November, 2021 - The Chilli Workshop

How Chilli heat is measured

CGS Chilli varieties 29th November 202115th August 2024The 2021 Chilli growing season 0 Comment

What is Capsaicin?

Wilber Scoville

Many Chilli fans will have heard of the Scoville rating system. This system measures the pungency of Chillies in terms of what is known as Scoville heat units. The higher the number of Scoville units (SHU) a Chilli is rated at, the hotter it is. For example, Bell peppers are rated zero SHU, and the Carolina Reaper (officially the world’s hottest Chilli) is between 1500000 and 2150000 SHU.

The Scoville rating system came into existence when Wilbur Scoville, an American pharmacist, developed a method of measuring the heat levels of individual varieties of Chilli in 1912.

Image: Wilber Scoville — Wilber Scoville

The original system involved capsaicin being extracted from dried hot Chillies with alcohol. This was then diluted in sugared water. A panel of five trained men would taste progressively decreased dilutions of the extract until at least three could not detect the presence of capsaicin. Each dilution was measured as 100 SHU. The number of dilutions multiplied by 100 determined the Scoville heat rating of the variety being tested.

Today, testing for capsaicin levels has become far more precise with the use of high-performance liquid chromatography. The results achieved with this method are more reliable because they are not dependent on a subjective perception of heat, but rather on the scientific analysis of capsaicin

Most Scoville rating charts will provide a range of heat units for a Chilli variety. This is because not all Chillies are the same. Individual pods may contain more or less capsaicin, even though they are of the same variety (and for that matter even from the same plant) . For this reason, more than one pod is tested. Pods are selected from various plants grown together in a single season . The lowest and highest test results are then provided as the heat range of the particular variety. The middle of the range is the average SHU of the specific variety.

Germination of rocoto seeds

The Rocotos have hatched

I was delighted a few days ago when I discovered that four of my Rocoto seeds had germinated. I was even more pleased this morning when I found that another had burst into life. Considering I expected germination for these seeds to take up to twenty days, it was a pleasant surprise indeed.

Instead of the time I had expected, the first seeds germinated in only ten days. What made the event even more pleasing was that the new peat-free seed starting medium had worked like a charm. To become peat free in my Chilli growing, where previously i would have used peat pellets, I tried something else.

To start these seeds, I used eggshells as seed starting containers. I filled the shells with John Innes seed starting compost that I had mixed with fifty percent vermiculite.

Okay, I have to admit that not everything was peat free. The John Innes compost contains a little . It was however, a bag of compost I already had on hand. It will have served no purpose to throw it out. When the bag is finished, I will look at other peat-free starting composts. I have already done some research, and I could possibly make my own seed starting compost by next season.

If you read my last post, you might recall that I also used the egg tray in which the eggs were packed to germinate the seeds. I filled the cavities in the egg trays with a little vermiculite to aid capillary action between the capillary mat in my self-watering propagator. The eggshells were placed on top of the vermiculite in these cavities

The next step. First potting-on

CGS Growing chillies 24th November 202122nd July 2024The 2021 Chilli growing season 0 Comment

Well ahead of the game

About three weeks ago, I did my first potting on of seedlings for the 2022 season. I repotted some seedlings that germinated about two weeks ago. They are all about two inches tall. The seedlings, all Habaneros, were transferred into 2-inch plastic pots. Repotting seedlings into plastic pots is a deviation from the way I normally do things. Usually, I would have transferred them into peat or fibre pots. However, I used plastic on this occasion, as these seedlings will be kept in pots longer than I have done in the past. I will keep them in small containers to constrain their growth. Because this is the first time I have started seeds this early, I am not sure how big they will grow between now and next June. I am, however, working on the assumption that plants grow slower in winter, so I am not expecting them to grow very big in this period.

At most, I might pot them on only one more time before they are placed into one-litre pots. In the past, I would have used peat or fibre pots for the seedlings, because this made potting on far easier. It wasn’t necessary to remove the seedlings from these pots. The seedlings could simply be placed into a bigger pot as they were (peat or fibre pots and all). They were then covered with compost and ready for the next stage of their development. This year, however, the game plan is somewhat different.

