or even better) for you as it did for me last year!windchicken said:Oh man, great topic! There is so much to say about Capsicum baccatum, but I can sum it up by saying they are SO just fun to grow and eat, straight off of the plant, while standing on the garden, like spicy candy.
Someone back up this thread mentioned the two distinct plant habits of this species: the sprawling habit, such as Aji Lemon, and the upright habit, such as Aji Amarillo. I find the tall plants easier to manage, and tend to grow those varieties…One of those is, in my mind, one of the greatest chiles of all chiles, of all time: the Aji Amarillo, a name which can mean any of several sub-varieties, but I'm talking about the "classic" large-podded, very tall plant. Where I live, in NW Louisiana, it can be very tricky to get ripe fruit from this plant, because it needs a very long season, and a more moderate climate than we have here. I gave up growing it several years ago, but in my mind right now I can taste the crunchy, juicy, sweet, and spicy flavor of this maddeningly wonderful Peruvian chile candy:
This year I'm growing the excellent Bishop's Crown, from seeds I harvested from pods shared with me last year by fellow Louisiana grower Meathead1313…I was struck by their tantalizing crunchy sweetness as well, and am really looking forward to my first fruit.
I think if I were to recommend only one Capsicum baccatum for the Louisiana climate, a plant with a nice upright habit that would produce well through the hottest of the summer months, give tasty, spicy fruit, and seems to thrive on neglect, I would say Birgit's Locoto, probably the most resilient, productive, and versatile variety of C. baccatum that I've grown:
I kept this Birgit's plant for 3 years before I finally passed it on to another grower. You only need one of these!
MeatHead1313 said:
Thanks Chris! The Bishop's Crown (5 plants) are growing so obnoxiously fast that they outgrew the shade tent after only 2 days. So I had to put them under a tree, where they had "Max Headroom." (If you get that reference, then I know how old you are!)
I saw the "Max Headroom" actor in Orphan Black recently. My kids didn't understand my reference of course.
I think I still have a fruit jar with a bunch of dried Birgits from that grow of yours Gary!
I grew the Birgits and was very productive, but I found the skin to be a little tough. I like the Bishops mildness, flavor, and production. Just lacking in heat. My favorite Baccatuum has always been the origional Lemon Drop live plant I got from Cross Country Nurseries around 2008. I've not found any seed that seems to be comparable since then.
Picked early because of impending frost.
I think I still have a fruit jar with a bunch of dried Birgits from that grow of yours Gary!
I grew the Birgits and was very productive, but I found the skin to be a little tough. I like the Bishops mildness, flavor, and production. Just lacking in heat. My favorite Baccatuum has always been the origional Lemon Drop live plant I got from Cross Country Nurseries around 2008. I've not found any seed that seems to be comparable since then.
Picked early because of impending frost.
Good news on the growth speed! Looking forward to seeing your harvest pics. By the sounds of it you'll have pods everywhere!windchicken said:
The reference was well over my head, but after researching it, seems like something we either didn't get in Oz when I was a kid, or my parents didn't let us watch lol.
^Wow. What a monster MeatHead1313. What a great thread.
...well I have 3 Aji Amarillo plants growing right now! I also have a green house thanks to my awesome dad! So even though I started them late I know I can overwinter them. Birgit's Locoto I'm not growing. Adding it to my list!
lol. I will. I love that show.
...well I have 3 Aji Amarillo plants growing right now! I also have a green house thanks to my awesome dad! So even though I started them late I know I can overwinter them. Birgit's Locoto I'm not growing. Adding it to my list!
lol. I will. I love that show.
Great thread, i've never had a Baccatum, maybe some lemon drops but i don't know if true and many years ago some bishops crown but i don't remember taste...
Next season i want to grow 1 type of baccatum, probably i'll start with something classic like Aji Amarillo. Also lemon and pineapple seems so nice..
