Loads of Chile Information

I ran across this website today after it’s owner placed a comment on one of my posts.  His website is very informative.  You can find lots of helpful information on different varieties of peppers.  The origins of the peppers and very detailed descriptions included.

He also sells a ton of seeds.  A must see.

http://www.superhotchiles.com/

The Pepper Freak

2012 Pepper Season

Ah, the 2012 Chile pepper season is almost upon us.  I am getting very excited this year as I will be growing all new strains that I have never worked with.  I’ve collected over 20 varieties of seeds over the winter and have a pretty good idea of what I want to grow.  I will not be growing Bhut Jolokia this season.  Instead, I have decided to grow the Buth “T” Trinidad Scorpion variety that I acquired from Pepper Joe @ Pepperjoe.com.  This pepper originated in Trinidad and Tobago.  The seeds were propagated by Butch Taylor hence where this pepper got it’s name.  The pepper tested by the Guinness book of world records was grown by Marcel de Wit of the Chilli Factory in Morisett, Australia.   This pepper not only packs one of the hottest punches known to man, the flavor I heard is irresistable.

I will also be using 5 gallon containers again.  The drip system was more of a pain than anything I have ever dealt with in gardening.  I will be using the same timer and install sprinklers or sprayers instead of the drip.  This should solve all of the problems I had with the drip system.

The seeds will be started the usual way in peat pellets under a humidity dome with a heat mat.  They will then be transplanted to 4 gallon pots under a 400 Watt HID light.

More later.

The Pepper Freak

The Naga Viper DOES NOT strip paint!

Unless you’ve been encased in ice the last few weeks, you’ve all already heard of the dreaded Naga Viper from http://www.chileseeds.co.uk/.   Currently listed as the hottest chile pepper in the world (For now), testing by Warwick University at a whopping 1,359,000 SHU.  Where did this beautiful little pod species come from you might ask?  Well no place other than England of course.   Gerald Fowler of the Chilli Pepper Company has created this beast by cross breeding Naga Jolokia strains and Trinidad hybrids.  No wonder it’s so hot.  Before I start my rant I have to give the Chilli Pepper Seed company and Mr. Fowler a big shoutout for this creation.  I have not had the opportunity to try one. YET.  Believe me, as soon as I get my hands on some I will have an extensive and pain filled review for you all.

Now, the media has been amazed by this and as written numerous articles online about this strain’s abilities.   One of these being that this pepper is “so hot” it can strip paint.  Do these reporters just like to add these myths into their articles for popularity or have they never actually researched anything and actually believe this?  I’ve read this statement on numerous news sites and even saw the quote “The chemical (capsaicin) is so strong that it is used as a paint stripper.”

Derrrrr…. FALSE!

Capsaicin chemically carries no properties that would allow it to “Strip Paint” and has NEVER been used in old or modern paint strippers.  Capsaicin is merely an irritant produced by the plant to protect itself from hungry mammals like ourselves and other animals.  Birds are the only exception to its irritating properties.  It’s an irritant to mucosal tissue because it binds to a specific receptor that also send signals of heat and physical abrasion to the brain.  It goes through no chemical reaction whatsoever.  Regardless of how bad your mouth felt like it was being sliced open by a rusty knife, that was merely a perceived feeling by neurons in your brain.

Paint strippers work by using an active ingredient which work to penetrate the paint molecules causing them to swell and are then easily removed from the surface.   Capsaicin will not penetrate paint molecules and will NOT allow the paint to be stripped any easier than if using nothing at all.

So… here’s to you very unintelligent reporters who seem to like to scare the masses with your poorly researched articles and fear driving rhetoric.   Next time, do some real research so the entire world will not be in a tizzy of misinformation.

Now, on a lighter note, as soon as I can get my hands on seeds of this strain I will be attempting to grow this little monster.  I’ve heard it has great flavor 🙂

New Year, New Season

So, I’ve officially used up every pod from this past season.  A little early for my taste as I’d like them to last a LOT longer.  I went a little crazy and my mouth has thanked me for it repeatedly.  I cannot believe the season is getting ready to start again.  Last year’s growing experience has really opened my eyes and has allowed me to really hone in on what I want to grow this year.  I am going to focus strictly on my favorites. 

I will be growing Bhut Jolokia, Cayenne, Red Savina, and a NMU variety jalepeno.   I will be switching seed companies for various reasons that I will choose to keep private.  I’ve heard great things about the Chili Institute at New Mexico University, and will be placing an order with them this year.

I look forward to keeping this blog more active in the coming season and have lots of posts in the works.

Happy growing

Bhut Jolokia Mexican Lasagna

So this a good recipe that my wife cued me in on.  I just took the original mexican lasagna recipe and tweaked a little.  Ok… I add jolokia’s, so I guess I tweaked it a lot.

For this recipe I normally use fresh ingredients but for sake of time I went with canned.

