By: Cristi Ion
Word Count: 670
Originating from Central and South America, the hot pepper is nowadays cultivated worldwide for its food and therapeutic qualities. It is a 30-60 cm high annual herbal plant. It has got different variants, both with a sweet taste and especially with a hot taste.
The fruit is red or yellow coloured, with many seeds on the inside. The ripe fruit of the plant is used both for culinary and therapeutic purposes. In a document appeared in 1493 together with Columbus' travels, the hot pepper is said to be a spice. In naturist medicine the most used variety of hot pepper is "cayenne".
Pharmacologic action: antiseptic, vitaminizing (it contains a large amount of C vitamin and of beta-carotene), it regulates the blood circulation, it strengthens the heart, the arteries and the nerves, it has an excellent anti-flue action, it eliminates pains and abscesses, it is an excellent remedy against alcoholism.
Caution! when cooked alongside other spices it is likely to give birth to burns, irritations of the digestive system and even to ulcers.
The dried up hot pepper has got exceptional healing qualities. As a powder, the hot pepper is used for quickly healing wounds. A thin layer of pepper powder cleans the wound, destroys the germs and hastens its healing process.
Another external application is the one related to sinus decongestion. On adding a little hot pepper powder in a glass of water and stirring it well, when the mixture is slowly breathed in each nostril, this one will unclog fast and the infection will be gone. Still externally, the hot pepper is an exceptional remedy for healing the infections appeared at the level of the tooth gums as well, eliminating the pains and the abscesses.
The simplest treatment is to apply hot pepper powder on the toothbrush and to gently brush those respective areas.
In order to treat alcoholism, the hot pepper tincture made from 2-3 broken up peppers macerated in 100 ml of alcohol for 15 days is used. 5-10 drops of tincture in one litre of alcohol, preferably the patient's favourite one, should be taken.
Ingesting the alcohol with the hot pepper tincture will shortly give that alcoholic person repulsion toward drinking. If during the treatment three mugs of toad's tail tea cure is additionally introduced, the alcoholic patient will quit drinking himself.
The hot pepper tincture used in frictions may re-establish the blood circulation and relieve the pains due to rheumatism, neuralgias and frostbites.
For an internal use, the tincture should be taken 20-25 drops 30 minutes before the main meals. The treatment is recommended in flus, colds, and cough.
Caution! Consuming hot peppers is forbidden in various stomachs, liver, urinary ways disorders and in hemorrhages, because they worsen the effects of the diseases, seeing that they are irritating.
The physicians that know well the therapeutic qualities of the hot peppers recommend that half a hot pepper should be taken a day in order to stimulate the nervous system and to be in high spirits.
Natural treatments and application procedures:
1. The hot pepper powder:
It is made from dried up and ground hot peppers. In various treatments it heals the infections at the level of the tooth gums and the abscesses; it cicatrizes old wounds, decongests the sinuses and cures cold.
2. The hot pepper tincture:
It is made from 2-3 broken up hot peppers macerated in 100 ml of alcohol for 15 days. It should be used for treating alcoholism, in frictions for relieving the pains due to rheumatism, neuralgias and frostbites. As for its internal use, the tincture is to be taken 15-20 drops 30 minutes before each main meal. Such a tincture treats flu, cold and cough.
3. The decoction made from hot peppers:
It is made from broken up hot pepper boiled for 15 minutes in 250 ml of water. Gargles will be performed with this tea for treating the fatigue of the vocal cords.
Hot Peppers (Capiscum annuum) - find out more about medical plants on www.liveandfeel.com
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
Hot Pepper Health Benefits
hydroponic hot pepper
the hottest pepper in the world the bhut jolokia 
hydroponically grown red savina
Chocolate Jamaican Habaneros
Hydroponic hot peppers, grown with integrity in southern California.
FOR SALE : 20$lb red savinas&chocolate habaneros
: 40$lb bhut jolokias now taking orders
CALL JIM @ 619-464-0727
Hot pepper handling
Always remember to protect your hands with rubber gloves when handling hot peppers. Get a pack of those thin, slip-on plastic gloves in the paint department of the local hardware store – very economical. Protect your eyes as well if you are cutting up the peppers. And always wash your hands thoroughly before wiping your eyes or touching your body.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics (from the Greek words hydro (water) and ponos (labour) is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, usually without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel, or mineral wool.
Plant physiology researchers discovered in the 19th century that plants absorb essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water. In natural conditions, soil acts as a mineral nutrient reservoir but the soil itself is not essential to plant growth.