Next season i want to grow 1 type of baccatum, probably i'll start with something classic like Aji Amarillo. Also lemon and pineapple seems so nice..
capsidadburn said:
I watched a documentary one day last week, or maybe it was a series of articles on The Verge or Ars Technica, about the history of Max Headroom. It was a revelation to me that he wasn't CG, but a real actor in makeup…Apparently, at the time computers were too weak to do the quality of CG they wanted, so they made an actual human look like he was CG. I have to say they did an excellent job, because I bought it from Day 1! I'm a sucker for the 80s and 80s nostalgia, so it was really fun to read/watch.
Thanks for growing the Birgit's anyway, Mike. I'm so honored that you saved those pods! My biggest problem with it was the insane amount of production. Even with the nice, stout upright habit of my plant, it would always flop over under the staggering weight of all those pods. I simply could not pick them fast enough to keep the plant from drooping over, and always ended up just pruning the branches way back...
I have to confess that I love the Aji Limon, too…It was my first baccatum, and its lemony/peppery character is still unique among all chiles.
MeatHead1313 said:
Lol, Chris, if you haven't seen it already, you may want to check out the article I referenced in my above response to Mike. Max Headroom was as much a cultural icon of the 1980s as was Boy George, Madonna, or the Dead Kennedys. He was everywhere:
http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/2/8285139/max-headroom-oral-history-80s-cyberpunk-interview
There is one more C. baccatum variety that refuses to stop popping into my mind, so I know I need to go ahead and post about it, the Guyana PI199506, from the late Beth Boyd, of Peppermania.com. I grew this chile for only one year, 2011, and found it to also be an absolutely unique pepper among not only the C. baccatum, but all chiles. It appears superficially to be a longer version of Aji Limon, but the flavor is completely different: savory, almost "meaty," and wonderfully delicious, rather than sweet and fruity. I only have one photo from my grow, but I do have this old screen grab from Beth's now-defunct web store:
This photo shows one of my 2011 Guyana plants. They take a really long time to turn yellow, but they are so incredibly delicious that it's completely worth the wait. I quit growing them because the sprawling habit of the plant made them a little tricky to manage, but I always figured if I needed more seeds I could get them from Beth….
I do have a packet of seeds I saved from this grow, and I know it is now my responsibility to carry on with yet another of Beth's wonderful, unique varieties...
Windchicken I hear ya! I have also made it my mission to keep Beth's aji's going - I refuse to change the names even though something like Kaleidoscope hardly warrants it's name.
I fell into the same trap thinking I'll always get the other baccatums from her next time. Alas that is sadly never gonna be.
If you keen on selling some of the baccatum that I don't have from her I would be most grateful.
OK back to the original Q:
Aji Kaleidoscope - very meaty berries, fantastically sweet and fruity - but not the typical musky baccatum flavour. Really good for pickling and also for making a fruity sweet puree that is the best base for wing sauce! Very productive - branches hang to the point of almost breaking.
Aji Rainforest - such a pretty little thing with its oddball-shaped berries - look similar to Champion but not so regular and pointy and also ripen to a dull red orange. And they very tasty - sweet and somewhat musky. Very attractive as a jar of pickles (in sweet brine similar to Peppadew - only these actually have a flavour!)
Brazilian Pumpkin - nice heat, thick crunchy flesh. Ripens quickly. Seeds easy to extract - the best aji for pickling.
I fell into the same trap thinking I'll always get the other baccatums from her next time. Alas that is sadly never gonna be.
If you keen on selling some of the baccatum that I don't have from her I would be most grateful.
OK back to the original Q:
Aji Kaleidoscope - very meaty berries, fantastically sweet and fruity - but not the typical musky baccatum flavour. Really good for pickling and also for making a fruity sweet puree that is the best base for wing sauce! Very productive - branches hang to the point of almost breaking.
Aji Rainforest - such a pretty little thing with its oddball-shaped berries - look similar to Champion but not so regular and pointy and also ripen to a dull red orange. And they very tasty - sweet and somewhat musky. Very attractive as a jar of pickles (in sweet brine similar to Peppadew - only these actually have a flavour!)
Brazilian Pumpkin - nice heat, thick crunchy flesh. Ripens quickly. Seeds easy to extract - the best aji for pickling.
RobStar said:
Thanks so much for posting, Robin! Check your PM….