Ingredients:

1 Bhut Jolokia Peppers

1 Bag of your favorite shredded cheese

1/4 can of black beans

1 small can of whole kernel corn

Corn tortillas

Spanish Rice

1 lb of your favorite ground beef

1 Tablespoon of cumin

1 clove of garlic

You are going to be using an 8 by 8 brownie pan for this.  To start, you are going to want to brown the beef on medium heat with a large skillet.  While the meat is browning finely chop your jolokia pepper into a fine mash like consistency.

While the meat is still browning, add the chopped peppers to the meat

After the meat is browned, strain it.   Add it back to the skillet and stir in 1/4 cup of water, the cumin and garlic.  Let simmer until all water has evaporated.

While the meat is simmering, layer the bottom of your brownie pan with tortilla.

All you do now is layer.  Meat, beans, corn, rice, cheese, more tortilla, then another layer of goodies.  Top with tortilla’s and cheese.

Once you’ve layered everything, back at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes or until your cheese is melted.

Enjoy!  And Be careful! This can be quite spicy.  🙂

Pepper Freak

Freezing Hot Chile Peppers

You may or may not know, but there are multiple ways to preserve your freshly harvested peppers.  In this post, we will only be covering one of those methods.  That is freezing the peppers.

This is especially helpful when you have an over-abundance that you may not use before they start to go bad.  Now, freezing is one of my favorite methods of preservation.  It keeps the peppers almost as fresh as the day they are picked for quite some time.  All that’s needed is a quick thaw to get them right where you started.

So, you are out in your garden and you bring back something that looks like this:

Since you probably already have a refrigerator full of peppers, you are going to want to find a way of preserving them.  First things first, you are going to want rinse your chile’s off very well.  You should already be doing this by now, but if you haven’t been then you should start.  This will rinse off all the dirt and particles of whatever that may have built up during the growing season.  After you rinse thoroughly, let them dry.

Grab a sharp knife and cut the stem off of each pepper right at the shoulder.  You should cut the pepper just enough to get the stem and expose some of the inner flesh.  Like this:

Once you have done that, just stick the pepper (seeds, flesh and all) inside any size freezer Zip Lock style bag that accommodates your needs.  Your peppers should look similar to this:

All you have to do now is seal your bag and stick them in your freezer.   When more peppers come, just do the same thing and add to the same bag. You will want to keep each strain in its own bag.  Also, you will want to label the bags with the strain and date.  The peppers will keep this way for around a year or so.

If you are like me then this here will soon start to add up:

When you are ready to use them, simply take them out and leave at room temperature.  Thawing is quick and usually takes just under 20 minutes. 

Good Luck!

The Pepper Freak

August up date on the growing season.

So I haven’t posted in a while.  All of my chile’s are doing wonderful.  I’ve harvested around 20-30 Bhut Jolokia’s, 15 Turkish Cayenne, and multiple banana peppers.  The drip irrigation system is one of the greatest things I’ve ever purchased.  It works like a charm.

The 2 tabasco plants I moved outside have around 100 peppers on them looking good.  I just recently purchased a fermentation bucket with an airlock so I can make my own homemade tabasco sauce.  I plan on using more than just tabasco peppers in it and I plan on aging it around 6 months.

I will have a pictorial on that as well as one on Bhut Jolokia Vodka, Chile Brownies and a whole tutorial on freezing and drying.

For now, here are just a few photos from the last few months.

Fluorescent Purple:

Bolivian Rainbow:

Hot Banana:

Small Bhut Jolokia peppers:

Turkish Cayenne Getting bigger:

Yes I know, I am getting behind on my weeding. Way behind! :

Small Tabasco peppers:

Ripe Bhut Jolokia:

Been a While…

Sorry I’ve been away for so long.  With a new baby in the house, working full time and School 17 hours a week, it can be tough to update your blog. I have TONSSS of photos from this season from April until now that I will be posting this weekend.  All of the wonderful peppers are coming along nicely.  My bhut jolokia’s are just starting to ripen.  I actually bit into one the other day and the pain it brought me was amazing.

Check back this weekend for lots of updates.

The Pepper Freak

Installing Drip Irrigation system

So I decided to get moving on the drip system since May is coming very soon.   The baby will be here within the next 3 weeks so if I didn’t get this done now, I wasn’t going to do it ever. (or be too late)

I highly recommend drip works USA. http://www.dripworksusa.com

They have a wonderful and helpful website for beginners and pros alike.  I was able to learn everything I needed to about a drip system just from their website.  When comparing it to other tutorials on other sites later, I found their information spot on and non-biased.

With that aside… I ordered a simple system I put together myself from what I had learned.  I wanted to plant the chile’s in containers this year but needed a way to keep them on a regular water schedule since they would dry out so fast and I’m never home.

I ordered 50 feet of 1/2 inch main line tubing,50 feet of 1/4 inch tubing,an automated timer, a filter, a pressure regulator, and a bunch of connectors.

