Pepper Patch Identification Post

Our pepper patch is looking righteous. We have more than 23 different varieties, with a total of more than 120 plants in the patch. It has been a challenge to keep everything properly identified so we know what we’re picking and when it’s time to pick it. We started by making a planting chart.

Unfortunately, it’s not easy to tell when it’s time to harvest the peppers. They mature at different rates and some change colors (e.g., green to red) while others do not. The purpose of this post is to find a picture of a mature pepper for each variety in our garden. I haven’t yet identified the plants labeled “mixed.”

Row One
Corno di Toro Rosa

Image from 123seeds.eu

The Corno di Toro Rosa (aka Bull’s Horn) is a very sweet, large, oblong-shaped pepper. The fruits mature in 75-85 days and ripen from green to bright red. Due to it’s form this sweet pepper is often used for stuffing, slicing onto salads (or a stirfry), or cooking on a barbecue.

Cherry Hots

Image from Seedman.com

These little 2″ peppers are very hot and mature from green to red within 80 days.

Chocolate Habanero Hybrid

Image from seeds-plants.net

The Chocolate Habanero (aka Congo Black) is one of the hottest peppers from the Caribbean, maturing from green to brown. I will be fermenting these peppers.

Aji Yellow

Image from hirts.com

These 2″ Peruvian peppers are very hot and mature from light green to bright yellow in approximately 100 days.

Row Two
Paper Lantern Hybrid

Image from chilibase.com

Just as hot as regular habanero peppers, the Red Paper Lantern variety matures much faster (70 days) transforming from green to orange to bright red as they ripen.

Rat Turd

Image from Chileplants.com

These spicy little peppers mature from green to red in approximately 100 days. Don’t be surprised if you see a Rat Turd Sauce in the near future.

Yellow 7 Pot X Scorpion 5

Image from OldBarnNursery.com

A cross between two of the hottest peppers on Earth. They will mature from green to red or yellow within approximately 110 days.

Sweet Chocolate Cherry

Image from http://www.michis-tomatensamen.de

The chocolatey version of the cherry hot pepper (above).

Row Three
Aji Colorado

Image from petterssononline.com

These spicy peppers mature from green to red (and perhaps yellow?) in approximately 90 days.

Red Bishop Crown

Image from http://www.chilipeppermadness.com

This mildly spicy relative of the Aji pepper has a fruity taste and matures from light green to bright red in approximately 90 days.

Fooled You Jalapeño

Image from hellhotpeppers.com

This jalapeño pepper has absolutely no head (but still has that smokey jalapeño taste) and matures to a dark green in approximately 85 days.

Red Cayenne

Image from burpee.com

This is just your standard slim cayenne pepper, maturing from green to bright red in approximately 75-80 days.

Indonesian Cayenne

Image from chileplants.com

Similar to the Red Cayenne (above).

Row Four
Green Bell
I think we’re all familiar enough with green bell peppers. No picture needed.

Jamaican Hot Chocolate Habanero

Image from gardener.wikia.com

This is an extremely hot pepper with a strong smokey taste. It’s going to be perfect for a Jamaican jerk sauce!

New Mexico Big Jim

Image from chilipeppermadness.com

This giant pepper is mildly spicy and matures from green to red in approximately 85 days. Stuffed peppers for dinner, anyone?!?!

Krimson Lee Mild

Image from midwestchilipeppers.com

This mild pepper matures to bright red and is perfect for pizzas and salads.

Row Five
Chile Catarina

Image from chileplants.com

This small Mexican pepper is used to make tamales, marinades, stews and soups. I will likely dry them out, grind them, and put them into a dry BBQ rub.

Alma Paprika

Image from bh-froe.com

Alma Paprika look similar to a Pimiento in shape but start out white and then slowly turn orange and finally turn red at maturity. The fruits are round and very thick walled making them great for stuffing. They are very sweet yet have a distinctly spicy flavor (slightly milder than a Jalapeño). Great for stuffing & grilling or drying & grinding into a sweet Paprika powder.

Carolina Cayenne

Image from chileplants.com

Similar in appearance to the original cayenne, this variety is twice as hot, slightly wider, and matures to a deep red color.

Row Six
Broome Chili

Image from chillico.com

The elusive Broome chilli of Australia. This rare plant puts out dark green snub-nosed pods that ripen to a deep satin red.

