And the Black Pearl.
Once the pods on the top branch finish ripening, I think I'll prune the plant back into shape. Sorry about the shaded pic...sun's passing through the oak trees.

Last one for now....

A different light....

The Manzano has one wild branch going, is that a trait or just an anomaly? The peppers looks kind of like tomato's. your BP is looking great. I decided to give away my BP's in favor of my mystery plant, sort of looks like a BP cross. Great pic update, your season is looking good.

Mark

Hey, Mark! Sorry I missed your question!
Yes, this is the typical habit of the Manzano...fast growth, long branches. I finally harvested my first Manzanos, and they were delicious. The flavor was truly unique, like no pepper I've tried - smelled like a Bell pepper, but was sweet without the bitterness or acridity. The flesh was tender, the skin was tender, and there was a savory note in the aftertaste. No wonder it's such a prized pepper.

...and the Yellow Bhut X Thai Hybrid is ripening a few pods per day. I took two of these down to my pepper buddy Jason's the other day. We cracked into one of the pods, ate it, and were blown away! It was the most aggressive mouth burn I've experienced all season...the burn just wouldn't relent! I was pacing for a solid 2 - 3 minutes, and hurting for a good while after that. What this demonstrated to me is that the heat is highly variable from pod to pod....sometimes a mild pod, sometimes a monster pod!

And let us not forget the Chocolate Bhut Jolokia....
I'm so glad that the phenotypes are all true Ghost this year - none of those squat Nagas :-)

Beautiful plants and pods Josh. How did you get those Manzanos to ripen? I have tons of pods, but nothing showing color. Here's a pic.
Also, please keep us updated on those chocolate bhuts. We may have to do a seed trade. That Thai x Bhut has peaked my interest as well.

Here's a pic of the whole plant.

Tim

I wish I could grow Manzano here. I tried, but they didn't do well. I assumed it was the high heat and humidity.
Pam

Tim, I'm amazed by the bushiness and the pod production on your Manzano! Well done, sir. As for ripening....just a matter of time. My pods were on the plant for well over two months, and they just now ripened. The flavor is incredible, though.

Josh

Still waiting on the cooler weather, my 3 year old Manzano is just begging for it. Congrats on the two pods and glad that you enjoyed them as much as I do.

I found a great Mexican supermarket that stocks fresh Manzanos so I will probably remove it form next years list.

Likewise! Delicious, but It's just too much work and chance involved.

Josh

Greetings!
Some updates! This video is from August 27:
Greenman's Garden - August 27, 2013

Josh

Hungarian Wax time....finally harvested a few.
I could have pulled them sooner, for sure, but I love to see the multi-color presentation. This year, most of the pods stayed upright, well into the ripening stage. After harvesting, I immediately ate the best pod....it was sweet and hot...well, as "hot" as this mild pepper can be ;-) I also made a quick video before pulling the pods.

Greenman's Garden - Hungarian Wax edition...

I ate three more for dinner, just dipping them in Ranch dressing....

Sorry about the initial pics in this Thread...photobucket has really crapped out, and I'm not using it for mass-uploading anymore. So I'll have to upload individually.

Finally harvested a few nice pods. First up, Moruga - seeds from Bill. Thanks again! By the way, Bill, the Grim Reaper in the salsa turned out phenomenal!

Datil peppers...not hybrids after all! Beautiful pods. These seeds also came from Romy. One of the best tasting peppers out there, in my opinion.

The Yellow Bhut Jolokia...seeds from Romy. Thanks, Romy! I love this plant, and so do all the folks to whom I've sent seeds.

This post was edited by greenman28 on Sat, Sep 7, 13 at 16:18

Hybrid Yellow Bhut X Thai chile. A very productive hybrid. The plant looks Chinense, but the leaves are just slightly smaller and darker green overall...and the pods set upright.

Thai chile, a versatile favorite.
Even some of my female students can handle these....

And just to round things out....

Great video and pics Josh. Glad to see you're finally getting some ripening en masse. Which one you like better, the yellow or chocolate ghost?