When the mineral nutrients in the soil dissolve in water, plant roots are able to absorb them. When the required mineral nutrients are introduced into a plant's water supply artificially, soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive.
Almost any terrestrial plant will grow with hydroponics, but some will do better than others. It is also very easy to do; the activity is often undertaken by very young children with such plants as watercress. Hydroponics is also a standard technique in biology research and teaching.
One of the few if not only farmers in California Growing these varieties sucessfully Hydroponically. The 3 varieties are Bhut Jolokia, Red Savina and Jamaican Chocolate Habanero. The Bhut plants are over 4 ft tall and are flowering all over the place. Plenty of green ones now, but I have pounds and pounds of Reds and Chocolates for sale. By the way Hydroponics has made them just as hot as soil grown and they are bigger fruit, more fruit and great flavor.
Hydroponic hot peppers, grown with integrity in southern California.
FOR SALE :20$lb red savinas&chocolate habaneros
40$lb bhut jolokias now taking orders
CALL JIM @ 619-464-0727
Bhut Jolokia Hot Peppers Recipe
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
7 large green peppers,cut into 1-inch square pieces
1 quarter lb. pound bhut jolokia, sliced 1/8-inch-thick
Gray salt
3 1/2 pounds (56 ounces) crushed tomatoes or 7 cups fresh tomato concasse (peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes)
Small bunch basil leaves
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Heat the oil in a very large pot. Add the peppers, and allow to sweat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add Bhut Jolokia and salt to taste. Cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, or until the peppers are partially tender. There will still be some liquid left in the pot.
Add the tomatoes and the basil leaves. Lower the heat and continue to cook for about 30 minutes, Add additional salt, if needed. Remove from the heat.
Hydroponic hot peppers, grown with integrity in southern California.
FOR SALE :20$lb red savinas&chocolate habaneros
40$lb bhut jolokias now taking orders
CALL JIM @ 619-464-0727
Hydroponic hot peppers, grown with integrity in southern California.
FOR SALE :20$lb red savinas&chocolate habaneros
40$lb bhut jolokias now taking orders
CALL JIM @ 619-464-0727
Shitake Mushrooms, A Fungus with Many Uses
By Anne Harvester [ 28/01/2008 ]
You might not think of mushrooms as bulk organic herbs, but when dried and crushed into a powder, these edible fungi can add a delicate flavor to many dishes, particularly Asian ones. Although gourmet mushrooms such as the shitake can be expensive, you’ll pay less when buying wholesale. Shitake mushroom is perhaps one of the most flavorful of these, and because it is relatively easy to cultivate, the price has been dropping in recent years.
An Ancient Cultivar
Bulk organic herbs go back a long way in history, but the idea of using mushrooms in the same way as dried herbs is a fairly new idea, going back only a thousand years or so – and wholesale shitake mushroom have only been widely and relatively cheap in the West in the past ten or twelve years, and are now a significant part of the herbs wholesale market.
Technically known as lentinula edodes, the shitake (also spelled shitake) mushroom is native to the temperate forests of China, where it is known as shiang-ju, and Korea, where it is called the pyogo, as well as Japan. In the Southeast Asian countries of Thailand and Vietnam, the shitake has been called hed hom and nấm hương respectively – both of which mean “fragrant mushroom.” It is perhaps the king of bulk organic herbs.
There are records of shitake mushrooms being eaten dating back to China’s Han Dynasty, 2000 years ago. However, they were not deliberately cultivated until the Song Dynasty, roughly a millennium later.
Medicinal Uses
Like many dried herbs, the shitake appears to have beneficial health effects as well. Wu Juei, a Chinese physician during the Ming Period, found that in the form of powdered dried herbs, shitakes were an excellent treatment for respiratory ailments, circulatory and liver disease as well as a stimulant.
As far as modern medicine is concerned, the shitake mushroom has been demonstrated to have tumor-inhibiting properties, and has shown promise as a treatment for arterial thrombosis. Wholesale shitake mushroom can also provide vegans with a non-animal source of vitamin D.
Shitake in the Kitchen
No kitchen is complete without a good supply of bulk organic herbs, and bulk herbs like dried shitakes are no exception – especially for fans of Asian cuisine. Shitakes are one of the bulk herbs used in miso soul as well as vegetarian dashi, and is also an important ingredient in Korean dishes like bulgogi and jigae.