Row Eight
Red Monkey Face

Image from chileseeds.co.uk

These hot peppers ripen from green to red and (supposedly) resemble a monkey’s face.

Sweet Lipstick Red

Image from Gurneys.com

The sweetest pepper in our patch.

Hopefully these pictures will help us easily identify each pepper by sight and harvest them at just the right time.

Growing Ambition

I’ve planned out our 2013 garden. As usual, Evelyn thinks I’ve taken things a way too far. Of course, I think she got that hint a few weeks ago when I seeded 480 hot pepper plants. I have a tendency to go a little overboard sometimes. We have the land so might as well utilize it, right?!?! We have a couple of friends that want to help us garden this summer so hopefully it won’t be too much to handle. Below is a map that I came up with. You can see a more detailed view with my notes here.

100 Backyard Sunset Photographs

We’ve lived in our new home for less than a year and I’ve already taken 100 photographs of sunsets from our back yard.  Most of the pictures were taken and edited on my iPhone.  Some of them, particularly the early photographs, are a little over processed.  It’s taken me some time to learn how to properly edit the pictures using a number of apps on my phone.  I hope you enjoy!

Pitching my Design Concept: Masculine Whimsical Steampunk

I’ve been thinking about a design theme for the space that consists of the dining and living rooms but I’ve had trouble explaining it to Evelyn.  I decided that a blog post with pictures and explanations might be the best way to make my pitch for a space that is simultaneously vintage (Victorian), masculine, and whimsical (without a hint of irony).

THE ROOM in question has white carpet, Ben Moore’s Alfresco blue walls, two white pillars and a beautiful glass chandelier handed down to us from Evelyn’s grandmother.  My father in law installed it with a dimmer switch and it’s really fancy.  We’ve also got an oval mirror that has a wrought iron appearance.  We have enough space for a large table and a buffet, and perhaps even a corner hutch, in the dining area.  Our current dining room table seats six but we want to replace it with one more appropriate for the size of the space that seats 10-12 (perhaps a round one?).   The living room is empty except for our brown leather Eames chair.  I think an antique loveseat and a Queen Anne and/or Louis XV chair would compliment the chandelier. 

On our last trip to Memphis we spent a day with Evelyn’s mom at the Sheffield Antique

Mall where I found a paper table runner that I intend on cutting into two panels and placing into antique baroque frames, perhaps with a big mirror between them (and sconces on the outside to finish the wall).  The brown paper looks good on the blue walls and it matches our beige curtains. I think the line drawings of the antique silverware have a really neat, vintage look.  So, that’s what we currently have.  Where do we go from here? 

I’ve imagined a space inspired by Victorian steampunk themes centering on adventure, with a touch of period-specific anthropomorphic masculine whimsy.  I want to downplay the “punk” in steampunk (eg, less emphasis on gadgets and cogs and goggles) and downplay cartoonish steampunk fantasy elements (eg, less emphasis on the dark & seductive elements seen elsewhere).  In doing so, I’m hoping that the whimsies that do exist seem more plausible and authentic. So how might this play out?  Can such a space stand the test of time without being kitchy.  Is there such a thing as masculine whimsy and can it manifest itself in a living space without being ironic, or utterly absurd.  What would a space look like if it were designed around the supposed travels of an old steampunk explorer?  Where do the pilots of those imaginative steam-powered balloons go?  Who do they meet and what do they bring back from their journeys?  I believe the answers to these questions can be manifest in a living space in such a way that inspires creativity (important if our children grow up in the countryside, somewhat isolated) and provides a structure onto which Evelyn and I can add our own adventure booty.

So, were you to climb into your Victorian steam-powered flying contraption, what adventures might you have?  What relics might you have returned from your adventures with to place in your abode?  Perhaps a drawing or two of steampunk aircraft.  And the “steampunk” theme is just a conceptual framework that can help us include things that have come to define us as individuals.  For example, we have (an inexplicable?) affinity for jamband music and one of my close friends, Sei Rey (of Us&Them Studios), has a great Phish print that would work perfectly in our adventure-themed space!

And some stenciled scenes reminiscent of the adventures you’ve had.

Perhaps some notes on your favorite French armor, or some sketches of creatures you’ve discovered.

