Chilli?

[tooninoz]

Anyone here into chilli?

Ive got a bumper crop coming up this year, 14 varieties from jalapeno (for pickling) to Red Savina (Chocolate cultivar )....
After 2 seasons of trying, I've got my first crop of Jolokia finally coming through!

The early humidity and heat up here is triggering the best season Ive seen in a few years.

Bring on a summer of flavour and painful toilet visits.

 

[JasonL]

mmm, I just like to eat it... Chinese Hot Pot mmmm!!

 

[mrboajangles]

yes have grown the jolokia, red savina and orange hab. My jolokia didnt go well, and my orange hab appeared to be the hottest. I was expecting big things from the red savina but it did not deliver the heat i was expecting.

 

[Southside Morelia]

LOOOOOVE Chilli and most all things spicy.
What's wrong with you tooninoz, you don't burn on the way out after you get the asbestos gut....like I am called by my Family...LOL
I go the the Chilli festival whenever it's on....it's pretty cool! ummmm hot!

Anyone here into chilli?

Ive got a bumper crop coming up this year, 14 varieties from jalapeno (for pickling) to Red Savina (Chocolate cultivar )....
After 2 seasons of trying, I've got my first crop of Jolokia finally coming through!

The early humidity and heat up here is triggering the best season Ive seen in a few years.

Bring on a summer of flavour and painful toilet visits.

 

[tooninoz]

yes have grown the jolokia, red savina and orange hab. My jolokia didnt go well, and my orange hab appeared to be the hottest. I was expecting big things from the red savina but it did not deliver the heat i was expecting.

Actually, orange habs are my fave as they have a great burn, but the smoky flavour is the best.... My other fave is the Japanese Aji.

And Southside, I suffer as bad as anyone, but I just cant stay away

 

[bundybear]

ye ha, chilli!
gotta love the stuff
if your as keen as my brother on chilli, try growing them under a light in winter.
he tried it winter just gone and got some good results with the orange hab's.
IMO, they were actually a bit hotter than usual.

 

[Mrs I]

Chilli, makes me think of a tv advert down here in SA.

Not sure if you guys have essential beauty in other states.

 

[Mrs I]

A link to the tv commercial

lol

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=L6b1y1UUzC4&NR=1

 

[bundybear]

A link to the tv commercial

lol

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=L6b1y1UUzC4&NR=1

thats classic!
it's a wonder the wowsers haven't jumped up and down over that one yet!

 

[slim6y]

I am growing several unknown varieties - the most common birds eye and a fiery hot rainbow chilli that starts purple and ends red. Very high yielding.

I was thinking of jalapenos - but they're not my favourites anymore - they just look the best.

My real question here is semi related - but can someone answer this...

The Italians - they use tomatoes (a very close relative of the chilli and potato - all in the solancious (sp) family) frequently. But tomatoes never made it to the Italian land till after the fleets returned from the Americas.

So if it was as early as the 1400s - then what did they use on their pasta before then?

They also use chilli sparingly....

Which brings me to my next question - what about Asia - especially India which uses chillies in almost every dish... what did they use before the chillies were discovered in South America....?

Which brings me to my next question - the Birds Eye - did that originate in Africa? Or was it also South American it just made it to Africa the same way chillies came from South America to the Western World?

I find the history of the solanacious plant very interesting.

 

[tooninoz]

I am growing several unknown varieties - the most common birds eye and a fiery hot rainbow chilli that starts purple and ends red. Very high yielding.

I was thinking of jalapenos - but they're not my favourites anymore - they just look the best.

My real question here is semi related - but can someone answer this...

The Italians - they use tomatoes (a very close relative of the chilli and potato - all in the solancious (sp) family) frequently. But tomatoes never made it to the Italian land till after the fleets returned from the Americas.

So if it was as early as the 1400s - then what did they use on their pasta before then?

They also use chilli sparingly....

Which brings me to my next question - what about Asia - especially India which uses chillies in almost every dish... what did they use before the chillies were discovered in South America....?

Which brings me to my next question - the Birds Eye - did that originate in Africa? Or was it also South American it just made it to Africa the same way chillies came from South America to the Western World?

I find the history of the solanacious plant very interesting.

Slim6y, I'd hazard a guess and say that Indian food wasn't all that hot at that time! Maybe a form of horseradish? Columbus introduced chillis to Sth East Asia in the 1500s (I think?), and they may have just run with it from there. Same with some Chinese and Vietnamese dishes (and especially Thai), the influence of chilli spread across Asia. Some Spanish dishes use it, and like you said, very few Italian dishes do. Europe didnt seem to embrace chiili?
My thought is that perhaps...many European countries had a largely meat-based diet (of higher quality meat than the South and Central Americans), whereas Asian countries were more vegetable based? Just a guess...