You’ll save on bulk organic herbs when you buy your herbs wholesale. Although technically a fungus, shitake mushrooms are among the increasing number of bulk organic herbs now being cultivated in all parts of the world, meaning that buying herbs wholesale is now easier and less expensive than ever. Getting your bulk herbs at a discount wholesale price means you have no excuse for not having your kitchen well-stocked with fine bulk organic herbs for those exotic, far-eastern dishes.
About the author:
As an herbalist who has studied the benefits and history of many bulk organic herbs, Anne Harvester discusses the history and uses of the wholesale shitake mushroom. Annes advice for purchasing herbs wholesale can save you time and money.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Prices of world's hottest chilli shoots up
Titabor (Assam), India, 2007-02-25 13:31:20
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Prices of Bhut Jolokia , a chilli native to India's northeastern state of Assam, have shot up in markets after the Guinness World Records recognised it as the world's hottest chilli pepper.
The discovery by Paul Bosland, a Regents Professor in horticulture at New Mexico State University, was recognised by the Guinness World Records in a testimony earlier this month saying Bhut Jolokia, belonging to the Capsicum Chinese family and native to Assam, was the hottest of all spices.
The hotness of the Bhut Jolokia, measured in Scoville heat units at two independent laboratories by Bosland, was 1,001,304. It's nearly twice as hot as Red Savina (577,000), the variety it replaces as the hottest. By comparison, a New Mexico green chilli contains about 1,500 Scoville units, while an average jalapeno measures at about 10,000.
'We never thought Bhut Jolokia was so hot until news came in that this is the world's hottest chilli. Now we have hiked the prices by Rs.50 a kg and people are buying it like hot cakes,' said Nalini Ram Thakuria, a vegetable vendor in Guwahati.
A kilogram of Bhut Jolokia, the name translates as the 'ghost chilli', sells at about Rs.250.
'Such is the hotness of this chilli that it can drive away the ghost, and hence the name Bhut Jolokia,' Anandita Dutta Tamuly, a 26-year-old Assamese woman, known for her singular fiery habit of gobbling red hot chillies, told IANS.
And her bizarre habit of eating Bhut Jolokia could earn her fame as she prepares to leave for London on an invitation by the Guinness World Records to create history.
'I have applied for visa and very soon hope to get all my papers ready for going to London,' the demure mother of a 15-month-old baby boy said.
The reigning chilli champ is South Africa's Anita Crafford, who in 2002 gobbled eight jalapenos in a minute.
'Jalapenos are not as hot as Bhut Jolokia's and I have already created history on Indian television by munching 60 of the chillies in two minutes. I am more than confident of creating a record once I reach London,' Tamuly said at her home in Titabor, a village 325 km east of Guwahati.
The Assam government has announced financial support for Tamuly's trip to London.
'I have been eating Bhut Jolokia since my childhood and never felt the hotness in my mouth,' she said.
She got hooked on to the hot pepper when she was just five years old.
'I had a sore tongue and my mother applied a chilli paste to cure the infection when I was five. Since then I developed a penchant for chillies,' Tamuly said.
'I can even break the chilli and splash it on my eyes. I tried this on TV and had no problems whatsoever.'
The local variety of the chilli is grown mostly in the hilly terrain and is considered a staple menu in every meal among the northeastern people.
India exports 35 tonnes of all varieties of chilli, annually earning a considerable amount of revenue for the country.
- By Syed Zarir Hussain
Bell Peppers (Sweet Peppers)
Bell peppers are a great source of vitamin C. If you thought citrus fruits packed a powerful punch when it comes to being a good source of vitamin C, peppers have them beat. Green peppers have twice the amount of vitamin C by weight than citrus fruits, and this powerful punch of vitamin C is an antioxidant that may be effective in preventing certain cancers. Red bell peppers have three times as much vitamin C as the green varieties and are a good source of beta carotene.
Varieties
Bell peppers can be found in a rainbow of colors and can vary in flavor. The variety of the pepper plant and the stage of the ripeness determine the flavor and color of each pepper. For example, a red bell pepper is simply a mature green bell pepper. As a bell pepper ages, its flavor becomes sweeter and milder. Red bell peppers contain eleven times more beta carotene than green bell peppers.
Selection
Bell peppers are available and are in good supply all year, but they are more plentiful and less expensive during the summer months. Fresh peppers come in variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, but when selecting them, they all follow the same guidelines. Their skin should be firm without any wrinkles, and the stem should be fresh and green. They should feel heavy for their size. Avoid peppers with sunken areas, slashes or black spots.