OK… So far, so good.  Let’s take it to the next level.  What lies beyond the edge of the map, on the brink of imagination?  The giant squid that nearly took out the ship.  Perhaps the noble parrot statesman?  Or the heroic rhino sergeant?  Or the elder buffalo statesman.

Did I lose you?  Is it too much?  Too… bizarre?  Absurd?  Immature?  Or can you see my vision?  Period specific pieces: antique frames, old photographs, etchings, vintage maps, a trunk, ornate Victorian furniture, weathered trinkets.  Could it come across as authentic and unique, instead of ironic and cynical hipster chic?  I think it could be done but I admit, it’s risky.

Fantasy Money

I’ve been playing fantasy football with the same group of college buddies for several years.  Last year I came in 1st place (for the second year in a row).  The league pays out the winnings just before the next season’s draft.  Thus, I just got a nice fat check!

Now, we are at no loss for things to spend money on.  We’ve got a big mortgage payment, student loan debt and Evelyn has a birthday this month.  But, this is FANTASY money.  It begs to be spent on an extravagance.  So, after much hand-wringing, at about 1:00 am this morning, while my beautiful wife lay sleeping, I bought a Bradley Smoker.

I’ve been pining for an electric smoker for years.  I’m so excited I can barely stand it.  This football season will be filled with smoked ribs, smoked turkeys, smoked hams, crackers and smoked cheese, smoked beef briskets, chips and smoked jalapeno salsa, smoked fish, smoked nuts, homemade smoked sausages, and who knows what else!  With any luck, Evelyn won’t have a cow when she checks our account this morning.  If she does, I’ll SMOKE IT!!!!

 

Our Latest Addition: “Leaf” by Perdue Studios

We recently acquired a 7.5 ft solid steel sculpture from Perdue Studios in Asheville, NC.  It is a stunning (and incredibly heavy) addition to our front yard.  http://www.perduestudios.com/

iPhoneography

Evelyn and I recently purchased new iPhones.  We love them!  In fact, I don’t know how I lived without one.  We’ve spent the last week or so downloading apps for all kinds of things including navigation, coordinating grocery lists, playing music, and taking photographs.  I’ve been particularly enamored with the latter.

I’ve downloaded several photo apps including Instagram, Camera+, Picfx, Snapspeed, Pixlromatic, Photosynth, and Decim8.  Each app offers something different and combining the various apps’ filters produces some amazing results.  Check out our photo feed in the next column to see my most recent pictures!  Here are a few of my favorites from the last week:

Living for Serendipity

Nine days after driving himself to the hospital with stomach pains, my father passed away in the Intensive Care Unit of St. Mary’s Hospital.  Despite the dedication and expertise of a huge team of doctors and nurses, as well as technologies that simply boggle the mind, my father’s body was unable to perform the functions necessary for a dignified life.  Facing that inescapable reality, we said our goodbyes and let nature take it’s course.  It wasn’t easy, but I’m at peace with it.  We all are.

After spending a week with mom, Evelyn and I returned to Indiana.  I’ve had the benefit of work responsibilities to keep my mind from dwelling on things, and we’ve really been having fun getting our belongings out of boxes and into our new home.  Still, there are moments when I’m overwhelmed by emotions and find myself welling up with tears.  I’m sure this will be a life-long affliction.

I’ve found it best to keep myself busy.  I’ve been doing a lot of fishing and keeping up with the yard has been a chore.  I’ve agreed to teach a class for my department during the second session of summer school and we have some travel ahead of us.  I’ve been enjoying photography on my new iPhone and I’ve been making some delicious meals.  In short, I’d rather not sit in my house and dwell on memories, and then become frustrated when I can’t remember the details.  I’ve found it much easier, and far more enjoyable, to wait for the kind of serendipitous memories that can only be recalled in the instant, while living my life.

A Rough Week

Dad has had a really rough week.  The following is a running timeline of events (as posted on my sister’s Facebook page).

May 7 My dad needs some positive thoughts his way! He is in The ICU with major organ failure, BUT we made it through the night and we are inching our way over the hump. His heart and lungs are doing much better; his liver is improving too! We are hoping for some kidney improvement soon!

