Is it a Capsicum frutescens?

I haven't paid much attention to my "prik dae luang" this summer. It's been in one of the corners of the balcony, behind my big peru yellow. So to be honest, I have more or less missed it. But now after fixing the balcony after the storm, I discovered it.

I assumed that it was a Capsicum annuum. But judging from the flowers, I suspect that it's a frutescens. Anyone who know?

Inspiration

Growing chiles is a fantastic hobby! Great friends! Beautiful plants! Good tasting fruits that inspires cooking. Trying new recipes. Learning! And so it goes. Actually I think it's a lot about learning. And sharing. And to inspire people.

Before I get philosophical here, I want to share these inspiring photos. It's my habanero. You know, the one that was supposed to be brown. But that doesn't matter. They sure are beautiful, and I can tell you that they taste really good!

Not as hot, but still with great taste and beauty. Here is my peru yellow.

Wishes for a great week!
   Mats

A day at the autumn fiesta at Bergianska

Today we went out to one of our favorite spots - Bergianska Trädgården. It was time for their annual autumn fiesta. Lots of nice flowers and plants to look at.

But, best of all. We met some good old friends! Here I am together with Patrik & Mia!

And here is Jonas in full action creating some hot cakes for the team :-)

Mark your calendar for the "Het Höst" event! October 1st to 17th! We sure will be there!

Chiles are an important ingredient in our lives, but Carl found a great pumpkin. I wonder how that would look on our balcony... "Dad, let's grow pumpkins next year!"

And last but not least, I was very honoured to see that my lanceolatum plant from last year has been upgraded to be part of the Capsicum garden at Bergianska. But I think I need to talk to the bird who dropped that xxxx on the sign ;-)

Cleaning up the mess

We are fortunate. We have two balconies. The large one has been dedicated to the chiles this year, and it's usually a good place for them during the summer.

I need to make a note of this, because something really happens at the end of summer. I don't know if it is because the winds change, or if it is the sun or whatever. But there is a point in time where our smaller balcony becomes the good one for the chiles.

And this is true for the strong winds that broke some plants yesterday. Strong winds on the big balcony, and no winds at the small.

So, guess what I have been doing today... Yes. Right. I have been moving some plants to the smaller balcony. And I think that is a great move.

So which ones to choose for the move to the good side? I think the serranos look quite bad, so they can stay on the big balcony. I don't think they will benefit from the move. I have two pots with Peru yellow, and they look really healthy, so they can also stay. The same goes for the habanero and dedo de moça. My chacoense and prik dae luang will also stay. The rocoto is so big, with so many heavy fruits, so I don't dare to move it. It is also going to stay in other words.

So I move the olho de pombo, my two pots with the chiles from Goa, tabasco, cheiro, Albertos and the wild chinense from Patrik to the good side. Hope it works. And not to forget the ones now inside. Phew. It's hard work to be a hobby grower :-)

Here is a shot of my Peru yellow. The one that will stay on the cold side. It's so full of fruits, so many branches were broken yesterday because of the weight of the fruits.

Here is one of the rocotos that fell off yesterday. I haven't tasted it yet, since I hope it will turn red even if it has dropped off the plant.

And here are the chiles that we had for lunch today. Two dedo de moça and one habanero. It's fantastic. I keep forgetting the sensational taste and perfect heat in a home grown habanero. Bang! Heat! Swooosh! Taste! Fantastic!

We are probably going to the autumn party out at the greenhouse tomorrow. Expect to meet some chile heads there :-) Read more on Patriks blog about that:
http://chilepeppar.blogspot.com/2010/09/bergianskas-host-fest-nu-pa-sondag-ses.html

Have a nice Sunday!
   Mats

Moving indoors

I thought I was going to keep my "darlings" out on the balcony longer than this. But today, it was like walking a devastation trail on the balcony. My cumari was broken because the dedo de moca fell over it in the storm. Tearing down other plants and breaking some branches, resulting in fruits on the floor...

Anyway, such is life as a balcony-chile-farmer-in-Stockholm. So the major question this afternoon was... Which varieties to bring indoors...

After some thinking, I decided that I bring the galapagoense, the broken cumari, cardenasii, rocopica and chilipiquin manor. The other ones are still freezing their roots off in the strong winds.

It's a little sad, but follows more or less the same pattern each year.

Next question. Where are we going to have dinner? :-)

Have a great weekend!
   Mats

Ashwagandha flowers

Ok, this is not a Capsicum, it's a Withania somnifera but I am happy to see that my ashwagandha is flowering!

Ashwagandha is also known as Indian ginseng, and its roots are commonly used in ayurveda.

Tonight, the weather forecast again predicts temperature below 10C. I believe that the plants out on the balcony are going to get cold feet...

Wishing for some nice sunny days

The chiles are turning red, yellow and orange now, and it sure is a beautiful sight!

Dedo de moça

Long chocolate (well red....) habanero

Wishing that the weather could be at least a few degrees warmer. Because even if the chile plants are beautiful, I sure don't want to bring all of them inside. They are far too big for that!