Burning fingers and fantastic smell

Hi!

I've been slicing chiles half afternoon, in order to put them in the dryer. I'm going to make chile flakes and powder of them :-)

Here is what I'm going to make. A mix of green dedo de moça, and green peru yellow.

And another mix of trepadeiro werner and piriz.

 And som red habaneros.

The smell from the dryer is fantastic. I wish it was possible to make a recording of it, so I could share it with you. :-)

I didn't use any gloves while working on the chiles, so my fingers are on fire right now. So a friendly advice - if you're going to do this at home - remember to protect your fingers. 

Wishing you a great week!
  Mats

Xnipec

Hi!

Harvest time. Today, I made a salsa. My favorite habanero salsa. It's called xnipec. Inspiration from Dave DeWitt's habanero cookbook, here is my recipe.

My slightly modified xnipec

2 habanero peppers
2 tomatoes, chopped
Fresh onion, chopped (amount approximately one onion).
juice from one lime
A bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
Instead of salt, I use capers

The name Xni-pec comes from the Maya words ni (nose), and peek (dog), referring to a dog’s wet nose. This salsa can be made so hot that your nose will start dripping. That's how I like it.

The name “Xni-pec “comes from the Maya words “ni” (nose), and “peek” (dog), referring to a dog’s wet nose, since this sauce can be so hot that your nose will sweat like a dog! - See more at: http://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/2014/06/xnipec-salsa-recipe-habanero.html#sthash.U1n4ow3H.dpuf

I used the red habanero that I grew this summer.

The salsa was delicious and hot. It's funny how Patricia reacts when the salsa is hot enough. Goose bumps :-)

Now we're all sneezing :-)

Have a great hot weekend!
   Mats

Habanero time!

Hi!

Finally we have summer temperatures! The plants are loving it, and so am I.

Here is the red habanero, with some pods shifting in colour.

And here is the orange habanero. It is ahead of the red habanero with ripe pods. It's a very nice plant. This picture doesn't give it justice, and the pods are tiny. But taste fine :-)

I want to share another picture with you. It's a succulent that I started from seeds 10 years ago. The seeds are originally from my friend Allen, and I have forgotten the name. So if you can identify it, please tell me what it is.

In case you have missed it. Here is a link to my chile pepper database with lots of pictures => http://petterssononline.com/habanero/peppers.phphttp://petterssononline.com/habanero/peppers.php

Wishing you a great weekend!
    Mats

Oh those habaneros!

Hi!

It's funny. The climate this year is different. We're still more or less waiting for the summer, and everything is late. The same for my chile peppers.

The only one with ripe pods is the red habanero. And the malagueta, but that one is from last year, and one of the over-wintered varieties.

I love the feeling of picking a ripe habanero, feeling the weight in my hand.

Makes me want to do this :-)

But we chickened out, and had only half of it on crisp bread with lunch. The smell and taste is fantastic, and the heat is manageable. I'm more and more getting back to basics, with the old favorites. The super hot ones have never really caught on here :-)

Still waiting for my baccatums. I think they are even better than the habanero, when eaten fresh, as they are.

Have a hot week!
   Mats

Looking good, so far

Hi!

It's starting to "move" on the balcony. Some peppers are getting ready, and some are getting started.

Here are some samples.

Habanero red

A typical habanero. I like the way they are turning red. Shifting from green, over a kind of yellow, and then red.

And this one is really bright red.

CGN 21500 

 This one is new for me. Thank you Jukka! The pods grow two and two, almost like cherries. Dark purple, almost hard to catch on a picture.

Trepadeiro Werner

This one is also new for me. Once again, thanks to Jukka! I can't get a picture of the plant, since it's all over the place. Trepadeiro means climbing (or something like that), and I fully agree. It climbs on all the other plants. Beautiful small pods.

Dedo de moça

My old brazilian classic. A true favorite.

Malagueta

This one is a malagueta that I got on the market in Salvador 15 years ago. I've never succeeded to grow it, so the seeds are old. But it looks promising. The size of the pods is bigger than an ordinary malagueta. I really hope that it produces some pods.

And this is my over-wintered "ordinary" malagueta. It's really fiery. Instant heat :-)

Wild Brasil

A new variety for me. Typical chinense. The flowers are in clusters of six. It looks really interesting.

Look at this amazing cluster of flowers.

Habanero yellow

 Of all habaneros, I think that the yellow ones usually are the best. Hope that this is true for this one too.

Wishing you all a great week!
   Mats

Midsummer peppers

Hi!

Last evening of the Midsummer weekend. I went out on the balcony today, and checked the peppers, and it looks good.

Follow the links to see more pictures of the varieties.

This is the habanero red. It's almost ripe now. I can't wait to take a bite in this one :-)

And there are a bunch of promising flowers. I hope they will set fruit!

This is the habanero orange. There is a tiny pod also, but it looks a little weird. This plant has been out in the strong winds and fairly cold nights, so we will see how it goes.

The fidalgo roxa is a beauty. Look at these flowers!

And pods.

It reminds me of a variety that I grew some years ago. The Peru Scarlet Lantern.

The cheiro roxa is another beauty.

The name does not say it all. CGN 21500, looks like an "ordinary" chinense so far. Stay tuned.

The Trepadeiro Werner is another new acquaintance. It's a Capsicum baccatum, and grows and grows and grows. It's very easily broken, and reminds me of a Cumari that I grew maybe 15 years ago.

Nice small pods.

So, all the peppers are outdoors now. That's definitely worth celebrating. And, I can't wait for the first samples of them :-)

Wishing you all a great week!
   Mats

Habanero

Hi!

Some plants are still indoors. They have grown a little too big, so I don't know how to move them out on the balcony. I'm saving that activity for the Midsummer holiday :-)

The ones already out there are looking OK. They have some leaves that are burned from the sun, and some leaves that look bad because of the winds. But overall it looks better than expected.

The habanero has two nice looking pods, which I thought was worth celebrating with a picture :-)

There are some other pods on the other plants, but I will get back about those later on.

Take care,
  Mats

Habanero red

Hi!

This time of year, I'm usually moving the peppers out to the balcony in the mornings and in in the evenings.  I checked last year's blog entries. For example this one http://chilesinstockholm.blogspot.se/2014/05/moving-out.html

This year is different. Forecast for tonight is just above zero. So, the plants will be inside for a while. We are getting used to the chaos, so I think it's OK. :-)

Anyway, my red habanero is full with flowers. I think that they are so beautiful the way they grow in "clusters". The beauty is in the small details. I think that the one in the upper left corner will be a pod. Promising!

Hot regards,
  Mats

Repotting Friday

Hi!

Repotting time. I repotted 8 varieties today. Our living room is becoming more and more chaotic :-)

Wishing you all a great weekend!

Hot regards,
  Mats