Storage
Store unwashed bell peppers in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh for about a week. Green bell peppers will stay fresh a little longer than the yellow and red ones.
Make Bell Peppers Part of Your 5 A Day Plan
* Use them to create colorful and exciting meals by adding a mixture of different colored sliced or chopped peppers to your favorite salads, pastas, and Chinese or Mexican dishes.
* They can be used as a colorful garnish.
* Include sliced peppers on your next veggie tray.
* Carve out peppers and stuff them with rice or use them as colorful containers for dips or other edible items.
Vegetable Beans
There are a variety of different beans you can grow in the garden. All taste great when freshly picked.
As well as green pod beans there are purple and yellow varieties you can try. Haricot beans are grown for seeds rather than the pods.
Runner Beans
Site and Soil
Well-prepared fertile soil, moisture retentive but not soggy, in sun.
Dig plenty of well-rotted manure, compost or leaf-mould into the soil to improve moisture retention and improve fertility. Neutral or slightly acid soils produce best crops.
A trench prepared the previous autumn will provide a good, nutrient rich site for beans, but if you only get around to making the trench at planting time in spring, it is still worth while.
Sowing Seed
Beans are not generally hardy and the soil must be warm before sowing or the seeds will not germinate.
Sowing Outdoors
Sow outdoors from 2 weeks before the last frost, in late spring to early summer.
Place the canes for supporting the plants in the ground 30cm (12in) apart, with 60cm (2ft) between double rows. Sow two seeds 5cm (2in) deep at the base of each support - you can thin out the weaker plant and have a more even and productive harvest.
Germination can take 6 to 15 days. Sow every two to three weeks to provide a succession of supply.
Sowing Under Cover
Sow indoors from mid- to late-spring in individual 8cm (3in) pots.
Beans can be started undercover but should be transplanted carefully. It is best to sow directly into the garden. Pairs of seeds sown into a 'newspaper' or milk carton pot (see Growing from Seed), removing the weaker plant after germination. Plant newspaper pot and all when the soil warms, milk cartons should be slit and removed before planting.
Timing
Sow seeds outdoors from late spring to early summer.
Sow indoors from mid- to late-spring
To avoid them coming ripe at once, sow seeds in successions resulting in a smaller crop at any one time but longer period of supply
Care
You can plant in blocks and grow up the plants up a wigwam of sticks such as our 'beanhouse' frame. The support you choose depends on the amount of space available and the style of your garden.
Watch for slugs when the seeds first germinate, as these can devastate your crop before it gets underway.
Protect the seeds and plants from birds, especially in the initial period of growth.
Harden off seedlings started under cover and plant out from late spring to summer, once late frosts are over.
Plant out 23cm (9in) apart in a single row, with rows 45cm (18in) apart.
A wigwam of canes or supports, each 25-30cm (10-12in) apart is ideal. Loosely tie the plants to the supports when planting and then they will climb unaided. When the plants reach the top of the canes, pinch out the growing tips.
Keep the ground weeded and a generous regular watering after the flowers appear is the key to success, especially if combined with good soil preparation.
After the first crop, remove the lower leaves and drop the plants to the ground, new growth will produce a second crop.
Harvesting
Summer to early autumn. Pick once the pods begin to swell for tender beans.
Pick regularly to encourage a longer and more continuous supply.
Harvest Lima beans when the pods swell and show the bulge of the beans inside.
Haricot beans are left until the pods turn yellow and then the entire plant hung up to dry. The bean seeds are collected when the pods have become brittle.
As with peas and other pod crops, the more you pick, the more you get.
Days to Harvest Approximately 55 to 75 days. Bush beans harvest earlier than climbing beans, but climbing beans have higher yields and a longer season.
French Beans
Climbing French beans are grown in the same way as runner beans and crop over a longer period than dwarf French beans. As well as green pod beans there are purple and yellow varieties you can try. Haricot beans are grown for seeds rather than the pods.
Dwarf French beans are good small-space plants, and especially suited to deep-bed cultivation. You can grow them in a container on your terrace or balcony, or take the pot to the bach with you from the holidays!
Site and Soil
Open, sunny site, with good drainage and that has been well-cultivated. Neutral or slightly acid soils produce best crops.
Pickled Grilled Eggplant
2 eggplants
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chili paste
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped mint leaves
Gray salt and freshly ground black pepper
Remove the stem end from the eggplants. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise, and slice into half-inch thick moon slices. In a large mixing bowl, toss the eggplant with the kosher salt and let stand for about 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse and dry the eggplant well, and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and a pinch of pepper. Heat a grill pan over high heat. When the grill pan is hot, cook the eggplant slices until nicely marked on both sides.