Using a plastic Y splitter, I split the spout so I could still use my regular hose for my flower gardens.  Off of the Y is the battery operated digital timer.  I can run this system up to 9 times a day for up to 4 hours each if I’d like.  This timer also comes with a rain sensor that will not allow the system to run in the rain.  From the timer, is the pressure regulator.  It lowers the PSI to a system stable 20 PSI.  From there is the filter. Drip emitters can clog very easily so a filter is needed to keep out all the nasty gunk that could end up in the water.  From the filter is the easy lock end that allows a 1/2 inch main line to connect.

I ended up not buying the hole puncher but my portable drill worked fine.

A hole was drilled for each container I was using.  Which in this case, is 15 5-gallon buckets.   After drilling 15 holes in the mainline, I ran 1/4 inch line from the main line to the buckets.   The buckets were pre-drilled with a 1/4 inch hole to allow the feed lines to sit snug where they need to be.

From the mainline, I used 1/4 inch transfer barbs to run the fee lines.

The main line runs from the spicket down one aisle and around the left side.  Here is a photo about halfway through the install.

I wanted this area to be somewhat decorative, so I decided to fill the area around the buckets in with red enhanced mulch. It would bury the mainline and look a lot better.

After the mulch was spread around at 3″ deep it looked pretty good. The main line was out of sight and the color of the mulch was a deep, deep red that contrasts with the white buckets wonderfully.

This about as far as I will go today.  The peppers cannot be transferred to the containers until our last average frost date which is around May 11.

Once I get the buckets filled with soil I will attach the drip emitter line which will coil around the plants inside the containers.  Each container will have a line with 4 emitters.  I will have to program the timer based on the temperature and soil conditions.  I plan on monitoring this very closely.

At the end of the main line I had to attach something to block the water from just escaping at the end.  A figure 8 attachment is perfect.

I will post more pictures when I finish the system and transfer the chile’s.  I will give more details on my system like flow rates, timings, and growth rates.  So make sure you come back and check the status!

‘Chili-heads’ seek friendly fire from powerful pepper

By Sara Bonisteel, CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/homestyle/04/14/chile.heads.seek.heat/?hpt=Sbin

(CNN) — India may be turning the world’s hottest chili into a weapon, but there are people who actually want to eat the ghost chili — the bhut jolokia or naga jolokia — for fun.

“As soon as something is declared and proven to be the hottest chili pepper in the world, everybody wants to grow it,” said Dave DeWitt, the author of more than 35 books on chilis, including “The Complete Chile Pepper Book.”

“So they can take people out in their yard and say, ‘That is the hottest chili pepper in the world. Do you dare eat it?’ ”

A small but dedicated group of chili pepper lovers fosters its devotion to heat on Web sites and at festivals nationwide.

They gather at annual events such as the Chile Pepper Food Festival in Bowers, Pennsylvania, an autumn affair that features a pepper-eating contest, naturally, but also a song contest and excursions into the fields where fans can see how their favorite peppers are grown.

In their homes, fans congregate for “hotlucks,” the traditional potluck with exponentially higher heat.

Mark Stevens of Monmouth County, New Jersey, is among these self-proclaimed “chili-heads.”

“The main issue is flavor,” Stevens said. “It’s not a pissing contest to see who can eat the hottest thing, which is usually what you see when the media reports on the stuff.”

Once an eater gets used to the heat, he or she begins to appreciate the flavor differences of each varietal, Stevens says.

“You basically build up a tolerance to the heat and then can taste all the flavors that are underneath it, so that what was just basically flavorless blazing heat, after a while, you can actually taste the different flavors in different chilis in different foods,” he said.

Stevens says he began eating chilis in the early 1990s when he needed to lose weight. “I wanted something that I could snack on that was pretty low-calorie but definitely let me know that I had eaten something, and chilis kind of fit the bill.”

Dave Hirschkop has been selling hot sauces for 17 years through his company, Dave’s Gourmet, and says it’s the hottest sauces that are his best sellers.

“There are a lot of people that just want to challenge themselves,” Hirschkop said. “They want to see what the hottest thing in the world is, either because they’re daredevils or because their heat tolerance is amazingly high and to get that reaction they like, they need something that’s super strong.”

Hirschkop sells two sauces made with the ghost chili, a pepper so hot it rates about 1 million on the Scoville unit system. Tabasco comes in at around 5,000.

The Indian government said last month that it planned to use the ghost pepper in a tear gas-like hand grenade aimed at fighting terrorists or rioters.

Making a weapon is “probably one of the best things you can do with them,” DeWitt said.

The peppers get their heat from capsaicin, a chemical that the plants have developed to keep mammals from eating them (mammals destroy the seeds in the digestion process). Birds, which can eat the peppers and pass the seeds through their system, are immune to the heat of capsaicin.

The people who really like to eat the super-hot chilis probably don’t have as many capsaicin receptors in their mouths, DeWitt says.

It’s the fiery reaction that Dave’s Gourmet customers are searching for. Hirschkop puts the ghost chili in one of his “Insanity” sauces as well as in a limited-edition hot sauce he sells in a wooden coffin tied shut with caution tape.

“This one has a great flavor but is the hottest in the world; that’s the bottom line, right?” he said. “People aren’t talking about some cascabel [chili] or some other variety with that enthusiasm.”