I'm not really sure how this summer performs when compared to other typical Swedish summers. But I have the impression that it's been colder, less sunshine and more windy.
Last time I grew tabasco, was in 2002. And I remember that spring and summer, because Carl was born. And it was a very warm spring, quite a warm summer. That was a "tabasco year", giving me a nice tabasco "harvest". So I'm surprised to see that my tabasco this year is a heavy producer. At least judging from the amount of flowers and tiny pods that are on the plant right now.
The same year (2002), my dedo de moça had mature pods in May already. That's not the case this year. But it's definitely one of my absolute favorites. It's a nice Capsicum baccatum with moderate heat and nice flavor. Putting it in a large pot helps, and will easily grow to 1,5 metres height in one season.
I label this year as my "greatest hits year", so another true favorite is the Capsicum chacoense. It's one of the varieties that I grow for its beauty. The plant is delicate, with butter-coloured flowers and wonderful small pods.
Over the years, I've grown several different C. chacoense, and if you're interested to see them, you can follow this link.
I mentioned the rocopica in my previous post, but it's worth mentioning again. A few days has passed since then, and now pods are shaping all over the plant. What an adventure!
My chile pepper journey started 15 years ago at a restaurant in Austin, Texas. Together with friends we had a spicy dish decorated with an orange habanero. We ate our habaneros, but saved the seeds, and I promised to grow it when I got back home. I need to look through my old pictures to see if I find that picture, because it's a story in its own. Anyway...
No year is complete without a habanero! Or at least a Capsicum chinense. This year in my greatest hits compilation, I have the long chocolate habanero, which is a very nice habanero!heck out the pictures from my previous years, because it's a true beauty (you can click on the picture below).
Of course I also have some new ones. I can't say much about them yet. But so far they look fine.
Cheiro amarela, which I'm not certain if it's a C. annuum or C. chinense, but I vote for a chinense. I think that the seeds I got were not completely pure, because the pods are differently shaped on the same plant.
Cheiro laranja is another new one for this year. I know for sure that it's a Capsicum baccatum, because of the look of the flowers.
And last for today, but not lease, the bode amarela. My guess is that it is a C. chinense because there are multiple flowers per node.
That was today's adventure on my chile pepper balcony.
Don't you agree that what can be taken for granted as "a chile pepper", is something much more than you first imagine. Different shapes, colours, heat, flavour. And looking at the plants, completely different growing behaviours. Absolutely fabulous!
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