The Hottest Pepper Blog

May 4, 2009

Just Another Day in Paradise…

Filed under: Bhut jolokia garden,surfing — admin @ 9:12 am

GC+May+4,+%2709 Just Another Day in Paradise...wave Just Another Day in Paradise...My+Bench Just Another Day in Paradise...

Moon+Set Just Another Day in Paradise...It’s 5:30 AM and I am sitting on a home made rock bench in my garden. I often sit here with the hopes of slowing time down. But, time stands still for no one…

The first sign of dawn spreading it’s wings approaches in a hurry and it’s going to be another glorious day in “The Country.” I am here in the garden with a flashlight in hand for the purpose of putting a temporary halt to the damage caused by slugs, cockroaches and millipedes. This is 2 hours of my day, everyday– an hour in the early morning, and another hour before I go to bed. I will never win this war, but I can win a battle or two every now and again. And although this is a huge pain in the butt, I will never resort to the conventional method of pest eradication using chemicals. You are what you eat, and by eating mostly from my garden since I was 18, I am hoping to avoid the carcinogens that are in just about everything we eat and breathe.

The surf will be good today. The waves are crashing on the beautiful reef in front of my house and I know that it’s double overhead plus. The palm fronds are silent and that means we are in a light and variable wind condition. I will surf Gas Chambers as soon as I get finished here. I must work rapidly now so I can avoid the early morning surf crowd but I am still glued to the rock bench. Why do I continue to sit? As I approached the garden I witnessed an incredible moon setting over the Pacific. I was once again reminded of how lucky I am to live in Hawaii. The North Shore of Oahu has been surfings “Mecca” for more than 50 years, and I live right smack in the middle of the 7 Mile Miracle. This stretch of beaches is home to more than 20 surf breaks that can attain “world class” status when swell size, swell direction, tide and wind all come together. And I know from experience that this is going to be one of those days. But still I sit and ponder and thank God for my good fortune. And I thank God for my good health. As I grow older I know that someday I will not be able to compete with the “kids” in the water and I know that someday my body will begin to crackle and ache and I know that my time on this planet will end all too soon. And because of this, I sit and breathe deeply the perfect unspoiled Hawaiian air and I do slow time down if only for a minute of two…

May 1, 2009

The Slug Hunt

Filed under: Bhut jolokia garden — admin @ 9:12 am

slugs The Slug Hunt

It’s just before Midnight and I just woke up on the couch. I was watching the ten o’clock news and made it to 10:20 before I fell asleep. Two surf sessions of double overhead surf today at Rocky Point in not so pristine conditions wore me out. A lot of North wind means a lot of paddling to stay in the lineup. And that is exhausting!

Anyway, I am contemplating not going into the gardens tonight to look for slugs. I am just too tired. I lie on the couch for another five minutes, and drag myself up. I literally am half asleep and stumble into the kitchen to get a flashlight. Even though I thought how nice it would have been to go straight to bed, there was never a chance. This is a responsibility that I have to my garden because all that is in it deserves to be protected. There is also the matter of putting the protective containers back over the “Bhuts” so the many assassins cannot enter. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a better balance between the nocturnal and the diurnal? Where is my garden toad? I haven’t seen it in a month. Why don’t the rock lizards hunt by night?

I find 4 slugs in the garden above the beach, and 25 slugs in the garden in the front of the house. This takes about an hour and my back is aching from bending over. I am now fully awake and it is after 1:00 AM. So much for getting up at 5:30 to surf. I take a long, hot shower and head to the computer to write down my thoughts. The garden is a wonderful place to think, especially at night. It is a very clear night here in Hawaii and there is no light pollution where I live on the North Shore of Oahu.. The stars look as though you can touch them and it doesn’t take but a few seconds to look up and see a shooting star. By the way, did you know that the average size of a shooting star is smaller than a grain of sand? I am at peace in my garden, especially at night because there is no noise except the waves crashing upon the reef. I am so lucky to live here and enjoy all that Hawaii has to offer. It is perfect for me as the surf is fantastic, the running and mountain biking trails are world class and we have great basalt rock for climbing 10 miles from my house. You throw in kite surfing, diving, paddling, swimming and well you get the picture. I am living a dream, a dream that started when I moved here from California in 1975. Everyone must have a dream. I think that we all dream when we are children. In fact, we sometimes get punished for being a dreamer. “Hey, quit day dreaming and get back to work. You are chasing a pipe dream. You’ll never be an airline pilot.” Those things I heard often when I was young from people who didn’t have a dream or forgot about their dream. They were trying to spoil mine. It is sad people lose their dreams and are relegated to living a life that is full of concessions. I thank God that I am so strong willed and have never accepted anything less than great. I remember telling my friend Otis this when he told me I was chasing a pipe dream. “If there is one airline pilot job available, I will be the one who gets hired.” Of course I got hired and had a great career and traveled the world. So, live your dreams my friends, don’t listen to the naysayer and never, never accept mediocrity.

