This time next year Rodney

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This time next year Rodney
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Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 6:42 am Post subject: This time next year Rodney

We could be millionaires !

I've made good use of our small polytunnel for four or five years now but next year, I'm going to put it to slightly different use. Instead of swamping the house with home grown tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, I'm going to try and make a few 'bob' out of it.

My cunning plan, is to grow nothing but chilli peppers and to sell both fresh and dry chillies to local gastronomes.
I already have the food driers that I've been using to make biltong and as well as a number of local 'gastro pubs' there are thousands of holiday makers who visit the area. I'm pretty sure that there will be a demand for my wares, so I'm going to give it a go.
Nicely presented with professional looking packaging, I think that my chillies could sell quite well along side my Morfa Nefyn Orchard cider and apple juice, which I already sell from the farm gate. What with my chicken, duck and egg sales, I might have a mini farm shop in the making.

As far as the chillies I'm planning to try and grow, this is where I need your advice. This year, Scotch Bonnet and Cayenne have grown well for me but I'm thinking that I need to look at growing about ten varieties. I intend growing a couple of the red hot ones to cater for the macho folk out there but in the main, I need to grow the main varieties that the majority of people know and use, so my question is, what do you think the essential chillies are that I need to have in my polytunnel?
Which ones would you go for ?

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 9:31 am Post subject:
I grew Red Basque and Palivec as good flavourful medium heat chillis. Red Basque slightly warmer than Palivec. Both really productive. Seeds from Realseeds

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 9:32 am Post subject:
As an extra, can you grow coriander alongside? I suspect it grows like a weed, and it's often needed whenever you cook with chillis, and herbs are expensive in shops...

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9098
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 9:43 am Post subject:
I'd ask Martin...he uses plenty and they are grown in a friend's polytunnel I think....

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 9:49 am Post subject:

Yes, it grows exactly like a weed. Two leaves and it bolts into seed heads

. I've no idea how they make those lovely pots of leafy stuff actually grow.

No help for chilles,except to say it might be worth marketing your plants as well, as they are so attractive, and possibly some preserved products if you have a surplus. People love those lazy chillies in jars, which I think are preserved in vinegar. Vodka has also been suggested, with twofold benefits.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 9:55 am Post subject:
Good luck Bodger. We use a lot of Bird's eye chilis in our house, so from my point of view I'd say grow those.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15472
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 10:05 am Post subject:
I just bought a bag of dried crushed chillies to make chilli oil...

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 11:10 am Post subject:
'Kings Seeds' have a lot of chilli seeds in their catalogue but I'm sure that there must be better places to get them from, plus I'm not sure as to which varieties are the most suitable for drying. The Demon Reds that I've grown this year would be way too small and fiddly to dry. The Cayenne's and the Scotch Bonnets look pretty good.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43966
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 11:20 am Post subject:

hot = naga . small and very very hot .highly prized by chefs and jerky makers

fruity = australian black. mild, nice flavour ,small but a good cropper. one of the best i have grown.

The jerky making thing is easy to do but some EHO's can be a bit iffy about it (ask martin about the hoops he had to jump through ). i spose you have a raw meat facility for the pork so you should be most of the way there .

smoked chillies are rather popular as an alternative to just dried.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43966
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 11:21 am Post subject:
ps i found scotch bonnets a bit prone to mildew on the plant and when drying but they are ace in hot garam.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 11:28 am Post subject:
Smoked chipotles are probably the only ones I use in the kitchen that I pick by 'name'.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 11:47 am Post subject:
The Scotch Bonnets are a bit fleshy and we found the first lot a bit of a sod to dry out properly. Karen stuck two of them into 'A Hairy Bikers' Caribbean chicken curry she did the other day and I really was on my limit.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 11:52 am Post subject:
Here's another possibility for chillies that I've come up with. https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pickled_eggs/#ixzz4Q4lNBtZh We made some pickles quail eggs the other day and stuck a whole Scotch Bonnet chilli in the jar with them. It looked great and made for a good presentsation but I scoffed them before the chilli really got a hold.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6689
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 12:08 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

Yes, it grows exactly like a weed. Two leaves and it bolts into seed heads

. I've no idea how they make those lovely pots of leafy stuff actually grow.

If you want leaf, than it really does pay to buy a variety that we would call a type of "cilantro" over here. There are definitely leafy varieties that are slower to bolt. 'Calypso' is the one that I've seen that's slowest to bolt under our conditions.

As for peppers, I would definitely do a plant or two of super hots (even a carolina reaper if you want), and a few bushes of funky, unusual but flavorful ('Bulgarian carrot' is a favorite of mine, and 'peter pepper' might be good for a laugh).

As for the majority, I agree that you'll want known names. Jalapeno (chipotle when smoked), Anaheim ('NuMex Joe Parker') to be stuffed for chiles rellenos, Poblano (ancho when dried), maybe a cubanelle if you have a market that will use it.

Actually, speaking of the market that may or may not use it, why not just directly ask the folks you're hoping to sell to what they want you to grow? (lock in that sale early!)

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43966
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 16 1:46 pm Post subject:
linky to what might be some useful photos and info

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