An update on my super-hot Chillies

Last year, I posted about some chilli seeds I bought, and then I germinated a bunch of them under grow lights for this season.

I also purchased some super-hot seedlings from a local store.

In the last few weeks these chillies have started to produce pods, ranging from sweet and mild to blistering hot!

Using some of my fataliis' I made a mango and peach chillie sauce yesterday, which I will put up in a separate post.

Here are some pics;

Fatalii

My fataliis', used in my container-mix experiment are producing heaps of beautiful bright yellow pods. I took a chance, and ate a whole fatalii and was greeted by the unmistakable smell of capsaicum, the compound that gives chillies their heat. As I chewed this chilli pepper, I did not taste the citrus flavour these chillies are meant to have, instead I was hit with an immediate, powerful heat. It was quite intense, and lasted about 10 minutes.

Moruga Scorpion

My moruga scorpion is producing a good number of pods. I have the plant in a large 50L pot, and it has become quite bushy and lush.

The pods on this plant look wicked and cruel. As of last year the moruga scorpion was the hottest chillie pepper in the world with measurements taken about 2 million scoville units, right about the strength of pepper spray. Hot.

I was silly enough to try a small slice of one of these peppers raw. It is so ridiculously hot, I am labeling one of the most painful experiences of my life. The searing heat lasted about 20 minutes, building hotter and hotter for the first 10 minutes before slowly tapering off. 

The small sliver of chillie I tried outdid the pain of an entire fatalii pepper by a good margin. After eating, I could feel the chillie sitting in my stomach and moving through my gut, a burning ember for the next 12 hours. It will a lot of convincing for me to ever consider eating one of these raw again!

My Moruga Scorpion Test Sample - HOT!

Chocolate Habanero 

My chocolate Hab is growing nicely, it is a small bush with a good number of growing pods. I actually have two of these.

I haven't tasted the habanero raw, but used half of it to flavour a dish, where it imparted a nice mild level of heat to 1kg of mince.

 

Peter's Pepper

I have not yet had any ripe chillies from my Peter's Pepper, named after the unique manly shape the chillies grow. I intend to overwinter this plant, and have it in a large pot where it has grown bushy and lush.

Bhut Jolokia

I have both a red and yellow Bhut Jolokia in containers. The yellow has begun to ripen some pods, however I am still waiting on the red.

Unripe Red Bhut Jolokia

Jalapeno 

My Jalapeno is a bit of a let-down. It is from the nursery, and whilst it is growing well, it has no heat whatsoever. 

Yellow 7 Pot

I haven't yet tasted my 7 pot, which is just now ripening its pods.

 

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Garden Updates

First Real Frost!

Icy Silverbeet

On Monday I awoke to find the yard carpeted in a shimmer of white, as the first real frost of the season hit. Well, that is to say, the first frost I was up early enough to witness! It was cold enough that as I went to water the garden I spent 5 minutes trying to find the kink in the hose before realising that the hose had frozen solid somewhere.

It was also cold enough to partially defoliate my fig tree that is planted in the ground, although my figs in pots were spared, being up off the ground.

This fig tree hadn't lost any leaves until Monday

Tree Removal

Although currently hit by a nasty flu, I woke up Sunday feeling inspired enough to tackle the Privet trees in my backyard (which I previously had thought were camphor Laurels!). Privets (and Laurels) are a noxious weed in many parts of Australia due to their ability to spread extremely easily via birds, who eat the small berries they produce, and by their vigorous growth, which forms thickets and out-competes native and other plants for sunlight.

Privet Thicket

Privet Leaves and Berries

Each Privet berry contains two small seeds which germinate readily in exposed or disturbed soil. Privet can also regrow via suckers along their roots, so I hope I removed enough so that I don't have another wave of plants come up!

The thicket in my backyard was actually a clump of about 20 trees. A mature privet, according to an Australian Government website, has the ability to produce up to a million seeds per year, and the berries support unnaturally high populations of Currawongs which then displace other native birds. 

The invasiveness of the tree can easily be seen after I chopped off their heads, and it became evident how many trees were growing in the thicket. I have since dug them all up, and planted a brand new persimmon tree in their place.

In Canberra the ACT Government sponsors a weed exchange, where you bring in certain varieties of woody invasive weeds, and they exchange them for a native plant. Privet meets these requirements, although I think I have missed the swap, which usually occurs twice a year in early Autumn and Spring. HERE is a link for those in the ACT with privet trees in their backyard, and who would like some extra encouragement to chop them down!

There Were 21 Individual Trees Here!

Cauliflower Harvest

On Sunday I harvested my first cauliflower. It was a nice size and weighed in at just over 800g. If growing without insecticides, as I am, it is a good idea to soak your newly picked cauliflower in salt and water, as it will drive out any caterpillars that may have taken up residence!