Good Night

April 13, 2009

About us & The Hottest Pepper in the World – The Bhut Jolokia

ABOUT US

Jamie KocherJamie Kocher, the President of The Waimea Bay Chile Pepper Company has been organic gardening and farming for more than 35 years. His interest in organic gardening began at age 18 when he rented several community garden plots from the city of Long Beach while attending college. He has always had organic gardens, and to this day enjoys the satisfaction of growing most of his food and from sharing his knowledge and tricks of the trade to friends and acquaintances. He started an organic nursery in San Diego in 1985 and introduced the first “Mainland” hybrid bananas to this area in 1988. He moved back to the North Shore of Oahu in 1997 to surf more, and to get back to basics. As an airline pilot for American Airlines for 24 years he had the flexibility to commute to Los Angeles to work but would fly right back to Hawaii for his airline trip. His gardens utilize raised beds and the French intensive method, and the results are incredible. Typical Bhut Jolokia plants are 2 or 3 feet high and produce 30-50 fruits, but Jamie’s organically grown Bhut Jolokia plants are 6-8 feet tall, with very thick trunks, and produce 200-250 fruits. He attributes this to his homemade compost, lots of TLC, and a lot of luck!

MISSION STATEMENT

Our website is dedicated to the Bhut Jolokia pepper. It has merits way beyond it’s intense heat. It is our intent to educate the reader on the amazing healing powers of this pepper, and other peppers that contain capsaicin. Capsaicin is the chemical compound found in the intestinal tract of the pepper and is what generates the sensation of heat. The health value of peppers has been known for hundreds of years in many parts of the world, but is just now being recognized as a viable, and accepted treatment in the Western world. Capsaicin is being used today for many, many types of treatments. Please see our health benefit section for more information.

At The Waimea Bay Chili Pepper Company, we offer the best organic Bhut Jolokia seeds that money can buy. We offer a no frills, no BS website that is simple to use and gives the reader a good working knowledge of capsaicin and its great healing powers. Is capsaicin recognized by the AMA? No it is not. Have we done any clinical testing relating to the healing powers of capsaicin? No we have not. Our claim is this—We use the Bhut Jolokia in our lives everyday. We believe in its healing abilities, and want to share our good fortune. Do we want to profit from the sale of our seeds? Of course we do, but founder Jamie Kocher is a successful businessman, and a retired airline pilot and will contribute 25% of the profits from this company to The Surfrider Foundation, and the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii. Aloha.

WHAT IS ORGANIC?

Many people think that the term “organic” means the growing of any living thing without the use of man made chemical fertilizers or pesticides. This is partially true. However, a more correct definition is a sustainable type of growing plants, and animals that does no harm to the land. To grow something organically whether it is plant or animal is to grow with a sense of responsibility and to have a stewardship for the land. To grow organically is to enhance the soil and prevent erosion. In organic farming one raises mixed crops, rotating a heavy feeder with nitrogen producing legume, uses mixed vegetable and animal wastes to make humus. In organic farming there is no waste. There is a balance between the living and the dying and there is no damage to the Earth. Here at the Waimea Bay Chili Pepper Company, we utilize each and every concept of organic farming. Our soils are filled with earthworms and micro organisms that enhance the growing process. There is no chemical runoff that destroys the rivers and oceans. We take pride in each and everything we grow and revere the soil and its ability to sustain and heal!

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