Thank you for these two years - Tabasco

I'm sort of half-panicking about how to reclaim the space in the flat... So after the dedo de moça and habanero, it was time to say bye bye to the tabasco.

It's really a very nice plant. But it was too big. So it had to go. But Capsicum frutescens is good. It has the "peppery" taste, quite high heat, and I love the way it attacks my tongue. It's not like any other Capsicum. This heat is in a way "mean", massaging your tongue, not letting go.

The question. What to do with the harvested peppers. I think I will dry most of them. The thin flesh of the tabasco makes it not so suitable for freezing, so it will be great to dry. But I think I will put some of them in vinegar and/or oil for future use. Nice problems :-)

Tabasco chiles on a tabasco tray :-)

Have a nice week!

Hot regards,
  Mats

An update

There is no doubt about it. It's total chaos in every room, but I think it will be better soon. The plan is to do the "final" harvest in a couple of days, for at least three or four pots. But it's still too much.

My tabasco is doing fine on the floor in the kitchen. Still quite a long time before it's harvest time here.

My dedo de moça is doing fine. I think I will be able to pick most fruits in a couple of days. I just love the way some fruits shift in colour.

Alberto's is coming strong now, with lots of red fruits. I really like the shape of the fruits. The taste is not so special, but the heat is nice.

And Patriks chinense is doing fine. Patricia picked 132 fruits again yesterday. Don't really know what to do with them. We picked 481 pods a couple of days ago, so I have over 600 of them now.

And yes. My brown... eeeh. red habanero. Big nice pods. Great taste and wondful heat!

My tabasco connection

I have to admit it. I have a special relationship with tabasco chiles.

Fifteen years ago, I was in Louisiana together with some friends. We "happened" to pass Avery Island and the Tabasco factory. Here we are, outside the Tabasco factory. This happy guy on the picture here, that's me :-)

We had had a busy day driving around, and we were just a little late. So unfortunately this was the sign that met us.

Traveling almost across half the globe, and the factory is closed. That is really bad!
We had a busy schedule for the evening and next day, so we did not bother to return to Avery Island. But I know that I one day will visit the factory, and I will make sure that I arrive in time. :-)

A couple of years ago - 2004 to be more precise. Hmmm, that's more than a couple of years... I did my best to teach two-year old Carl how to handle the heat of the chiles. Here he is, eating the mild jalapeño tabasco.

A little later, he started to experiment with the hotter one. The habanero tabasco.

Eating it on crisp bread...

Yum!

I just had to send these pictures to tabasco. And, thanks to Tabasco, Carl got Tabasco shorts, t-shirt and cap, and I got a nice shirt :-)

Anyway. That is the reason why I feel a close relation to my tabasco peppers.

I think this picture is nice. Immature pods, and one stubborn flower.

And here is a wild bunch of tabasco peppers.

More tabasco pictures here: http://petterssononline.com/habanero/peppers.php?action=variety&id=144

Finally some ripe chiles

After the strong winds this spring, when most of the plants looked half dead, I could not expect to see ripe pods in early July. It's amazing to see how fast the plants recover.

Dedo de moça
My dedo de moça is from last year, so it has thick woody stems, and is probably 1,75 meter tall. I keep it in a big pot, so it's not easy to move it. Therefore I had to take this picture through the kitchen window.

 

Serrano
And my first serrano has turned red. We will probably make nachos tomorrow, and I can't wait tasting this one.

Capsicum chacoense (CAP 1153 / 96)
Also a plant from last year. I really love these tasty hot tiny chiles.

Rocoto manzano grande (red)
This is an interesting plant. It does not grow tall, but it grows sideways. So it occupies more than a meter on the balcony. The flowers are the biggest flowers I've seen on a Capsicum.

Tabasco
Another one from last year. Last year it produced only a couple of pods. But this year it looks more promising.

Rocopica
My rocopica is fantastic! Last year it produced hundreds of pods. And this year looks like it's going to be the same. Superhot small fruits! 

Mid October and harvest time

Mid October, and I've had the plants indoors for a couple of weeks. Some plants make the transition between the outdoor and indoor climates fine. While others just get bad, and loose their leaves. This year, it was pretty fine. Only the lanceolatum that got sad. But the plan is to get rid of most of the plants as soon as possible. So, to harvest the ripe pods have high priority.


Capsicum tovarii
Major excitement that the tovarii finally has produced pods. I don't know for how many times I've tried, but as they say - never ever give up. Four pods on one plant may not be a world record, but at least I'm happy :-)


I wonder how long they need to mature. Maybe a couple of months more...


Bhut Jolokia
The harvest from my Bhut Jolokia plant. I like the taste of them, but they are a little too hot to handle I think. They have the characteristics of a habanero. The immediate explosive heat, but it also has the characteristics of frutescens. The heat that just grows, and doesn't give up. So I don't really know what to do with these. Maybe dry them, and make a powder. Haven't decided yet.



Tabasco
I think I need to grow at least one frutescens each year. Tabasco or malagueta. It doesn't really matter. They are so good. I'm surprised that the tabasco plant managed so good to move indoors. It seems to keep the flowers, and it looks fine. In good shape. Who knows. Maybe I can harvest tabasco on Christmas Eve :-)



Capsicum lanceolatum
This one is different to all the Capsicum I've grown. Haven't tasted it yet. So I have to report back later.


Long chocolate habanero
Yes, this is funny. It used to be a long chocolate habanero. But this year, it was more like a red habanero. Good heat though. And quite a nice harvest.



Happy guy :-)


Before chopping them for the dryer. I didn't find my protective gloves, so my fingers were on fire for the whole evening...


Finally. Drying. I think I will make some flakes of them, so it's easier to adjust the heat. The smell from the drying pods is fantastic!