OT: Pandemic Peppers

[RFC]

With many of us WFH, we are also doing a lot more cooking. I am no exception.

Last spring, for the first time, I planted a pepper garden with 20 plants and 10 varieties. It was an experiment.

The problem with growing peppers is that they take about 80 days to mature and bear fruit. That means that in many parts of the country, the harvest period is very short.

Fortunately, here in AZ, I was able to keep most of my plants alive over the winter. As a result, when spring hit, the plants bloomed and boomed. I have already harvested hundreds of peppers.

So, what to do with them all? I have given them to friends and neighbors and shipped each of my sons a shoe box full. But they keep coming.

So, I continue to come up with ways to use peppers.

Here are Habaneros, Cayennes and Serranos ready to be dehydrated and ground into flakes and powders.

IMG_6555 by Robert Copple, on Flickr

And here is my favorite. Pepper infused vodka. It gets very hot! Good for Bloody Marys. Also a splash can make a beer or glass of wine more interesting.

IMG_6334 by Robert Copple, on Flickr

What have you got cooking?

[saf-t]

I'm envious- as noted, the New England season is much shorter. I have several varieties in the ground at the moment. Usual suspects are jalepenos, serranos, poblanos, and a couple different bell varieties.

[Frankwurst]

Pickle them or make salsa. If I have a jar of pickled peppers I'll grab a few to munch on with a cold beer. But your right. A person can only eat and use so many peppers. I wish I could have a big garden but I live on a lake where we get very little sun and living in the land of the great chill factor the days get short real fast. Not to be critical but you really do need a MUCH larger bottle of vodka. The peppers will neutralize any negative effects the vodka will have on your body. No really......they will.

[RFC]

Originally Posted by Frankwurst

Pickle them or make salsa. If I have a jar of pickled peppers I'll grab a few to munch on with a cold beer. But your right. A person can only eat and use so many peppers. I wish I could have a big garden but I live on a lake where we get very little sun and living in the land of the great chill factor the days get short real fast. Not to be critical but you really do need a MUCH larger bottle of vodka. The peppers will neutralize any negative effects the vodka will have on your body. No really......they will.

LOL! Good idea.

[donevwil]

Awesome, I think I still have a dehydrator. Our peppers are either just bearing fruit or buds. Two Serranos (my fav) and one each Anaheim, Padron, Gypsy and Golden Marconi. One of the Serranos is five years old, the Gypsy three. They really fruit heavily after the first year if they survive the winter.

[RFC]

Originally Posted by donevwil

Awesome, I think I still have a dehydrator. Our peppers are either just bearing fruit or buds. Two Serranos (my fav) and one each Anaheim, Padron, Gypsy and Golden Marconi. One of the Serranos is five years old, the Gypsy three. They really fruit heavily after the first year if they survive the winter.

Question: Do you trim yours back in the winter and, if so, how far?

[fijichf]

If anyone would like to grow some 7-pot Jonah (yellow) peppers, PM me and I’ll mail a few seeds.

https://thehippyseedcompany.com/prod...-jonah-yellow/

[donevwil]

Originally Posted by RFC

Question: Do you trim yours back in the winter and, if so, how far?

My wife does and it was trial and error the first year until she realized they behave very similarly to roses (after the last frost trim off all dead twigs, quasi starts and limbs back to healthy, robust stock before budding).

The center pepper below is the 5 yo Serrano (no fruit yet, heavy budding), it was initially over pruned hence it's size, but it gets covered with peppers. On the left is the 3 yo Gypsy (a lot of fruit already) and on the right the newly planted Serrano start.

[RFC]

Originally Posted by donevwil

My wife does and it was trial and error the first year until she realized they behave very similarly to roses (after the last frost trim off all dead twigs, quasi starts and limbs back to healthy, robust stock before budding).

The center pepper below is the 5 yo Serrano (no fruit yet, heavy budding), it was initially over pruned hence it's size, but it gets covered with peppers. On the left is the 3 yo Gypsy (a lot of fruit already) and on the right the newly planted Serrano start.

Thanks!

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by fijichf

If anyone would like to grow some 7-pot Jonah (yellow) peppers, PM me and I’ll mail a few seeds.

https://thehippyseedcompany.com/prod...-jonah-yellow/

I sent you a pm. Thanks!

[thew]

What a problem to have! I’d roast and freeze some—great for adding to chili, beans, salsa, etc.

[pasadena]

That's awesome!
What a harvest! We have various fruit trees, grapes, and veg. Lemon tree gives us so many amazing lemons, it's crazy.
We are also getting more into gardening, and hopefully one of the things that many keep going after this pandemic subsides.

Originally Posted by RFC

With many of us WFH, we are also doing a lot more cooking. I am no exception.

Last spring, for the first time, I planted a pepper garden with 20 plants and 10 varieties. It was an experiment.

The problem with growing peppers is that they take about 80 days to mature and bear fruit. That means that in many parts of the country, the harvest period is very short.

Fortunately, here in AZ, I was able to keep most of my plants alive over the winter. As a result, when spring hit, the plants bloomed and boomed. I have already harvested hundreds of peppers.

So, what to do with them all? I have given them to friends and neighbors and shipped each of my sons a shoe box full. But they keep coming.

So, I continue to come up with ways to use peppers.

Here are Habaneros, Cayennes and Serranos ready to be dehydrated and ground into flakes and powders.

IMG_6555 by Robert Copple, on Flickr

And here is my favorite. Pepper infused vodka. It gets very hot! Good for Bloody Marys. Also a splash can make a beer or glass of wine more interesting.

IMG_6334 by Robert Copple, on Flickr

What have you got cooking?

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by thew

What a problem to have! I’d roast and freeze some—great for adding to chili, beans, salsa, etc.

+1 Roast, puree, and vacuum seal is a good move (at least for the milder ones).

I really love giardiniera, but that's not going to put much of a dent in a bumper crop.

[fijichf]

Originally Posted by tctyres

I sent you a pm. Thanks!

Placed in the mailbox this am.

[jasonification]

Originally Posted by fijichf

If anyone would like to grow some 7-pot Jonah (yellow) peppers, PM me and I’ll mail a few seeds.



https://thehippyseedcompany.com/prod...-jonah-yellow/

I would love some! However saw that I can't send PMs for some reason

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