Friday, August 24, 2012

Douglah 7 Pot Pepper


The Douglah 7 Pot pepper is extremely hot and one of my favorites. They can range from about 900,000 to well over 1,800,000 scoville units. These peppers have a pimply texture and grow in odd shapes and seem very light as if they were hollow. The heat level is very hot up front and gets intense very quickly. The taste has a slight earthy flavor but is not overwhelming which tells me I need to make some salsa with these peppers very soon.











Sunday, August 5, 2012

Yucatan White Habanero


(Capsicum Chinese)

The White Yucatan Habanero plant is an abundant producing plant with jellybean size peppers turning from light pale green to off white when ripe. The peppers are extremely hot, much hotter than the standard orange Habanero. The plant does well with about 5-6 hours of full sun.


Saturday, May 5, 2012

Transplanting Pepper Plants

Transplanting pepper plants from 2" pots to large 5 gallon pots is easy. The process takes about 1 minute or less, its that simple. I use 3-5 gallon pots for all pepper plants because this will allow the plants to get big while controlling the moisture level.








Just follow these steps:


1. Pre-soak the 3-5 gallon pot of soil before transplanting the plant so that it's new home is in a moist condition.

2. Dig the hole in the new pot slightly deeper and wider than the pot the plant is being removed from.

3. Remove the plant from the small pot by holding the plant stem and squeezing the bottom of the pot to facilitate the plant sliding out.

4. Once the plant is out, gently untangle the roots at the bottom of the plant so the roots do not become root bound.

5. Place the plant in the hole and gently press the soil around the plant base until it's compacted to a stable condition.





Sunday, March 18, 2012

Orange Habanero

When most people are asked what is the hottest pepper they have tried, the answer is most likely the Orange Habanero. This is the hottest pepper sold in most grocery stores and can sell for upwards of $8.00/lb or more. The heat level of this pepper is right around 300,000 scoville units which is more than enough to spice up any meal. I usually buy a couple pounds when the price is right and dehydrate them to use all year long is salsas and other meals that need a little kick. The Orange Habanero plant is very easy to grow and can produce a large amount of peppers if started early in the growing season.

Fresh Orange Habaneros


These Habaneros were cut in half to facilitate the drying process.


These were dried at 140 degrees fahrenheit for 9 hours.


Keep the dried Habaneros in air tight containers or ziploc bags for use all year long.


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion

New Hottest Pepper on the PlanetThis undated image provided by New Mexico State University shows the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, the new hottest pepper on the planet, as identified by NMSU's Chile Pepper Institute. Researchers determined the golf ball-sized pepper has a mean Scoville Heat Unit value of 1.2 million. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Jim Duffy, New Mexico State University)

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion

Check it out, a new world record holder. I have tried the ghost chili ( bhut Jolokia ) and that is extremely blistering hot at just over 1,000,000 scoville units, and some of these pods came in at slightly over 2,000,000 with a mean heat of about 1.2 million. There is more and more people getting into growing and creating new strains of peppers, I don't doubt there will be a hotter pepper than this very soon. There are some tricks you can do to get your peppers hotter and more potent.

1. Exposing your plants to hotter temperatures
2. Regulating feed water to give them just enough during the fruiting period
3. Using worm castings and worm tea for fertilizer on a regular basis



For more information on this Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper click below.


http://news.yahoo.com/trinidad-moruga-scorpion-wins-hottest-pepper-title-015457622.html

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Trinidad 7 Pot / Pod

Capsicum chinense


This pepper is extremely hot and has a scoville unit range from about 600,000 - 800,000 or more when the growing conditions are right. This plant can take up to 120 days for harvest. The pepper has a citrus like flavor and is very potent tasting when eaten alone but works great for drying and grinding up into powders for use in hot salsas. The plant should be started early to guarantee harvest into the late summer. Medium to full sun works well with this plant type.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Fresh Homemade Salsa


Preparation Time 10-15 min

1            28 oz can whole tomatoes (drained)
1/2         brown onion (diced)
2            jalapeno peppers (diced)
2            Fresno peppers (diced)
1/4         cup cilantro chopped
1/2         teaspoon cumin
1            teaspoon white sugar
1/2         teaspoon sea salt
1/2         lime squeezed

1. Dice the jalapeno and fresno peppers (burning the exterior before dicing the peppers is optional). Add the diced peppers and a teaspoon of oil to a small skillet and brown/slightly burn the peppers, then set aside.

Peppers before cooked
Peppers after being cooked
















 2. Add all of the ingredients to the blender including the cooked peppers and blend/pulse to desired consistency, usually about 8-12 pulses for 1 second each.













3. Enjoy



Monday, February 13, 2012

Hungarian Yellow Wax


Another great pepper for people who like medium hot peppers with great flavor. These peppers range from 4-6" long and get about 1" in diameter. They are fast growers and start off with a yellow banana like color, then turn to an orangish color when overly ripe. The peppers grow in clusters and usually point upwards as if they are begging to be picked. I enjoy these peppers during the green stage, but before I cook with them I use a blow torch to burn the skins off as these have a very thick waxy outer skin. These peppers are great for frying whole. Plants do great in full sun.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Bird's eye chili / Thai Chili

This chili is becoming one of my favorites because it's like a serrano on steroids. I have been buying these at a local market for over a year. I usually just need to add a few to a small meal that I am cooking and that seems to do the trick. They have a serrano like flavor and are great for using with mexican dishes. The hotness rating is between 50,000 - 100,000 scoville units which is perfect for people who like it hot.



Thursday, February 9, 2012

Garden Salsa Hybrid


This is a hybrid chili pepper specifically developed for the use in americanized mexican salsas. These peppers get about 6-8" long and are about 1" across. I was intrigued when I saw this plant because  I have never heard of it before last year, so I bought it and boy was I impressed. This is a great tasting pepper and has just the right amount of heat for everyday use in salsas, fried onions, whole, etc. The peppers are about as hot a serrano but with a unique flavor that soon became addicting. If you like medium hot peppers and you see this plant I would grab it. This plant does great in full or partial sun.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Thai Dragon Pepper


Capsicum annuum

This is one of easiest peppers to grow. They range in hotness from about 50,000 + scoville units and are long and slender with thin skins and usually take about 70-90 days for harvest, sometimes the plants will yield twice before the the end of the growing season. These are one of the best peppers for drying and are great to cook with whole or chopped into pieces. The peppers turn from dark green to bright red when ripe.



Sunday, February 5, 2012

Homemade Naga Jolokia Salsa Recipe

This recipe is simple to make and tastes better than restaurant salsas.

1       28 ounce can whole tomatoes drained
1/2    large brown onion (diced)
1/4    cup of chopped cilantro (loose)
1       tablespoon sugar
1/4    tablespoon sea salt
1/4    tablespoon cumin
1/8    tablespoon naga jolokia powder

Add all of the ingredients to the blender and chop/pulse to desired consistency. This picture below was 7 pulses for 1 second each. This salsa is very spicy so you may want to adjust the naga jolokia powder as necessary.