Can you feel the burn?

[GM54-120]

The base mix is 2 Williams White Chicken Chili mix, 1 tbs ground cumin, little granulated garlic and 1/2 a dried Scotch bonnet for a tiny bit of heat. Onion, 1 large Anaheim, little shallot and a stalk of celery sauteed in olive oil with a pinch of Mexican oregano for the "sofrito".

I like the Williams because there is no salt added to it.

 

[Idaholewis]

My Zapotec Jalapeño’s are coming along nicely, I am starting to take these Guy’s outside during the Day. It’s stil awful cold in the Mornings here tho, 36 Degrees here right now. I made an absolute MESS out of my C. Reapers by Transplanting them in to Big Pots outside, WAY WAY To Cold on them! I was putting them in the Garage at night, 1 morning it was 29 Degrees, Frost all over the Yard etc. That “Stung” Them Even Though They were in the Garage, I ended up pulling and Re potting in Smaller Pots so i could bring them back inside, They ended up losing all of their leaves, I Topped them BIG TIME 2 different Times back before taking them outside, They have been through the RINGER!! I only have 3 of them left, Highly doubtful they will do much? They have made a GIANT Comeback, I have them in a Window now. Pepper Plants can’t go in Big Pots, or the Ground here til Mid, Late May

 

[GM54-120]

Any day now most of my seedlings can go outside under a shade cloth. I still have a few of my "hillbilly" peanut bags. They dont last very long outside before they start to break down. The first aji pancas are about a foot tall now. None of the others are even close but i got a couple antep aci dolma and sugar rush peach doing well. If the Bolsa de Dulce keep going at the same rate they are gunna be killer plants. They are a weird hybrid cross between a aji yellow (baccatum) and a Carmine hab (chinense). Supposed to be about jalapeno heat range.



Super hots HATE the cold. One of my Jays Peach Ghost Scorpions was damaged in shipping from the cold. It should make it but it looks bad. My other pepper seedling order shipped yesterday. Those are 2 Reapers and 2 Dragons Breath. A couple hot wax too but i dont really need those that bad. I can buy those pods locally pretty cheap. Had to order 6 plants. Pops likes pickled banana/hot wax peppers though and store bought got too much salt for him.

My Zapotec need real sun light badly. The lights inside cause some leaves to get purple splotches on them. They dont bother some kinds of peppers at all but it really shows up on others. A couple places had some Mucho Nacho seedlings. I thought they looked like hell so i passed for now. Mine looked better. Im probably gunna take a chance and plant my 2 aji arnaucho outside today. They are not critical to my grow and i need the window sill space....These seem to be a great mild hab type to grow inside. Plants are very compact and produce great. Heat level is way under a regular habanero too. They are still plenty hot. Probably around cayenne heat level or slightly more.

I made a small compost pile in the jalapeno patch this year. Soil under it is so soft now. Worms galore too. It was just leaves, egg shells, Jobes compost starter and plants from last year i chopped up. Whatever is not fully composted will go over the weed barrier in the gherkin patch.

On a side note.....ive got volunteer Dreadies galore in 3 pots. I had so many pods last year i let tons of them go bad on the plants. Those pods fell in the pots. Im not 100% sure they are Dreadies but im sure they are peppers. Those 3 pots all had Dreadies in them so i cant imagine what else they would be.

 

[MrTom]

I've got these in the garden right now. Not too hot but damned tasty when grilled.

 

[GM54-120]

For YEARS i could not stand asparagus even though grandma grew it all the time. Finally one day (probably 15-20yrs later) i had it NOT overcooked and loved it. I feel the same way about broccoli and several other veggies. Some i wont touch at all when cooked too much. If it does get over done or if there are leftovers....."Cream Of" souped isnt too bad.

Im not growing much non peppers this year. Tired of fighting the squirrels for the maters and normal cukes just dont hold up nearly as well as Burr Gherkins. Maybe some snow peas and i got some long beans to grow again. The Asian long beans love the heat and just 3-4 vines will produce way more than i can eat. I give the extra to a Chinese restaurant just up the road.

