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Same. Recently I've been on a kick for New Orleans style vinegar/habanero sauce. I'm growing my own habaneros now, it's super simple to make. Plus I have a bunc

Same. Recently I've been on a kick for New Orleans style vinegar/habanero sauce. I'm growing my own habaneros now, it's super simple to make. Plus I have a bunch of old bottles that I saved to fill with my own hot sauce.

hfourm 10y ago
Yea, when I get my own place that is easier for growing (we do a little now but not as much as I would like) I definitely want to grow my own ingredients for hot sauces/salsas. Do you have any reading or anything you would recommend for getting into that type of thing? I was also interested in the viability of like an indoor greenhouse/hydroponics setup for growing chilis and things.
- nathancahill 10y ago
  Peppers do well in dry soil, it's not a myth that wet and rain makes peppers less spicy. Peppers also must be pollinated, so I think that's two counts against indoors/hydroponics. However, they thrive in the sun with little water, you can basically set them outside a window and forget about them.
  - lightedman 10y ago
    Most peppers will pollinate themselves indoors with a good stiff breeze from a fan. Hydroponics growth and yield is nuts, though. In equivalent containers, a god hydro system wil produce an easy 4x what the soil setup will do. http://i.imgur.com/Axy5nl3.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Axy5nl3.jpg The soil tomato on the left is the mother. The hydro tomato on the right was 5 weeks old (cloned from the plant on the left) and already well over the side of the balcony railing, loaded with tomatoes. (Note the lid had to be tied down to prevent the tomato-heavy plant from pulling the lid off and tumbling to the ground below.)
    - nathancahill 10y ago
      Yeah, you definitely can't argue with hydroponics for yield. But if the goal is spicy hot peppers, I can't see it being the best approach. Good to know about using a strong fan for indoor pollination. Might have been the missing element last time I tried.
      - lightedman 10y ago
        If the goal is spicy hot peppers, you actually want more nitrogen in your fruiting cycle as nitrogen is in fact a key component of capsaicin. Do not reduce its levels. This is the big mistake everyone tends to make. Keep your hydro solution balanced (I run about 13-13-13 with 6.5 of the first 13 (N) being a readily-available nitrate.)
        nathancahill 10y ago
        Good to know, appreciate the info for sure.
- vhost- 10y ago
  Grow using the double bucket method. They are easy to move around and don't take up a lot of space. That's what I do now and it's been fairly successful for peppers (super hots) and tomatoes each year.
Mendenhall 10y ago
If you ever get a chance to try "carolina reaper" peppers I strongly suggest giving them a try. A friend grew some and they have amazing flavor imo. Very hot but retains lots of flavor when dried. If you can grow them, even better!!
- degenerate 10y ago
  Seconded, carolina reaper is the bomb. The bomb of pain and deliciousness.
  - clock_tower 10y ago
    Like a MOAB drizzled with chocolate sauce? :)
- nathancahill 10y ago
  Currently working on some Scotch Bonnets. Carolina Reaper is stuff of legends.
  - xorcist 10y ago
    Scotch Bonnets are one of my favourites! It has a lovely fruity citrus-y taste, and is really easy to cultivate.
- corey_moncure 10y ago
  I had the privilege of eating a fresh one at a fish fry a few weeks ago. Yes it was delicious but the pain is absolutely savage. I was a low-grade pepper head up until that, eating habaneros for fun almost every day, but the reaper made me re-think what I have been doing to my body. It is a brutal pepper and only the truly exceptional, probably <0.001% of people could honestly say they enjoy it.
  - Mendenhall 10y ago
    I enjoy them but would never eat a fresh one, they scare me :) I use minute amounts in cooking because the flavor actually holds up and is different compared to other peppers I had. I do suggest to someone who may want to try them to use very small amount in cooking so they can enjoy it. I wouldnt want the experience spoiled because it is super hot. Whatever you do do not touch your eyes etc even after you wash your hands!

hfourm 10y ago

Yea, when I get my own place that is easier for growing (we do a little now but not as much as I would like) I definitely want to grow my own ingredients for hot sauces/salsas. Do you have any reading or anything you would recommend for getting into that type of thing? I was also interested in the viability of like an indoor greenhouse/hydroponics setup for growing chilis and things.

nathancahill 10y ago
Peppers do well in dry soil, it's not a myth that wet and rain makes peppers less spicy. Peppers also must be pollinated, so I think that's two counts against indoors/hydroponics. However, they thrive in the sun with little water, you can basically set them outside a window and forget about them.
- lightedman 10y ago
  Most peppers will pollinate themselves indoors with a good stiff breeze from a fan. Hydroponics growth and yield is nuts, though. In equivalent containers, a god hydro system wil produce an easy 4x what the soil setup will do. http://i.imgur.com/Axy5nl3.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Axy5nl3.jpg The soil tomato on the left is the mother. The hydro tomato on the right was 5 weeks old (cloned from the plant on the left) and already well over the side of the balcony railing, loaded with tomatoes. (Note the lid had to be tied down to prevent the tomato-heavy plant from pulling the lid off and tumbling to the ground below.)
  - nathancahill 10y ago
    Yeah, you definitely can't argue with hydroponics for yield. But if the goal is spicy hot peppers, I can't see it being the best approach. Good to know about using a strong fan for indoor pollination. Might have been the missing element last time I tried.
    - lightedman 10y ago
      If the goal is spicy hot peppers, you actually want more nitrogen in your fruiting cycle as nitrogen is in fact a key component of capsaicin. Do not reduce its levels. This is the big mistake everyone tends to make. Keep your hydro solution balanced (I run about 13-13-13 with 6.5 of the first 13 (N) being a readily-available nitrate.)
      - nathancahill 10y ago
        Good to know, appreciate the info for sure.
vhost- 10y ago
Grow using the double bucket method. They are easy to move around and don't take up a lot of space. That's what I do now and it's been fairly successful for peppers (super hots) and tomatoes each year.

Mendenhall 10y ago

If you ever get a chance to try "carolina reaper" peppers I strongly suggest giving them a try. A friend grew some and they have amazing flavor imo. Very hot but retains lots of flavor when dried. If you can grow them, even better!!

degenerate 10y ago
Seconded, carolina reaper is the bomb. The bomb of pain and deliciousness.
- clock_tower 10y ago
  Like a MOAB drizzled with chocolate sauce? :)
nathancahill 10y ago
Currently working on some Scotch Bonnets. Carolina Reaper is stuff of legends.
- xorcist 10y ago
  Scotch Bonnets are one of my favourites! It has a lovely fruity citrus-y taste, and is really easy to cultivate.
corey_moncure 10y ago
I had the privilege of eating a fresh one at a fish fry a few weeks ago. Yes it was delicious but the pain is absolutely savage. I was a low-grade pepper head up until that, eating habaneros for fun almost every day, but the reaper made me re-think what I have been doing to my body. It is a brutal pepper and only the truly exceptional, probably <0.001% of people could honestly say they enjoy it.
- Mendenhall 10y ago
  I enjoy them but would never eat a fresh one, they scare me :) I use minute amounts in cooking because the flavor actually holds up and is different compared to other peppers I had. I do suggest to someone who may want to try them to use very small amount in cooking so they can enjoy it. I wouldnt want the experience spoiled because it is super hot. Whatever you do do not touch your eyes etc even after you wash your hands!