May 7 Long day. Dad is resting comfortably and is able to get pain meds on a regular basis! His blood pressure is still low, but is being maintained which is great. He is a sick guy, but has fought his ass off! We just need to maintain organ function through ivs so we can start dialysis in the morning. We got some food in us and are staying positive! Hoping for lots of progress tomorrow. Wish him luck!

May 8 Mini celebration time: Dad’s newest tests this morning showed lung stability and slight increase in pancreas function. Doctors are starting dialysis at 9:15am. This will be a lot for Dad to handle, but once it’s in we should be good. Positive thought time.

May 8 After lots of very very hard work from nurses and doctors, Dad has a rhythm and a pulse. We had lots of CPR and shocks for Papa John. Two hours of fighting for his life and we got the catheter in!!! Pacemaker is being put in now.

May 8 Pacemaker in!!! Go crazy, folks! Go crazy!

May 8 We are 20 minutes into dialysis! They would like to be able to remove fluid from blood, but at this point he can only handle it being cleaned. Blood pressure is being monitored closely. This is the easiest way to update, sorry for filling up news feeds!

May 8 Time to celebrate!! We made it through our first round of dialysis. They were able to remove 2L of fluids as they cleaned the blood… Which is what we hoped for. His blood pressure is looking good and our next step will be to maintain through the night so we can do another 6 hour cleanse tomorrow. Even though he is sedated, he has fought quite hard today–hoping for a peaceful night.

May 9 Yay for 6 hours of peaceful sleep in the waiting room! Dad had a steady night! The nurses were able to reduce some doses throughout the night, which means Dad is working on his own more and more! They even cut back on oxygen through his ventilator. His kidney function has started to look up as well! His doctor is here and seems shocked and happy about Papa John’s progress!

May 10 Dad is doing a bit better. Organ functions are slightly improving and his heart is hanging in there. Still in medically induced unconsciousness but he is nothing short of a miracle. Doctors are happy with the improvements. He still has a long way to go but he is tough!

May 11 Got a call 2 hours ago that I needed to get back to the ICU as fast as possible. Pops had to be rushed into an emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his abdominal cavity. The nurses explained the odds and severity of this surgery (pressure should be at 8, his was 27). With a 10% chance to make it through, our Dad kicked ass and is back into ICU!!!!! This is a big hurdle and the next 3 hours are crucial, but we know he will keep fighting. Kidneys are looking OK, lungs seem decent, heart is still beating, pancreas is deteriorating and liver is looking a little damaged. Another long night ahead of us. Positive thought time!

I’m glad Barrett has been keeping track of it all.  Our family has been on an emotional roller coaster. Two steps forward; one and a half back.  My mind has definitely gone to some very dark places (I broke down in tears this afternoon in the arms of a very large woman; a stranger who had been sharing the ICU lobby with us).  That said, we’re optimistic that he is making some progress.  Watching the staff at St. Mary’s Hospital, and all of the amazing technologies, has given us a tremendous amount of hope.  Please keep your thoughts and prayers coming our way.  We desperately need them.

Best of Times; Worst of Times

Evelyn and I have been enjoying the new house.  The neighbor was kind enough to lend me his old riding lawnmower until I can afford my own.  Slowly but surely we’ve been pulling things out of boxes and putting them away.  In the evenings we’ve been going down to the pond to catch fish, including this huge bass that Evelyn caught on a rooster tail.  We’ve also been enjoying the wildlife that visits the pond.  We’ve seen several types of birds including geese, blue herons, hawks, killdeer, and songbirds.  We’ve also spotted deer in the morning.

Unfortunately, the best of times has been followed by what appears to be the worst of times.  My father got really sick last week.  We thought it was just food poisoning, but it’s much worse.  He drove himself to the hospital on Friday afternoon with terrible pains in his stomach.  It turns out that he has gallstones, a failing kidney and pancreas, and unstable blood pressure.  Furthermore, the shock to his system has stressed his hear, resulting in several shocks from the defibrillator.  He’s currently on life support.

Evelyn and I threw some mis-matched clothes into the car and immediately rushed to Jefferson City where we are currently sitting in the intensive care waiting room.  His blood pressure appears to have stabilized last night and his liver seems to be working better.  They’ve just given him another dose of pain medication and hope to get his kidneys on dialysis and perform surgery on his gall bladder within the next 24 hours.  This is really scary stuff.