I do grow a good selection of herbs
Vietnamese Coriander aka Laksa.....taste sorta like cilantro but never bolts and simple to clone from cuttings
Lemon Grass
Lime Basil...this stuff is really limey too but less anise flavor than Thai basil.
Thai Sweet Basil...specifically Siam Queen variety....REALLY STRONG STUFF
Globe Basil or spicy Globe Basil
Lemon Thyme....very strong lemon scent to it
Creeping Thyme....overwinters well here
Greek Oregano
Spicy Oregano
Rosemary

Gunna try Mexican Tarragon this year too. Its like regular tarragon but a hint of anise....sorta like a cross with a Thai basil

 

[GM54-120]

Making my version of birria today or maybe more closely called...carne de res since im using beef. Birria is a goat stew more or less from Mexico. Often served shredded on tacos with a bowl of the broth for dipping. Usually not much else other than fresh cilantro, fresh lime wedges and chopped onion for garnish. This is not very spicy. All the peppers used are milder than most jalapenos. Mostly Ancho and Guajillo but im out of Guajillo so im subbing in homegrown NuMex Big Jims.

This recipe here is close to authentic (depending on the region) if you want to try making it yourself. Mine will be very similar with only minor alterations to the peppers used.
https://www.spicesinc.com/p-6394-birria-a-mexican-beef-stew.aspx

It all starts by rehydrating dried pods in boiling water then puree/strain them into a thin paste. Fry up a mess of onions and add the paste. You can just add the onion to the blender with the paste but i like it this way. This step is more similar to an enchilada sauce where you "fry" the sauce first with the onion before adding more liquid to slow cook the meat.

Ancho....Pasilla....Big Jim and Aji Panca

 

[GM54-120]

Well its all browned, pureed and tossed together. Brought it up to temp on the stove top then put it in the oven really low. Today is rainy so lighting sucks. My camera is right on the edge of needing to use the flash and the flash screws up the color badly. After browning the meat in 2 tbs rice bran oil and 2 tbs of lard (meat was kinda lean) i added the onion and some salt to the pan. Then poured in the pepper paste concoction with all the spices. Sorta frying the sauce for a couple minutes Then added the meat back to the pan. Let that cook for about 30min in the intense flavors before thinning it down a bit. The steeping water from the peppers was not bitter so i used that.

Flash really messes up the color. Thats a little over 4lbs of stew meat. Shanks are better for this but it is what it is.

It irritates me so bad i managed a shot in a small bowl to get the correct color (without the flash)

 

[ShawnT]

That looks Really tasty!

 

[Idaholewis]

Darn it GM54!! Stellar looking Dish my friend!

 

[GM54-120]

I used some for soft tacos....really needed just a sweet onion salsa or pickled onions though. This is whats good on that type of taco. https://sharedappetite.com/recipes/easy-pickled-onions/

Here are my window sill guys....Well some of them. I got 16 more in other sills atm.

3 on the left are Antep Aci Dolma. 3 on the right are Sugar Rush Peach...but my smaller ones. I was hoping they would catch up to my nicer ones.

7 Zapotec. The purplish splotches are almost gone now....Its the freaking lights...Im sure of it.

 

[Idaholewis]

My Zapotec’s did the EXACT same purple color thing? They also came out of it on their own I was gonna ask you about this quite awhile back on mine. Something about this Variety? I don’t think it’s lights? Maybe? You and i are running different light setups (I believe? What did you have yours under?) it’s odd that Both of our Plants showed the Purplish color on the leaves, Mine did it at about that Same size as yours. I started My Zapotec seed Mid March, they were up in 6-7 Days, My Plants are Really getting with it now! It’s got me kinda nervous, it is stil Freezing in the Mornings, i need to wait til the End of May to Pot them Outside, Which is a LONG time to go with these Guy’s the Size they are.

