| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| arbitor |
Growing ChillisHas anyone planted chillis this season, if so how did they grow? |
||||
| tahir |
This and every year, hopefully we shall soon have an article on growing chillis succesfully, but any particular queries in the meantime? | ||||
| Bugs |
Hello Arbitor, you new round these 'ere parts? If so welcome! 
Only real success this year was with a type from the Organic Gardening Catalogue called de Bresse, I think. We had some other left over seed which I sowed but little came of them...I think it was a combination of fairly disappointing weather (Act of God, not my fault) and neglect (non-Act of Bugs, my fault). Next year I'll work on the latter and hope for the former to be better! Did you get any in this year? And does anyone have any favourites? |
||||
| Bugs |
And while I'm at it, anybody recommend suppliers? I'm a bit tired of the usual suspects. I'm sure I've seen Tahir or someone mention chilliseeds.co.uk or something like that, but can't remember if it was good or bad? | ||||
| tahir |
I've mentioned them in the past because they've got loads of different varieties, only bought off them for the first time this year though. Prompt delivery | ||||
| High Green Farm |
I bought a plant from B&Q this year, potted it up on a south facing wall, and then completely forgot about it.
Was very surprised to rediscover it last week with loads of small red chillis on it! Will probably try them indoors next year, unless we get a greenhouse. James |
||||
| tahir |
Get a greenhouse or polytunnel, they're well worth it | ||||
| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
we grew chillies for the 1st time this year, but kept them in the house in a light warm windowsill. One was from seed -can't find the pack now, and another was from Homebase. Both did very well in fact the Homebase one which was brought quite late in the season still has chillies on it and looks a healthy plant. i gather you can over winter them so that's what we're trying. Himself took one seedling chilli plant to work and that's still on his desk doing well! We will try some more varieties next year - I want some of those Hungarian Hot wax ones you can stuff! | ||||
| cab |
We bought chilli and pepper seeds from Nickys Nursery. We've had good yields of both; germinated and grown indoors, spent most of the summer outdoors, then back in to continue growing and ripening. We're still harvesting both.
Usually by this time of year we let them dry on the plants. This year they're doing really well, so we're keeping them going as long as we can. |
||||
| arbitor |
chilli seedsOne of the largest and friendliest stockest of chilli seeds IS The Chile Seed Company @ www.chileseeds.co.uk, give them a try. |
||||
| tahir |
How do you know? | ||||
| arbitor |
chilli seedsThats what our customers tell us!
Hows it going? I am still trying to sort an article out and some seeds went out yesterday for you. |
||||
| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
which are the ones you can stuff? Is that the Hungarian hot wax? | ||||
| tahir |
Re: chilli seeds
Brilliant and thanks, now you're on here the question that's asked most often is will I be able to grow chillis here, now you're in Cumbria how much of a crop do you get? |
||||
| arbitor |
stuffing chillisHungarian Hot Wax are great for stuffing, plus if you leave them on the plant without water for a couple of days prior to harvest you get an extra bit of heat. Jalapenos are great stuffed with cream cheese. |
||||
| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
brilliant! thanx!
|
||||
| arbitor |
weatherThe weather is always against us!If you don't have a greenhouse or tunnel you need to go for a short season crop which usually rules out the really hot ones. You can grow chillis in doors you just need to keep turning them to the light and keep them misted. And move them off the window sill during the night when it can get really cold. We trialed Charleston Hot last year, we germinated the seed in kitchen paper damped down inside a plastic bag and put them in the airing cupboard, once they had germinated we placed them ON some moist potting compost left in the bathroom, and let them root themselves. We then kept them in our bedroom on a table near a window sill. We moved them outside when the weather was fine and back in when it was looking abit cold. If you have a wall to plant against you can always try some clear plastic blue tacked onto the wall and held down with a few stones to sort of make your own poly tunnel. |
||||
| tahir |
I never have problems with chilis, I always grow thin cayenne types, my favourite is Thai Dragon, but I always grow a few different. What I never have great success with is peppers, I used to get about 4 or 5 per plant in a season, so I've given up now | ||||
| arbitor |
pepperswhy not ry some mild thick fleshed chillis instead off peppers! |
||||
| tahir |
Like a cubanelle type you mean? | ||||
| arbitor |
peppersMaybe something likeAncho Poblano Aji Panca Mulato Isleno These have a hint of heat so can liven a dish up with alittle interesting tingle on the tongue but without a noticeable hot feeling. |
||||
| tahir |
Better get online to chileseeds.co.uk
|
||||
| arbitor |
peppersSpeak to you soon! |
||||
| Bugs |
I've just gone there myself because I quite fancy something of that type - I like the taste of chillis, some of them are especially fragrant, but I'm a big wuss about heat so I'd like something I can use plenty of for flavour without having to alternate mouthfuls of yoghurt in every meal. | ||||
| arbitor |
heat in chilliThis chilli is a great addition to the family of chillis. a Habanero has a SHU rating of around 300,000 and these new breed of chillis are perfect for flavour and next to no heat. The habanero is the tastiest chilli but most of the time you can not taste them.You can find them @ http://www.chileseeds.co.uk/very-hot-chile-seeds.htm NuMex Suave Orange, Heat Level??? This chile is the same family as a Habanero, Capsicum Chinense. The word "suave" is Spanish for mellow, smooth or mild. The Red Savina measures 577,000 SHUs, the hottest in the world and the Orange Suave measures 835 SHUs. The Chile Pepper Institute have developed these two chiles with all the flavours of the Habanero but less heat. These are must have chiles for cooks who like the taste of the Habanero. Capsicum Chinense have unique flavours but most people can not taste them because of the heat. The suaves have a citrus like flavour with an orange lemony overtone with an apricot aroma. The heat is in the back of the mouth and throat and not on the lips and tongue. Each plant can yeild upto 100 fruits. (Capsicum Chinense) |
||||
| Bugs |
I'd never have spotted those because I was only looking in the "medium" section.