Cauliflower With Beer for Reference

I immediately cooked it up into a delicious Indian curry, which is very tasty and great for those who like curry, but are scared of spicy food. It is very easy to make, and I encourage everyone to try it!

Mild Cauliflower Curry in a Coconut Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tbs oil

1 cauliflower

1 onion

2 tomatoes

2 tsp garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp cumin seeds

1-3 chillies (optional)

1 teaspoon tumeric powder

1.5 teaspoon tamarind paste

3/4 cup of warm water 

400ml coconut milk

Method

1. Cut the cauliflower into small florets, rinse, and set aside. Dice the tomato into medium to small chunks and set aside. Add 1.5 tsp tamarind paste to the warm water, mix well and set aside. 

2. Chop the onion and chillies (if using) and put in a food processor with the garlic and tumeric and blend to a paste.

3. Heat the oil in a wok or pot and add the cumin seeds until they start to splutter. Add the spice mix from the processor and cook on medium for 5 minutes, making sure it doesn't burn.

4. Add the cauliflower florets, and stir to coat with the spice mixture in the pan, and cook for a further 5-10 minutes stirring constantly.

5. Stir in the coconut milk, salt and sugar and cook for 10 minutes before adding the tamarind water mixture. Do not let it boil or the coconut milk might separate. If the mixture is too watery, simmer gently until it reaches your preferred consistency. Finally add the chopped tomato, allow to heat through for 5 more minutes before serving!

  

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Cauliflower and Peas

Cauliflower

I haven't tried growing any brassica crops before this year, and had intended to put down cauliflower, brocolli and brussel sprouts, however this all got turned on its head when I planted way, way too many cauliflower. I had no idea how large these plants would grow, and now have ended up with a veritable sea of cauliflower plants in my garden bed.

Cauliflower plants have huge leaves and take up tonnes of space!

My Field of Cauliflower

The seedlings begin life deceivingly small, however following the seed packet instructions, I planted them at their minimum distance of 50cm. Next time I will give them about 60cm between plants, because their leave are huge, and I feel they are a little cramped. I initially started my seeds in January and planted them into a newly dug garden bed in February. Today most of the plants still do not have cauliflower heads growing except for one. which looks like it will be ready to be picked in a few days.

Cauliflower head

  Cauliflower pests!

White Cabbage Butterfly

By far the most destructive pest to the cauliflower is the caterpillars of the white cabbage butterfly, pictured below source.

White Cabbage Butterfly

These butterflies lay clusters of eggs under the leaves of all brassica plants, as well as some other varieites as well. In Canberra, they are everywhere, at first I would try and chase them down with a hose or stick, but as the relentless armies of butterflies fluttered forward towards my plants I have resigned myself to finding and squishing the caterpillars as I find them.

The butterflies are attracted to the plants by the smell of the plants leaves, and do a characteristic 'double touch' before laying their eggs on the undersides of the leaves. The first touch is to identify the host plant, and the second touch is to lay the eggs once an appropriate food source has been found. 

The butterfly lays small yellow eggs, either in clusters or spread out on the underside of the leaf, and can fairly easily be removed, or squished. After they hatch the caterpillars begin life as tiny green little devils who grow in to fatter green devils as they age.

White Cabbage Butterfly Caterpillars 

   

Leaf Damage Caused by White Cabbage Butterfly Caterpillars 

More Leaf Damage

Aphids

Most every gardener knows of aphids, the small sap sucking insects often farmed by ants, and they seem to love my cauliflowers, although only recently making an appearance. I am currently looking into an organic control method for these suckers, and I have heard a concoction of chilli and dishwashing liquid might do the trick, if anyone has any secret recipes they would like to share, post below!

Aphids hiding in a curled up portion of leaf

Peas!

Well two months ago I posted about my pea seedlings coming up, and today I took my first small harvest of sugar snap peas. 

First Harvest!

I am growing shelling peas, and sugar snap peas, and both are doing well, although the shelling peas have only just begun flowering. The peas are growing both in pots and in ground, and for whatever reason they much prefer the pot environment growing large healthy leaves, and thick stems. The plants in the ground receive a few hours less sun each day and are much wimpier in comparison, although only planted three weeks later.

March 2013

April 2013

 May 2013

May 2013 - Relatively small plants growing in the ground (planted three weeks later)

These peas have been quite simple to grow, however do seem to drain a fair bit of water from the soil, requiring water every 2 days, or else they begin to wilt. They have not been harassed by any pests.. Yet!

The flowers on the pea plants, I find quite attractive as well, although plain and white.

Pea Flower

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