The Dead Kennedys were everywhere with me in the 80s but we're they as pervasive as Madonna or even Max Headroom?windchicken said:There is one more C. baccatum variety that refuses to stop popping into my mind, so I know I need to go ahead and post about it, the Guyana PI199506, from the late Beth Boyd, of Peppermania.com. I grew this chile for only one year, 2011, and found it to also be an absolutely unique pepper among not only the C. baccatum, but all chiles. It appears superficially to be a longer version of Aji Limon, but the flavor is completely different: savory, almost "meaty," and wonderfully delicious, rather than sweet and fruity. I only have one photo from my grow, but I do have this old screen grab from Beth's now-defunct web store:
This photo shows one of my 2011 Guyana plants. They take a really long time to turn yellow, but they are so incredibly delicious that it's completely worth the wait. I quit growing them because the sprawling habit of the plant made them a little tricky to manage, but I always figured if I needed more seeds I could get them from Beth.
I'm growing Aji Guyana- PI 199506 that I got from GRIN. Several long green pods on the biggest plants I have- though not big yet. It & the Aji Pineapples, Lemon Drops, Rainforests, & Omnicolor are blossoming like crazy.
That is a monster tree. That a regular size whiskey barrel?windchicken said:Oh man, great topic! There is so much to say about Capsicum baccatum, but I can sum it up by saying they are SO just fun to grow and eat, straight off of the plant, while standing on the garden, like spicy candy.
Someone back up this thread mentioned the two distinct plant habits of this species: the sprawling habit, such as Aji Lemon, and the upright habit, such as Aji Amarillo. I find the tall plants easier to manage, and tend to grow those varieties…One of those is, in my mind, one of the greatest chiles of all chiles, of all time: the Aji Amarillo, a name which can mean any of several sub-varieties, but I'm talking about the "classic" large-podded, very tall plant. Where I live, in NW Louisiana, it can be very tricky to get ripe fruit from this plant, because it needs a very long season, and a more moderate climate than we have here. I gave up growing it several years ago, but in my mind right now I can taste the crunchy, juicy, sweet, and spicy flavor of this maddeningly wonderful Peruvian chile candy:
This year I'm growing the excellent Bishop's Crown, from seeds I harvested from pods shared with me last year by fellow Louisiana grower Meathead1313…I was struck by their tantalizing crunchy sweetness as well, and am really looking forward to my first fruit.
I think if I were to recommend only one Capsicum baccatum for the Louisiana climate, a plant with a nice upright habit that would produce well through the hottest of the summer months, give tasty, spicy fruit, and seems to thrive on neglect, I would say Birgit's Locoto, probably the most resilient, productive, and versatile variety of C. baccatum that I've grown:
I kept this Birgit's plant for 3 years before I finally passed it on to another grower. You only need one of these!
coachspencerxc said:The Dead Kennedys were everywhere with me in the 80s but we're they as pervasive as Madonna or even Max Headroom?
I'm growing Aji Guyana- PI 199506 that I got from GRIN. Several long green pods on the biggest plants I have- though not big yet. It & the Aji Pineapples, Lemon Drops, Rainforests, & Omnicolor are blossoming like crazy.
Lol, you are right, of course…In the group I ran with, however, the DKs were several orders of magnitude more popular...
Cool, I'm glad you're growing the Guyana, and that someone has seeds available. I look forward to your impressions of it.
hot stuff said:
Thanks HS! That container is actually a resin planter from Home Depot—I believe its volume is around 25 gals or so. However, the Birgit's will get far larger than this one. In 2013 it was the variety used for the Tallest Plant Growdown—I believe Shane Carver's plant was 12 feet tall by the end of the contest. Maybe I can find a photo….
hot stuff said:
Give me your mailing address on the PM…I believe I have some Birgit's seeds...
Wow what an awesome plant windchicken! What is the flavor on those? I may have to get my hands on some seeds for next year too!
ThePepperTrent said:
Hi PT! The plant with the lights is actually Shane Carver's. I can't remember his THP screen name, but it starts with "STC"….
Send me your mailing address on the PM and I'll get some Birgit's seeds out to you ASAP...