Meanwhile in a small mixing bowl whisk the sugar, and garlic into the vinegar, whisk in the chili paste and remaining olive oil. Add the herbs and check for seasoning with salt and pepper.
When the eggplant is marked nicely on both sides remove it from the pan and add it immediately to the marinade (a shallow baking dish works nicely to ensure that all of the eggplant is coated in marinade). Let the eggplant cool to room temperature and serve, or refrigerate in a sealed container.
GROW YOUR OWN SEEDS
Seed saving has helped humans grow their own food in the face of changing demands and environmental pressures ever since they began planting seeds. Historically, home seed saving was how uniquely adapted crop varieties were handed down from generation to generation for continued selection and adaptation.
Farmers and gardeners routinely saved the seed of their crops until the turn of the 20th century, when commercial agricultural interests planted the false idea among them that only skilled professionals were capable of handling this job.
Making Good Seeds Better
Plants are far more variable than most of us realize. If you observe your garden crops closely, you will notice some plants are growing slightly better or maybe tasting better than others. Spotting these plants and saving their seeds can be really exciting. Here are four examples of home gardeners saving such seeds.
DISCOVERING A NEW TOMATO
David Podoll of Prairie Road Organic Farm in Fullerton, North Dakota, had grown seeds of 'Crimson Sprinter,' a slicing tomato well-adapted to his short Northern Plains summers, for a number of years. Several years ago, he discovered a single, unusual fruit among his 'Crimson Sprinter' crop. It had "absolutely unblemished, shiny skin and an intense bright color that was more pink than red." The fruit had excellent flavor, too, so Podoll saved seed from this plant and the next year, grew 10 plants from his cache. All turned out exactly like the original, so Podoll knew his new plant probably was a "sport" or mutant, and not a cross with another tomato variety in his garden. Sports are caused by a specific genetic change in just the right place in the plant's DNA. "Discovering something like this is quite thrilling," Podoll says.
PICKING SPECKLED LETTUCE
Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seed in Philomath, Oregon, was growing the Austrian heirloom lettuce 'Forellenschluss' (which in German means "speckled like a trout") because of the beautiful reddish leaf speckles. He noticed the degree of "speckle-ness" varied dramatically from plant to plant and decided he wanted to isolate "the flashier end of the spectrum." Out of 200 plants, he selected 20 of the splotchiest and healthiest, transplanted them to a separate plot and saved their seed. After repeating this process for two generations, he had 80 percent showing the degree of red speckles he wanted; after four generations, he had his new creation (see photo above), which he named `Flashy Trout Back.'
A BUSHIER BEAN
David Cavagnaro, a veteran gardener who lives near Decorah, Iowa, had great success in improving the Mitla black bean to better fit his needs when he lived in California. (Mitla has been grown for more than eight centuries in Oaxaca, Mexico.)
The Mitla bean was highly variable; a few plants were bush-like in stature but most were rambling with semi-runners. Cavagnaro began saving seed from only the most upright bush plants most heavily laden with pods. Within "no more than three years," he says, "I had a very consistent population of plants of the bush type."
CHANGING HIS ZEBRA'S STRIPES
Jeremy Barker Plotkin of Lampson Brook Farm, Belchertown, Massachusetts, found a plant among his 'Green Zebra' tomatoes that had fruit with red stripes instead of green. "We saved its seed," he says, "and the following year got tomatoes with yellow, red and black stripes." Earlier, Barker Plotkin had trialed a number of red-striped tomatoes; he thought they might look nice packed into a box with the 'Green Zebras,' but none merited a place alongside the 'Greens.' "'Tigerella' and 'Mr. Stripey' come to mind as particularly lousy," he says, "but now I am excited to pursue these three new zebra-striped lines."
Many home gardeners feel a sense of empowerment and satisfaction when they rely on their seed-saving abilities—one of the oldest basic human skills—to build up personal seed stocks as they strive for self-sufficiency. And with many seeds now costing $2 or more per packet, saving some of your own also can save you cold hard cash.
Seed saving also helps you develop a better working knowledge of your crops and even improve varieties to meet specific contemporary needs or growing conditions.
