The Hottest Pepper Blog

December 30, 2010

Pruning in Hawaii

Filed under: Ask Jamie — Tags: , , , — admin @ 4:09 pm

Question:

Aloha Jamie,

I was reading the last post and was wondering about pruning here in Hawaii. My Hawaiian Chili peppers started out as those little 2″ pots and are now 6″ bushes..
I just cut them way way back a few months ago since they were starting to break branches withtheir eternal supply of peppers… But they are back again after being sticks.. Might I get similar results with the Bhut?

I had to move my kalo since it got big enough to block the sunlight to my cottage. Same patch of dirt as the peppers.

A hui hou,
Greg

Answer:

Hi Greg,

Thanks for your inquiry. I have now tried for 3 years to prune my Bhuts. That’s not a problem. They will come back nicely, however, I have found that the yield is not as good as the first year. So, now at the end of fall, I just pull out my plants, rework the soil with organic amendments and start the process again after the winter solstice when days are getting longer. You may have different results on your side of the island. I would keep a few plants and experiment. Please let me know the results.

Cheers and aloha,

Jamie

December 28, 2010

Hello My Friends

Filed under: Ask Jamie,How to — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 10:19 am

Question:

My name is Lloyd Snyder I would love to get more information on the hottest pepper in the world and where I can buy them. I live in PA. Also if I were to buy seeds can I grow them here in Pa.? Thank you.

Answer:

Hey Lloyd,

Thanks for your inquiry. There is a lot of information concerning the Bhut Jolokia on our website. Please check it out. You can certainly grow this pepper in PA but there is a little planning involved. After germinating your seeds, you will need to transplant your “Bhuts” to a 4″ or 6″ pot when about 4″ tall. Keep them inside near a window if the temperatures are not above 65 degrees. Then acclimate them to the outside after all danger of frost has passed. When the temperature gets above 90 during the summer, you will have to buy some shade cloth to keep the temps. between 80 and 90 degrees. This usually required about a 20-30% reducing shade cloth. Keep them deep watered (slowly–drip is the best) every two days when it is that hot. IF they start to drop their flowers, then they are probably too hot. You will need to double up on the shade cloth. Please contact me during this process if you have any questions or problems. Once again, there is a lot of this information on our site.

Aloha,

Jamie

October 4, 2010

Worried About Changing Seasons

Filed under: Ask Jamie,Bhut jolokia garden,Information — Tags: , , , — admin @ 3:21 pm

Question: 

I am a first time Bhut grower and I’m not sure if I started late.  I have only one plant that is about 2-3ft tall and is starting to bud peppers everywhere!  It has even branched off at the base and is budding there too.  But I am worried that with the weather changing I will loose them all.  As of now, the bhut is in a large pot outside (planting in the ground is not a option for me; I live in VA and we’re getting alot of stormy weather (hurricane season)).  Am I going to be ok?  My plant looks healthy as of now but I’m still worried.  The temp is starting to change; the high this whole week will be in the 68 to 70 degree range. What should I do?

–

David

Answer:

Aloha David,
Thanks for the inquiry. Please go to our site @ thehottestpepper.com and read about “How to Care for Your Pepper Plant…” It will tell you how to move it indoors and keep it going. Next year you will have to start earlier in the year.

Good luck!

Jamie

March 22, 2010

Can I Freeze Peppers?

Filed under: Ask Jamie — Tags: , , — admin @ 10:39 pm

freezer 150x150 Can I Freeze Peppers?

You ask them, Jamie answers them! Here’s another edition of Ask Jamie, with a wonderful question on freezing peppers.

Question
Hi, I heard about these peppers and have read through your website (and a few others).  When is the time of year to be able to buy whole peppers from you ?   My recipe for chilli is a bit warm (Jalapenos and Habaneros, I really prefer the Habeneros because I like the fruity taste of them (and also of course the heat). I would like to have a very hot version of my chilli using Habeneros and the Ghost pepper. Obviously I dont know how much to use and still be edible, I’ll have to use a little, and add small amounts until I get it where I want it.

A couple of questions:
1) When would I be able to buy whole peppers from you ?
2) Does freezing the pepper until used have an effect on flavor ? (I imagine yes, but not sure how much).
3) Since you are the experts on these peppers, any handy tips on how/how much to use ? (I am aware of the need to be careful – made that mistake with Habeneros once).
Thanks, and I’ll place my order after receiving your feedback (might get some powder for now since you are out of the actual peppers according to your site).
~JC Harris

Answer
Aloha JC,

Thanks for your inquiry.  Just like the Habanero pepper, the Bhut Jolokia has a wonderful flavor. It also has an intense back heat.  I cannot tell you how much to use as this is very, very subjective.  You just have to experiment.
As far as the freezing goes, we pick our pepper when they are bright red, and very ripe.  Not one pepper ripens in transit, or is picked before it’s time.  They are then de-seeded by hand which is a huge pain in the butt.  The peppers are then either, sun dried, or dehydrated.  Then they are vacuum packed and frozen.  You can re-hydrate them if you wish, and many of my customers do this.
I would purchase the pepper flakes and experiment with them.  You are not going to be able to use the fresh peppers much anyway because they have to be diced so fine or you could hurt someone who eats a chunk. Not a nice thing to do.
We will have fresh peppers again around June 1st.
Mahalo and Aloha,
Jamie

thehottestpepper.com

June 10, 2009

The Sifter

Filed under: How to — Tags: , , — admin @ 9:34 am

Aloha,

I hope that every one had a great weekend! And GO LAKERS!!!

Today’s Blog will be about “The Sifter”. This little garden assistant works wonders when getting soil from your compost pile. The purpose of it is pretty simple- to keep the larger particles of soil on top of the screen and allow the smaller ones to fall into your bucket or other carrying device. It is very important to have a very fine soil composition for certain vegetables like carrots which can be easily sidetracked when they grow. I have seen many a crooked carrot in my day because the gardener did not take the time to sift the soil. You can make a sifter easily and cheaply and it saves a ton of time.

How to Make “The Sifter”

I use a sheet of diamond lath (available @ The Home Depot) or any good garden supply store. They have different thicknesses of the lath, but the cheapest one (about $5.00) will work just fine. It measures 2′ x 6′ and you can just frame it out with 2 x 4 lumber in any size that you want. If you want a higher sifter, then use 2 x 6 lumber. This sheet can makes two 2′ x 3′ “sifters” if you know a friend that needs one. OR, you can just put the sheet of lath on 2 piles of dirt, put a bucket underneath the center and shovel the soil on top of the lath. Use your hands (I wear gloves as the lath is a bit sharp) and rub the soil through the “diamond” shaped holes. Now you have a fine soil that is good for germinating seeds, transplanting, or for vegetables that need a fine, sifted soil

Aloha,

Jamie

picture 002 225x300 The Sifter