As an aside, for others that have grown Jolokia, I thought all was going well. Flowering as normal.
Then this afternoon...all the flowers have dropped, and there is a black 'growth' at the stem?? Ive only got one Jolokia plant going and after losing last years to hail, and so so many seeding/germination failures...I'm concerned! Jeez, I just want to taste one of my own and see if it's cracked up to be what it allegedly is

 

[bundy_zigg]

I'm so not happy at the moment - this morning I noticed about 20 of my little red chilli's ready to be picked - I just went down there now to get some for my dinner and they are all bloody gone!!!!!!!! pesky bloody birds, nothings sacred here they eat my lychee's, peach's, nectarines, mulberry's which I'm okay with(hence why I don't net them) but this is beyond a joke what kind of thief eats 20 chili's not even leaving !

 

[bredli84]

just to add to the discussion, chilli seems to be very popular in Portugal.

Now i am a bit of a newbie to chilli, i use it occasionally in cooking but just buy it from supermarkets. i find the lack of consistency very annoying and would love to grow my own (preferably in a pot). Does anyine one have any advice on species and how to go about it in melb?

 

[slim6y]

Yes, all species of chillies will grow in pots - generally though the plants are smaller and lower fruiting.

All mine are grown in pots!

The larger the pot the better.

Watch out for over watering and drying out.

Keep in as much sun as you can - but pots will dry out very quickly, and will require watering almost daily throughout the summer season.

Don't buy the seeds - find chillies you enjoy from the markets (or supermarkets) and remove the seeds from the chilli, dry them for a day on a serviette, then plant about 6mm deep in seed trays in bright light. Transplant them when tall enough (about 10 - 15cm tall).

Almost all chillies will fruit in the first season (if planted in spring). Some may take longer.

Good luck with that!

 

[tooninoz]

just to add to the discussion, chilli seems to be very popular in Portugal.

Now i am a bit of a newbie to chilli, i use it occasionally in cooking but just buy it from supermarkets. i find the lack of consistency very annoying and would love to grow my own (preferably in a pot). Does anyine one have any advice on species and how to go about it in melb?

Chilli grows fine in pots and in Melbourne. So long as your soil is roughly 20-30deg (ie: plant now).

Some of the specialised nurseries sell seedlings of various varieties, but there's usually no botanical name, so you dont know what you are getting! Like you said, no consistency. But, you will get orange habs (habanero), birds eyes and most of the common ones.

I generally go from seed, but it's just so hit-and-miss. At least as a reptile owner you'll probably have a heat mat around to use to regulate temps. I bought some seeds from a chick on Ebay at one stage and had limited success, got some locally and they just fired.

I try to look for chillis I havent eaten before, and colour/shape is important too. Obviously growing the hottest chilli is appealing (it is to me!), but I love the difference in flavours.
If you are growing in pots, I'm guessing you're in a unit/townhouse? Chillis would have to be, handsdown, the most beautiful ornamental plants you could grow. Red, yellow, purple, black, white...

This isnt a bad link http://www.ringoffire.net/default.jsp Mostly American and a bit over the top, but it's got a lot of info. If you're interested in people with seeds, let me know and I'll forward on some details.

Nothing like getting dinner on and holding this tiny fruit in your hands, a scotch bonnet or an hab, something you grew...knowing whats coming
My mouth waters just thinking about it....

 

[bredli84]

hahaha, thanks guys. am looking at moving to a unit/town house soon so will try to get some!!

 

[moosenoose]

I absolutely love it! I was a judge at the Victorian Chilli Festival a few years ago and boy was there some hot stuff in amongst that lot :lol:

I don't go for the raw chilli eating nonsense though. It's got to have a flavor other than chilli in it for me. Habaneros in a pasta sauce always pushes my buttons :lol:

 

[slim6y]

Ahhhh - the best use of chillies yet - slice a chilli open and be a wimp, remove the seeds (and double wimp, use gloves to cut them, if you wear contact lenses like I do, you often forget you've been cutting chillies, removing lenses is like removing your eyeballs.... a tickling sensation to say the least).

Chop up at least three chillies - finely (heat to taste).

Mash up an avocado.

Add some Philadelphia Cheese - or I prefer yogurt (but not everyone does).

Add a finely chopped onion.

Lime juice.

And finely a shot or two of Tequila...

Mash together till thoroughly mixed - and you just have the ultimate guacamole!!!

 

[bredli84]

sounds good slim, A pack of corn chips and some nice beer and you have yourself a party

 

[gregsydney]

haha ill try and dig up a photo of my chili greenhouse