Three basic factors you need to consider when you want to save seed from a particular crop:
1) establishing the right separation distance to keep seed plants from crossing with other varieties of the same species;
2) correct population size - saving seed from more than just a few plants to maintain genetic diversity; and
3) harvesting when seed is mature, then cleaning and drying it properly. The chart on Pages 60 and 61 gives these details on seven easy-to-save crops.
Beans, peas and Southern peas are easy to save because they make harvestable seeds in the pods being produced as the vegetable crop. All you need to do is to let the pods fully mature on the plant in order to gather seeds. Tomatoes also are an easy beginning crop; they bear mature seeds as a natural consequence of producing ripe fruit.
These four crops and lettuce also are naturally self-pollinated, which means each plant is pollinated primarily from its own pollen, making it much easier to maintain distinct varieties. Such a seed crop plant is called a "selfer." In contrast, other common crops, including corn, squash, carrots and beets, are called "crossers" because before they can produce seeds, one plant usually is cross-pollinated with pollen carried by wind or insects from a different plant.
GROWING A SEED CROP
To properly manage selfers and crossers, seed savers need to know the minimum distance that each variety should be from any other sexually compatible ("crossable") varieties growing nearby. Called "isolation distance," this spacing depends on whether the variety is self-pollinated or cross-pollinated.
For self-pollinated crops like beans, peas, peppers and tomatoes, the ideal distance between two varieties to ensure no crossing should be 50 feet. However, many seed savers and some seed companies report only infrequent crosses at 20 feet. Frank Morton, lettuce breeder for his company, Wild Garden Seed, in Philomath, Oregon, confirms that lettuces seldom cross when planted 20 feet apart "even in the presence of a number of insect pollinators."
Saving seeds of cross-pollinated crops is more challenging. With "crossers," you must grow only one variety of each crop type per year. It also is important to know if neighboring gardens or farm fields have any related crops that could spread their pollen to your seed crop. Crossers arugula and radish make good crops for a beginner to try because relatively few gardeners grow arugula or allow their radishes to go to seed.
SPACING THE CROP
Healthy plants, unfettered by space restrictions, produce much more seed per plant than plants growing in crowded conditions. But many people plant their seeds more densely in a row than-recommended on seed packets. For example, green beans should be planted at the rate of six to eight seeds per foot per row, but frequently, overzealous gardeners plant them at twice that rate.
If you're planning to save seed, plant row crops like beans and peas even more sparsely (four to six seeds per foot) to encourage maximum aeration, which helps reduce possible bacterial or fungal rot on the pods should wet conditions develop.
Plant lettuce for seed saving at the recommended rate on the seed packet.
Handle radishes differently. Pull and spread out the entire crop in a shady spot to select the best ones in terms of color, shape and good health. Trim off the oldest leaves of those plants, and replant the roots in a new spot at 12- to 18-inch intervals in the row.
Many gardeners know that considerable leeway—as much as six weeks for beans and peas, and even more for arugula, lettuce and radish—exists wits respect to how late you can plant and still get a harvest before it freezes. This isn't the case for crops being grown for seed. Plant breeder Morton says a full 150 to 180 days are needed to produce viable lettuce seed at his western Oregon farm. For the seed to mature by late September at the earliest and by the middle of October at the latest, he must have planted the crop by mid-April.
For Southern gardeners with long growing seasons, Southern peas, including crowder, black-eyed and pink-eyed peas, are good choices because they produce a healthy seed crop under hotter conditions than the other crops on this list. They also are an excellent seed crop choice because many of the once-numerous Southern regional favorites are in dire need of preservation.
Many novice seed savers collect seed from just a couple of plants, Unfortunately, this practice tends to narrow genetic variation in the variety, and over a number of generations, it can cause a variety to change and eventually lose some of the unique traits that made it special in the first place.
The population size for cross-pollinated crops is even more important than for selfers. Genetic variation from plant to plant in any particular crosser is considerably greater than in most selfers. This means that no one plant in a stand of crosser plants contains all of the particular traits (and the genes determining those traits) that comprise that variety. Crossers "openly pollinate" with other plants of their variety, sharing their genes with any other plant in that group each time they reproduce. The chart on Pages 60 and 61 tells you the recommended number of plants for seed collecting.
HARVESTING
Seeds harvested before they reach maturity will have a low germination rate and any resulting seedlings may lack vigor and may be more susceptible to disease, especially under stressful conditions.
Dry-seeded crops like beans, peas, Southern peas, radishes and arugula make seed in pods that signal when the crop is ready to harvest. Collect pods when they have completely dried, turned beige or light brown in color, and are crisp and easy to crack open.