These Guy’s have been trying to Flower for at least a Week, i keep pinching them back and not allowing it

 

[Idaholewis]

I am Looking in to Green Houses, NICE ONES I could really use one here! I know i would enjoy the Heck out of it!! This time of year we deal with Morning Frost, But also RIDICULOUS Wind, It will start out to be a Beautiful Day and the next thing you know you can Feel/Hear the Wind SLAM the House, i have to make a Mad dash out and Grab my Plants, otherwise they get Tattered and Beat to pieces. I got REALLY lucky the other day and Caught it in the Nick of time, the Wind had Tipped 4 of my Zapotec’s Completely over on their Side. Typical North Idaho Spring Weather

A nice Green House is in my near Future Something i can Easily heat with an Oil heater

 

[GM54-120]

I had it on a few plants, not just the Zaps but they did get it the worst. It clears up in a few days after you remove them. The Sugar Rush Peach and Bolsa de Dulce didnt get any of it on the leaves. Stems are dark but i see that on lots of younger plants. I raised my lights a little more to see if that helps since it resembles pepper sun burn. When i used Gro-Lux wide spectrum bulbs in the past i never got it. Those bulbs though have less lumens and have gotten harder to get locally....Super hard to find unless you got a old T12 fixture.

Well my last 6 plants arrived safe and sound. They all looked really good for CCN seedlings. Mine still looked better but since super hots can take so long to get this size it was worth it.
2 Dragons Breath
2 Reapers
1 Hungarian Hot Wax and 1 Hot Banana...Decided to try both and i just dont need more really freaking hot peppers. Pickled mildish banana peppers are the bomb on sammies and burgers.

The other seedlings i ordered were
3 Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion....might lose one. They shipped during a pretty cold period and all the plants hated it
1 Scorpion
1 Scotch Brain...7 Pot Brain Strain crossed with a Scotch Bonnet.
1 Joes Long Cayenne...these are supposed to produce the worlds longest pepper.

This is the Scotch Brain from the same vendor.

 

[GM54-120]

Once in awhile Harbor Freight blows out mini greenhouses for around $200 or less. They would be large enough to handle a huge amount of seedlings. Ive got 2 stores locally but i imagine shipping would be the killer for those that dont have one close by. If i had to have it shipped its about $100 in shipping.
https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/greenhouses-supplies/6-ft-x-8-ft-greenhouse-63354.html

 

[GM54-120]

Checkout this guy's sauce. I won a free bottle in a promotion. Not sure which im getting yet. 4 bottles shipped to me is under $31. Its super hard to find good fermented hot sauce for $5 a bottle.
https://www.boldbadgersauces.com/

 

[Idaholewis]

Checkout this guy's sauce. I won a free bottle in a promotion. Not sure which im getting yet. 4 bottles shipped to me is under $31. Its super hard to find good fermented hot sauce for $5 a bottle.
https://www.boldbadgersauces.com/

Keep me posted on that Sauce, if you really like it i will order some to try

Check this out, I was surfing our Local Craigslist Ads and Found these Agrobrite T5 Designer Lights (EXACTLY like what i have, Except Bigger) He has a 4 Ft 8 Bulb, and a 4 Ft 4 Bulb, Both lights for 80 Bucks, Used 1 Year, Can’t tell from Brand New. I texted the Guy and said I WILL TAKE THEM!! I was confident he was in Spokane (About an Hr Drive) Come to find out he is in Tri Cities/Pasco, 400 Mile Round Trip for me, I opted out. BUMMER! What a DEAL!!

 

[GM54-120]

I went with the SmokeHouse BBQ flavor. Im going to order some of his Overkill if this one is any good.
https://www.boldbadgersauces.com/smokehouse-bbq.html

 

[GM54-120]

It burns so good but not brutal. Way better than Smoken Marie's

 

[GM54-120]

A couple Texas tamale company and one Tamale Factory pork tamale....The Texas ones are not really that great but they are cheap. The other one is really good. Some Fresh Thyme hatch chile salsa and Bold Badger Smokehouse from his recent promotional giveaway....freaking great on this too.

 

[GM54-120]

Houston we have lift off. Stage one completed. Preparing for secondary.

2 Mini Reds i started early are already hardened off

I put them to work weighing down some chairs for shading the babies.

Aji Arnaucho was also already hardened off and blooming. I picked most off the other day and it had more today.

I still have my best 5 aji panca (they are huge btw) and 12 i ordered online in sills.

Plus 5 more panca under lights and 2 more Bolsa de Dulce im trying to give away.