Some Pepper Pictures

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Even though I am not much of a photographer, I decided to spend a few minutes taking pictures before I started harvesting peppers this weekend.

What I discovered is that I shouldn't do it on a hot day, I need something to hold labels in place other than trying to stick them in the plants and I need to take pictures either in the morning or in the late evening when the sun is at a better position.

Anyway, here are a few of the Trinidad pepper varieties I'm growing this year.

[Pyrrho]

Those look great!

I've got three Congo Trinidad's (red) and one Jamaican Hot Chocolate, all in an Earthtainer (seeds from Tomato Growers' Supply), so I'm interested to hear what your impressions are of the varieties you're growing -- are their any you'd especially recommend?

[austinnhanasmom]

AWESOME!! Thanks for the photos!

[roper2008]

Very nice. Especially the trinidad congo black.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by Pyrrho

Those look great!

I've got three Congo Trinidad's (red) and one Jamaican Hot Chocolate, all in an Earthtainer (seeds from Tomato Growers' Supply), so I'm interested to hear what your impressions are of the varieties you're growing -- are their any you'd especially recommend?

Thanks!

The red and yellow 7-pots have been incredibly productive, as have all the Congo's. The Douglah has been slower to get going, they look great but are only half of the size of the other varieties, in the same potting mix, same fertilizer schedule, getting the same amount of sun 10 feet away from the other ones. Note that I do go out every morning I'm home and try to hit every branch with open flowers with a pollinating wand, which makes a huge difference in fruit set for me.

As far as flavors, I haven't gotten any sauces made yet this year, I'm freezing them after saving the seeds hoping to get enough to use each pepper variety individually and have a tasting for my heat loving buddies.

Last year I made jerk seasoning with Jamacian Hot Chocolate, Jamacian Hot Red and Jamacian Hot Yellow, which was very nice. I also made one big batch of sauce with a base of various Caribbean peppers and tossed in all the various bhuts I got which was loved/feared by the adventurous souls who tried it. This year I'm trying to start catching the nuances in the different peppers since I'm growing a lot more plants and getting better fruit set.

[tjg911]

very nice pictures.

i'd be curious what your impression of these peppers are as to the heat. the last 2 pictures of the trinidad scorpion x morouge red and yellow look like they are so hot they blistered on the plant!

i'm really fascinated by hot peppers and 2 years ago i could not eat anything the least bit hot. today i'm eating peppers and hot sauces so hot i'm amazed how i acclimated to these.

tom

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by roper2008

Very nice. Especially the trinidad congo black.

Thanks!

I liked that one too. As I was laying on my back in the sun trying to get an angle that showed the big cluster of ripe ones I was thinking to myself that I might be just a little bit nuts.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by tjg911

very nice pictures.

i'd be curious what your impression of these peppers are as to the heat. the last 2 pictures of the trinidad scorpion x morouge red and yellow look like they are so hot they blistered on the plant!

i'm really fascinated by hot peppers and 2 years ago i could not eat anything the least bit hot. today i'm eating peppers and hot sauces so hot i'm amazed how i acclimated to these.

tom

This is my first year growing the TS x Morouga varieties. Those in the pictures are actually some of the first ones to ripen fully and I haven't even picked any yet, so I haven't had an experimental nibble to evaluate their heat.

I'll let you know what I think once I work up the courage.

[gtnate]

You don't mess around when it comes to heat, I see. I really like the way these peppers look, all of them. I'm not so sure that I could handle the heat, though, and I'm originally a Texas native.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by gtnate

You don't mess around when it comes to heat, I see. I really like the way these peppers look, all of them. I'm not so sure that I could handle the heat, though, and I'm originally a Texas native.

I personally like to tone them down a bit to where I can taste some of the nuances in the peppers themselves. I don't think I could do like Neil at the Hippy Seed Company and just pop a whole fresh one in my mouth and go to town.

Last year my wife and her sisters got quite a laugh out of watching the sweat drip off me and tears run down my face while making a particularly hot batch of sauce for a friend who I firmly believe has killed his taste buds. I couldn't taste anything for at least a day and he said it had a really good flavor.

Here are a few more from this afternoon, the bhuts. I'd made the mistake of wiping sweat out of my eyes after touching some of the peppers, so I did not do quite as well setting them up and quit for the day after taking these.

[gtnate]

Mark,

That bhut jokakia chocolate looks amazing. Also, I want to know the answer to this question, as I am a bit of trivia buff: what is the hottest pepper? I use to know the answer, but I have recent information that makes me think that the answer has changed. You seem to be a connoisseur of really hot peppers, so I figure that you are as good an authority as any.

Thanks,
Nate

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by gtnate

Mark,

That bhut jokakia chocolate looks amazing. Also, I want to know the answer to this question, as I am a bit of trivia buff: what is the hottest pepper? I use to know the answer, but I have recent information that makes me think that the answer has changed. You seem to be a connoisseur of really hot peppers, so I figure that you are as good an authority as any.

Thanks,
Nate

The Butch T Trinidad Scorpion tested at 1,463,700 scoville units. Neil at The Hippy Seed Company provided the seeds that grew the tested peppers. Butch Taylor owns the sauce company that they were grown for, so he attached his name to the tested variety. I asked Neil if they were a special selection and he said no, just the straight seed stock for the same TS strain he's been selling for years, although he has updated the web description to include 'ButchT" now (probably so that people like me would quit asking).

To check his strain against mine I went ahead and ordered some from him for my 2012 grow.

Some people believe some of the other Trini varieties may be even hotter, but they haven't been tested to my knowledge.