When pods look and feel ready, harvest them quickly or risk losing them to either too much moisture or a lack of it. Wetness from rain and dew encourages rot; overly dry conditions leave the pods susceptible to splitting open (shattering) and spilling their seeds on the ground.
To harvest pod-bearing seed crops, cut the entire plant near its base. Lay out cut plants a single layer deep on a tarp in the sun. If rain is forecast or if wind is excessive, place the plants on a cement or wooden floor inside a warm, airy structure. After several days, "thresh" the seeds from the pods by picking up a few plants at a time and whacking them against the bottom of a large container, such as a wheelbarrow, that has sides at least a foot high. This works well with crops like arugula and mustard, which have pods that easily release their seeds, but many bean and pea plants are not so easily threshed. They can be shelled out by hand or you can "dance" gently on cloth bags filled with these plants to get the pods to shatter. Take care not to overdo it: Any damage to the seed itself can destroy its ability to germinate or shorten its storage life considerably.
Saving Tomato Seed
To extract tomato seed from the fruit, cut the fruit in half along the equator and squeeze the seeds, with the juice and some pulp, into a plastic yogurt or cottage cheese container. Place the container in a warm spot to allow this slurry to ferment. The fermentation is desirable for two reasons: Yeasts will rot away the placental sack in which each seed resides, leaving behind clean, easy-to-use seed and removing any bacterial diseases that could affect the next crop.
After two to three days of fermentation, a thick, moldy mass will form on the surface. Stir vigorously to break up the mass, and the good seeds will sink to the bottom. Decant the floating seeds carefully, and add more water. Repeat the process until all that remains is clean water and good seed. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and allow to drip dry before spreading the seeds on a plate for their final, thorough drying.
After threshing, "winnow" the seed with the help of a good stiff breeze or fan. Winnowing is the act of cleaning the seed of debris, called chaff, which is mainly pieces of pods and stems.
To winnow, slowly "spill" uncleaned seed from one container to another while the breeze or a fan blows the broken pods and stems away. Two 5-gallon buckets, or for smaller quantities, two rectangular dishpans, work well for this task. The debris will blow over the top edge of the bottom bucket or pan while most of the good seed will fall into it. Repeat the process several times until the seed is cleaned.
After harvesting a dry-seeded crop, spread the seed to be saved out on a clean, dry surface that is out of the sun and protected from the wind, but in a warm, dry place. Make sure cross ventilation is good (fans come in handy for this) but not strong enough to blow the seed off the drying surface.
WET-SEED HARVESTING
Determining the maturity of wet-seeded crops such as tomatoes and peppers, which bear their seed inside the fruit (yes, botanically, these are the fruit), is much easier than with dry-seeded crops. With wet-seeded crops, when the fruit is ripe, the seed is, too. Viable tomato seed can be extracted from fruit picked at the perfect eating stage, but the quality of the seed will be superior if you allow selected fruit to overripen on the plants for just a few days. Don't allow the fruit to start rotting, though, because fungal or bacterial growths could damage the seed.
A wet-seeded crop should be spread out thinly on a screen (best) or a clean, nonstick cookie sheet or tray. Place the screen or tray in a warm, dry place, out of the sun, with plenty of airflow, which can be facilitated by a fan. Both wet- and dryseeded crops should be stirred once or twice a day during this stage to assure even drying.
Flat seed should break instead of fold if it is dry enough to store, and hard-shelled seed like corn or beans should shatter, not mash, when struck with a hammer.
Always store seeds in cool, dry conditions. In most locations, breathable paper envelopes work well with smaller quantities of seed. In dry climates, muslin sacks are good for larger quantities, and in humid locations, airtight containers such as glass canning jars work best, but you should be sure the seed is perfectly dry before placing it in the container. For several years of successful storage, seed should he stored where temperature and humidity fluctuate as little as possible; never put seed in an attic or an outdoor shed. Many seeds will retrain viable for six to eight years if kept cool and dry.
Bhut Jolokia plant update April 8, 2008
Here are some pictures of our plants, some are really taking off, others are a little slower. We are now beginning to Harding off the plants because if we don't they will die outside from the shock. These plants as we are finding out since this is the first time we have tried to grow them are very temperamental. They need lots of attention, heat and light are their friend.
