Chilli heads.

My experience. Guajillo, ancho, morita, chipotle, pasilla. Not all done in a home dehydrator, mind.

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How are yours coming along @Chopsicle ?

Yeah, the oven method although last time was maybe too hot and it almost smelt like they were burnt.

I'm going to try half in the fan method in a box(In my garage) and half in the oven with the door open.

Yes! just about getting there. Been away for a few days, and came back to first lot of ripe cayenne and calabrian (the red ones that look like cherry tomatos), plus a few padrons I missed from two bowls I already took off. The padrons get hotter the longer they're on the plant, so these will need mixing up into a sauce or spicy salad. Lots more flowers, so hopefully plenty more coming through.

Theres one Big Mustard plant which has more fruit than all my other Mustard and Reapers put together. Quite impressive how big, aggressive and laden it is compared to the others, literally poking it's branches and massive leaves - as big as my flat hand - over the other plants to get more sunlight. The fruits are just starting to turn, so maybe in a few days I can have an exploratory nibble....

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And cheers for the drying tips all - v useful to know.

The little one, a Cherio Roxa I decided to keep in a tiny pot.
There are a few fruits coming, success!

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Nice little harves @Chopsicle - the Calabrian ones look super cute, would love to try..

Also nice Bonsai @enNiclas 👍

Right so the oven technique about 50-75 degree with the door open wasn’t working but the box with a vent has worked a treat.

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hello! here's my crop, they seem to be coming along nicely.
on the left are some nondescript 'orange chilli peppers'
on the right are slowburn which have flowered and are starting to bud
in the middle is a fine crop of trinidad moruga scorpions, which i have no idea what i'm going to do with!

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wow, a healthy looking lot there @bigshape! Jealous of your greenhouse, I'm forever shuffling pots around on window sills and balconies, trying to get sunshine and keep the wind from battering them over

Tried some fine slices of the Big Mustard the other night ....very impressed! Flavour is rich, fruity, sweet-raisiny, with a strong olive oil pepperyness, to the point where I thought I'd somehow put olive oil on them. Very hot, but not excessively. All this flavour will make great chilli jam.

Recommend this strain, but as a word of caution, I have one plant laden with fruit, one with none (but flowered), and another with only 1 fruit. Might be my growing conditions, but they were listed as 'unstable' so perhaps that's what it means ...could get some seeds out if anyone is interested, just ask!

cheers. stuff is growing in there much better than last year. had lots of bugs which stopped stuff from growing so I did a smoke bomb thing in there this year before planting anything up.
got loads of tomatoes and some cucumbers as well.
has anyone here made chilli jam with Trinidad Moruga before? is it going to be brain meltingly hot?

I was a bit apprehensive about the super-hot varieties, but think you’ll be absolutely fine to use as you would any other. What surprised me is the amount of flavour and richness, making them more appealing to use in relishes/jams, either in smaller quantities/same heat, or same q’s/higher heat :)

good to hear! thanks! i think i'll probably be able to experiment with some soon. i did read that i should possibly wear gloves and eye protection when harvesting!?
quite a bit of growth and ripening during my week away by the sea...

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..looking good!

I have never heard of needing to wear gloves and eye protection for harvesting (they are only hot inside).. definitely take care when cutting them up (remember to wash knife, cutting board and then your hands)

Yeah cant say I wear gloves for handling unless im breaking into them.

yip defo, when preparing and cooking + stand away from the path of fumes>extractor. ......It will probably leave residual heat in the pan, so don't use the same pan for something like sweet pancakes the day after!

Did first batch of chill jam at the weekend using mainly Mustards and everything else that was ripe. Really good, it is very hot, pleasantly so, and also packed with loads of flavour, so a little goes a long way.

Recipe below, and the char/cover/skin + deseed, is a v easy way to handle the chillis;
https://realfood.tesco.com/step-by-step/how-to-make-spicy-chilli-jam.html
I used the seeds and any waste to make some chilli oil. First tasting is ok, but a bit one-dimensional, but figure it won't be a problem to get more flavour into the next batch with some additional ingredients.

More of the unknown orange "lanterns" ripening.. they take aaages to go from green to orange.. very tasty though, enjoying them raw with bread & cheese 🥰

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A drying experiment

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Might’ve already been covered, but I just discovered this sauce, pretty damn tasty! (If a bit artificial / typical American commercialised hot sauce) .

Notes as they appear: BBQ honey, sweet red tomato, roasted red chilli, slightly umami and very slightly vinagre-y. Goes well with tortilla chips.

Heat: appears with with the tomato flavour, builds up to a strong heat in mouth, minimal irritation in the nose. Quite pleasantly hot spicy, not nearly as spicy as I’d anticipated which might not be a bad thing as I’m glad I won’t be wasting the rest. Less sharp than a habanero, similar heat, lasts a bit longer.

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Any good recipes for pickling jalapenos?

1) Buy a jar of jalapeños en escabeche from a commercial brand you like. Herdez ***, La Costeña **, Clemente Jacques ** are a few good ones. Procure a second similar sized empty container and sterilise it.
2) Cut stems off fresh jalapeños, cut fruit width-wise, sauté in olive or vegetable oil over a medium heat, making sure they don’t go mushy (I prefer them slightly crunchy). Let cool.
3) Split jalapeños and commercial pickle between the two containers. Top up with white vinegar. Put containers in fridge for a week and voilá. If you purchased a tin instead of a jar you’ll need to transfer your pickle out of the tin or it will spoil.

You can also sauté carrots and onion with the jalapeño, adding in a bay leaf and maybe a bit of black pepper if you’re sautéing lots.

If you want to do it from scratch, I do variations on:

500g jalapeños, cut into wheels
1/2 cup carrots, peeled and julienned
1/8-1/4 Tbsp black peppercorn
1/2 large white onion, cubes
6 cloves garlic
1 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp sugar
2 sprigs thyme
1 cup water
Salt to taste
Sterilised jars

1) Sauté carrots over a medium heat, taking care to keep them crunchy.
2) Add jalapeños, onions and garlic, also keep them crunchy.
3) Add the rest of the ingredients, allow to boil, stirring occasionally.
4) Jar and store.

Cheers both, not got the biggest crop so will have an experiment!

It's been a slow year for my plants(!), my fault for using old soil and then a poor summer. Hopefully these orange habaneros can fruit before the weather turns!

these orange habaneros

which orange habaneros? maybe my eyes are getting old but I don't see any berries..