Starting Rocoto Chilli seeds

CGS Growing Rocoto Chillies 23rd November 202130th July 2024The 2021 Chilli growing season 0 Comment

The seeds finally arrived

Last week, I received my Rocoto seeds. I was delighted, as this meant I could finally start my series on the life of a Chilli from seed from when it is planted right up to its use in cooking. I want to map out the journey of a single variety (Rocotos in this case) from the minute I start it, right through to harvest, and then finish with what I do with it in the kitchen.

When I opened the envelope, the seeds were sent in; I found a small bag containing ten black seeds. Black seeds are a characteristic of Rocoto Chillies. The seeds were quite big, about two to three millimetres wide and long. The seeds certainly looked healthy. So, while I might have paid a lot for them (the postage cost as much as the seeds), I was pleased with the quality

It didn’t take long before I was preparing the growing medium to plant these Chillies. As part of my drive to become peat-free in my Chilli growing, I decided to try something else instead of using peat pellets. The thought of using egg shells immediately came to mind. Somewhere along the line, I had seen an image of them being used for organic seed starting. The idea immediately appealed to me. Here was a way to achieve peat free growing, but also a way to use a sustainable resource. Read more

Starting seeds early. The pros & cons

CGS Growing chillies 22nd November 202112th August 2024The 2021 Chilli growing season 1 Comment

Why start seeds early?

When to sow Chilli seeds

Most seeds packets for Chillies recommend sowing them between January and March. Some even recommend sowing as late as April. I tend to agree with the January start, but unless you plant fast-growing varieties like Bell peppers, Jalapenos, Fushimi, Shishito or Hatch Chillies, starting in April, might be too late.

While most of the Chillies mentioned above will produce a crop in 60 to 75 days, if seeds for superhots are started, one could expect them to take far longer. Some superhots, dependent on the weather, take more than one hundred and twenty days from potting-on to set fruit. Then, it takes even longer for the fruit to ripen.

Take this season, for example. I started a month later than usual, and suffered the consequences. I struggled to get my fruit ripe this year. While many have finally ripened, I still have plants that haven’t even fruited. They have flowered, but are yet to produce Chillies. That’s no good, as the Chilli growing season has already ended for this year.

To ensure this doesn’t happen again, I have already started some of my seeds for next year. The seeds were planted about three weeks ago. Some seedlings are already about two inches tall, but for the most part, are only about an inch in height. They are mostly superhot varieties and will take a long time to grow. I expect they will only be between eight and twelve inches tall come spring next year. I certainly won’t hurry to repot them too soon after their first potting-on. This should constrain their growth. I am also working on the premise that plants grow more slowly in winter.

Lemon and Chilli marmalade

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Making Chilli / Lemon marmalade

A recipe is born

Some Chillies I started from seed in March are now fully ripe. These include my Aji White Wax, Apaches, Satan’s Kiss and Barak Chillies. I have already made Peri Peri Sauce with Apache Chillies. My next cooking project is with the Baraks, which finally ripened after being placed under grow lights earlier in the season.

Baraks are a fantastic ornamental Chilli that produces lots of multi-coloured pods. They are quite hot Chillies with a Scoville rating of between ninety five and one hundred thousand SHU. The fruit starts off yellow and then slowly changes to orange. When fully ripe, the fruit is a bright red. Often you will find fruit at different stages of ripening on a single plant. These varying colours make the plant attractive. It is as pretty as any house flower.

But that is only a bonus. Baraks are also excellent eating Chillies. With about five bushes with ripe fruit, I have decided to use them to create an entirely new recipe. And where better to start than a new recipe for jam. Chillies add a delightful zest to jams made with fruit (among others) like rhubarb, apples, mangoes and pineapples. Chillies also combine well with citrus. For this recipe, I will use lemons and Barak Chillies to make a marmalade

What’s more, I have decided to make this one carb friendly. This is a recipe that anyone on a Banting or Keto diet will enjoy

Scotch bonnets vs Habaneros

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Will the real Scotch bonnet stand up?

Scotch bonnets and Habaneros are closely related. They are both from the same species and may even share the same origin. It is believed that the Taino people from South America originally brought similar Chillies to the Caribbean when they travelled there many thousands of years ago. The Habanero travelled a different route to Mexico. They may have been brought there by birds or also by Amerindians from the Amazon. Birds eat Chillies and distribute seeds in their droppings when they migrate. When considering the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico’s proximity to Cuba, the bird theory is plausible. Cuba is after all in the Caribbean and was one of the countries the Taino settled in.