BHUT (BIH) JOLOKIA
Ghost Pepper
ROF 2004
Bhut or Bih Jolokia, botanically known as Capsicum chinense jacquin, is extensively grown in the northeastern region of India, predominatly in the states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. It is also known by other names such as Ghost pepper, Bih jolokia, Borbih jolokia, Naga jolokia, Nagahari, Naga Morich and Raja mirchi to name a few. We can only speculate why the Assamese call it the "Ghost Pepper", Bhut Jolokia.
Recently, the Bhut Jolokia chili pepper was officially recorded in the Guiness Book of World Records as Worlds Hottest Pepper lab tested at 1,001,304 Scoville Heat Units.
Dried, crushed and shipped in double sealed 40 gram packs of crushed 100% Bhut jolokia. More than 1200 grams of fresh Bhut jolokia pepper are required to make just 100 grams of dried Bhut jolokia.
WARNING! We recommend that this extremely hot pepper be dispensed in a good quality pepper mill. It is not recommended that you spoon or causally shake this pepper on your foods, the heat is hard to control without a mill or grinder and you could quickly learn the painful meaning of our company name.
Bhut Jolokia Hot Sauce "under testing"
Ingredients we're currently experimenting with:
1* bhut jolokia NOT THE WHOLE THING
4 habaneros (no stems, dried or whole)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 Cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 Tbs vegetable oil
1/4 Tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup white or chili-fused vinegar
pinch of salt & black pepper
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so far this combo is working fairly well, if you use too big of a pinch of dried bhut jolokia it makes the sauce too hot,
(the problem with having it too hot is that if you intend to cook with it, you cant use much of it and thus it cant get evenly distributed throughout the meal, and if you use enough of hte sauce to distribute, itll be too hot to eat)
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Product Warning!!!
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When handling the Bhut Jolokia:
WEAR GLOVES
CLEAN HANDS THOROUGHLY
DONT TOUCH ANY BODY PARTS(esp face)
USE A VERY SMALL AMOUNT (of the pepper)
*This pepper is extremely hot and if not used moderately will entirely ruin your dish by making it to hot to eat! (its not just called the worlds hottest pepper for the heck of it)
* for this recipe you will be using a very small amount of the bhut jolokia pepper, it is advised that you read the warnings before continuing
*the best way to use this pepper (that we have found) is the following:
cut 1 bhut jolokia down one side
remove the stem with a simple cut near the base of the stem, or by cutting off the top of the pepper
dehydrate it in a dehydrator or in the sun
[do not dry on metal]
once dried,
place in a baggy and crush with a rolling pin
OR place in a coffee grinder (recomended)
its advised you dont use a grinder youll be
using later on for actual coffee
now you should have a fine powder to use, place this in a few baggies or a resealable container.
for this recipe just a small pinch is used and we mean SMALL PINCH (its best to just use a knife and take a small amount out of your container of crushed pepper with this)
[avoiding any skin contact is best]
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Directions
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Put all of the ingredients in a blender on high, blend until smooth. Add the sauce to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 15 minutes
We are currently fine tuning this crazy hot sauce, please check back later and hopefully we'll have the recipe up then. if you wish, you can mess around with the ingredients list, change a few things around and if you like it please tell us what you did
BHUT JOLOKIA GROWTH UPDATE
Here is a update picture of our Bhut Jolokia pepper plants. They are starting to take off we had to transplant some of the bigger one's in this photo today. We now have 37 plants at different stages of growth.
Bhut Jolokia pepper
THE START OF THE GARDEN
WHAT IS THE BHUT JOLOKIA?
What is Bhut Jolokia?Bhut Jolokia in Assamese means 'Ghost Chillies'. The Bhut Jolokia is a naturally occurring hybrid native to the Assam region of northeastern India.So why is it in news?This chilli has been officially designated as the World's HOTTEST chilli as per The Guinness Book of Records.How hot is this chilli?Heat from chillies is mesaured in Scoville heat units. Bhut Jolokia registers in at1,001,304 Scoville heat units (SHU).Is that a lot?The Red Savina chilli was considered the hottest until now, the heat of which is just half of the Bhut Jolokia at 577,000 SHU. Your average Jalapeno measures in at about 10 000 SHU. Now you know why the Bhut is REALLY hot.In April last year, Dorset claimed to grow the World's hottest chilli, the Dorset Naga that beat the Savina Habanera by almost 60% higher SHU at 876,000. The Naga is actually sold with a health warning and it is found to have originated in Bangladesh. So now, we have the hottest as well as the second hottest coming from the Indian-subcontinent. If the Dorest Naga is supposed to blow your head off, imagine the power of the Bhut!