Do you do any mixes/selections (eg 5 of each of various type) or is that just too much trouble? |
||||
| tahir |
I'd also recommend a Portuguese variety called Lisbon for you bugs, it's a great big long chilli, quite thin, like a Spanish guindillo, heat but not real hotness unless you use loads.
Not one of Arbitor's (sorry) it's from www.simpsonsseeds.co.uk, they also supply plants of a lot of varieties so you could buy 6 assorted plants off them if you wanted. |
||||
| arbitor |
mixed packetsFor next season we are going to be selling a started pack which will be 5 seeds of 5 varieties, so keep visiting, or if you wanted them now let us know and we will sort you out! |
||||
| tahir |
Looks a lot like Espanola: http://www.chileseeds.co.uk/medium-mild-chile-seeds.htm |
||||
| tahir |
There seems to be a fine selection of chilli sauces on there too Arbitor | ||||
| arbitor |
SaucesOnly some of them are still available but we have lots of powders and spices! |
||||
| tahir |
And I notice the ones that you've got left will all blow your butt off... | ||||
| arbitor |
PowewrfulThey do come with a health warning!!!! |
||||
| Bugs |
Looking at Simpson's online catalogue they don't seem to have this one this year...am I being daft? |
||||
| tahir |
That's cos it's called Portugal not Lisbon 
|
||||
| Bugs |
Ahhhhh.
(I was going to ask if you meant Lipstick )
Thank ee kindly sir!
|
||||
| Lloyd |
My Hungarian Hot Wax went like steam trains in my greenhouse lst year. What a crop!!....literally hundreds of Capsicum. I used them in chutneys, cooking, froze them, used them to warm up pickled onions and betroot, you name it!!....however, they were too small to be stuffed. About 8 inches long and an inch and a half wide, .....oh.....er......oops, ...hehehehe
|
||||
| mochyn |
I have a plant of Tri Color Variegata which I sowed in 2003 and is still going strong. Each autumn I dig it up from the polytunnel, pot it up and move it into the bedroom. In spring iplant it back in the tunnel. It's a pretty plant: leaves variegated green, white and purple, purple flowers and tiny purple fruit. Quite hot, too. The original seeds came from Robinson's, the giant show veg. people along with purple podded peas.
Also tried one from them this year called Friar's Hat. Very interestingly shaped fruits, but not many of them. I think that was partly due to the crap growing season, though. |
||||
| Guest |
Re: Growing Chillis
|
||||
| tahir |
Re: Growing Chillis
I grew: Nepalese Yellow (or is it Orange?) Excellent, very hot, nice flavour, small chilis and plants but extremeley prolific. Thai Hot Dragon Excellent, very hot, vigorous, early and prolific Ring Of Fire Hottish, not particularly vigorous or prolific Elephants Trunk Hottish, lovely looking contorted very long and slim chilli, not particularly prolific but I'll definitely grow it again. |
||||
| Res |
due to running late with sowing and planting this year, I cheated and bought two plants from the range. Havnt got a clue what they are, the label on both just said "chile pepper"........nice?
The red one has smallish 20-30mm long fruits and is fairly prolific. The green one has slightly longer and fatter fruits but not half as many as the red one. Both are a bit tooo hot for me and have to ration myself to a half of one per meal, otherwise I disappear in a cloud of green fog  
|
||||
| Jb |
due to an absence of seeds I planted "thai chili" seeds scavenged from the packet of chilis in the kitchen cupboard but to be honest I've no idea what variety they really are. They produce (so far) dark green fruits about 40 - 60 mm long and of pencil thickness, reasonably prolifically. The problem now is that I've no idea when they should be ready to harvest. Is this a variety that should turn red or do I pick them green? If so what do I do with them? I'm tempted to put them in vinegar and use as jalapenos simply because haven't got any better ideas. Any suggestions? |
||||
| tahir |
To see if they're ripe just bite into one, they'll be hot way before they turn red. If they're almost there they'll turn red off the plant, destalk and string them up piercing them through the body of the chilli (to stop them going mouldy) hang in a sunny window (as long as it doesn't get condensation). | ||||
| Res |
As I only have the two plants, There are not many 'spare ones' for storage, so I am preparing as per Tahir's instructions but chucking the odd couple at a time, into the freezer. I like mine fresh in me chile dishes so not really favouring drying. |