We all know that Habaneros and Scotch bonnets often get confused. All you need to do is search the web, and you will get many conflicting views. Some have the Scotch bonnet as looking like a Tam o Shanter cap or like a cup with a saucer. Others have Scotch bonnets squatter with lobes and resembling a small pumpkin. Yet others are squashed with no lobes at all. In some images, it is even possible they may even resemble a Habanero

Habaneros are often described as lantern shaped with a rounded top that tapers to a point. However, once again, if you surf the web, you find images of Habaneros in other shapes. Some squashed with distorted lobes, some teardrop shaped and others stunted. It can all get a bit confusing.

So, what is the truth of the matter? Let’s dig deeper to sift the wheat from the chaff

More on Rocoto Chillies

CGS Growing Rocoto Chillies 15th November 202128th May 2024The 2021 Chilli growing season 0 Comment

Getting to know the Rocoto Chilli

As mentioned in a previous post . I will be writing a series of posts on growing Rocoto Chillies. These posts will cover everything that happens from the moment I plant the seeds until the plants mature. I will then write about how I use the Chillies in cooking. In other words, rocotos from start to finish. As part a of this I will be learning as much about Rocotos as possible. I want to explore where they are from, what’s the best way of growing them, and anything else interesting that I can find on this amazing Chilli.

The reason I chose the Rocoto for this series is mainly by chance. While researching something else, I stumbled across the fact that Rocotos are widely grown in the United Kingdom. This Chilli is apparently really popular amongst Chilli growers in this country. I did’nt know that. Who would have thought that a Chilli one would associate more with South America, and perhaps Mexico would be so popular here? My curiosity got the better of me ,so before long I was digging deeper into all things Rocoto. What I have learned has been very interesting indeed. Now I am just waiting for my seeds to arrive.

Overwatering Chillies

CGS Growing chillies 10th November 202128th May 2024The 2021 Chilli growing season 0 Comment

Collapsed seedlings

Overwatering Chillies is something to be avoided at the best of times. However. when checking my seedlings a couple of days ago and finding a couple had fallen over, I said ” here we go again. This has happened to me before. My first thoughts were “I hope this isn’t damping off.” If it had been, I would have been seriously alarmed.

Damping off is a disease where seedlings have been attacked by one or another pathogens that cause their stems to rot. These nasties are rapid killers that can kill off a tray of seedlings in no time at all. What’s more, if not effectively dealt with, damping off can transfer to all seedlings in immediate proximity. It has the potential to wipe out everything

The seedlings were in wet soil. This is just inviting the nasties mentioned to come visiting. These nasties include the Rhizoctonia fungi, Phytophtora, Fusarium, and the water mould Pythium . These pathogens can spread from seedling to seedling through shared potting media and irrigation water. In my case, shared irrigation water could have posed a risk. I keep my seedings in seed trays that share watering. If this was the start of damping off, my seedlings were in danger. The situation did not look good at all!

I could have kicked myself. It is one of the first lessons I learned when I began growing Chillies. Seedlings shouldn’t be given too much water. I constantly try to remind myself about this. Overwatering is not good for Chillies, full stop. Chillies don’t like too much water when they are fully grown. They like overwatering even less when they are seedlings (no more emphasis required)

Going peat free

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About peat

In a previous post, I mentioned that I would be looking at ways to go peat-free. There are concerns about the effects rapidly diminishing peat bogs and peat lands are having on the environment.

Peat is one of the most effective carbon sinks on the planet. A carbon sink accumulates and stores carbon-containing chemical compounds for indefinite periods. In doing so, they reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.

As we know, carbon dioxide is one of the biggest causes of global warming. By continuing to remove peat from bogs at the rate we are, we are creating irreversible problems.

Peat, which is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetable or organic matter, takes thousands of years to form. We are currently using Peat up it up far quicker than it takes to make. This could make a situation, which is already out of control, as far as the environment is concerned, even worse. So, as much as I am a fan of using peat in growing Chillies, stop, I will. Other alternatives will need to be found.

I have already started some seeds for next season. I must admit I used peat pellets to start these seeds. The pellets are, however, what I have left over from the season that has just passed. Little would have been achieved by throwing these out. However, I have taken the first step in going peat-free.

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