Kevin

Good looking pods and plants Josh. How do you eat your manzanos? I finally harvested a couple. I sent a few out to a friend. I still need to send Mark some, but I have a few I want to try. What do you suggest?

Tim

Thanks, Kevin and Tim!
Kevin, it's good to have a couple pods in hand, indeed. My Chocolate Ghost isn't ripe yet, but I sure like the look of the pods. They seem very thin-skinned, though, and have some blemishes like the Bih Jolokia that I grew a few years back. Really looking forward to them!

Tim, I ate both ripe Manzanos fresh, no preparation. I wish I had more to experiment with. The flavor was sweet and even a little salty/savory, so I'd stuff them with some meat and cheese, maybe even a sliver of garlic or marinated olive. I'd drizzle olive oil over them on a platter, and probably serve halved.

Josh

Finally, a Red Bhut Jolokia to pose with the Yellow Bhut Jolokia. Thanks again to Bill and Jaime for sharing the original seeds. Year three for the Red Bhut, year two for the Yellow Bhut, and the phenotype is still true.

you should try to cross that bhut x thai with the yellow bhut. that could turn out awesome.

Nice pods Josh.

Now why don't mine have that classic shape?

Might have to hit you up for some seeds. ;)

Kevin

Judo, I'm not up for that much work ;-)

Kevin, the trick is starting with the right seed...in this case, it came from good ol' Bill up north. His seeds have never disappointed. I have two Red Bhuts, and most of the pods are smaller than this one. This was the first pod to set...and although it has the shape I like best, I'm worried that it might have cross-pollinated. I'll probably harvest seeds from the pods that set after I isolated the Red Bhuts from the other plants. Keep in touch.

Yesterday, I finally made my Pineapple Ghost Jam....a small batch, but with 6 Yellow Bhuts....dear lord this is some hot Jam! Greenman's Ghost Jam....Yellow Fever (I'd better copyright that!).

After sugaring the boiling pineapple mash, I added the Yellow Ghosts...didn't want to add them too soon and accidentally cook out all the heat ;-)

Into the jars the sweet mash goes! And after jarring, into a water-bath with an inch of water above the lids. Ten minutes boiling in the bath.....

Greenman's Pineapple Jam...Yellow Fever! :-D

This post was edited by greenman28 on Tue, Sep 17, 13 at 2:25

so, how much pineapple, how many peppers, and having tasted it, how many peppers should you have used?

I still want those bhut x thai seeds. I tried to do a brain x thai cross, but it didn't take.

Josh, you're too kind.

Nice looking pods. My Yellow Bhut plant (thank you for the seeds) is dragging its heals ripening. Funny, my Yellow Scorpion is also taking its time.

Your Greenman's Ghost Jam looks great! We'll have to add it to our product line... Grim Reaper powder and Yellow Fever jam ;-)

Nice work all around.

Thanks, gents!
Judo, I'll get them seeds to ya for sure...sorry, the new job has entailed much more work than I'd expected....mostly paperwork and meetings for students with specialized education plans. I haven't even dried one of the crossed pods yet...but I will ;-)

As for the jam - here's the breakdown.
20 ounces of crushed pineapple + enough water to bring the total volume to 3.25 cups. 3 cups of sugar. 1 box of dry pectin. A small pat of butter to keep the foaming down. And 6 Yellow Ghosts :-) In a small batch like this, I could have toned it down to 3 peppers and still had plenty of heat...but I wanted something very hot after last year's fairly mild Strawberry Ghost Jam.

Bill, I sure hope those Yellow's will hurry up and ripen. I'd love to hear your review. By the way, did I ever mention how those pints of salsa turned out? Well they were excellent! The Grim Reaper powder (1 tsp.) provided a strong smack of heat, but not overpowering. It did give the salsa a slight bitterness, but that was easily solved with a dash of salt. Everyone loved it...those who tried it, at least. Some folks were afraid of the Grim Reaper name, and wouldn't even try it. Their loss! I have one pint left, and it's all mine.

Oh, and Bill, I finally tried the Trinidad Moruga....holy hell, definitely the hottest pepper I've ever tasted. I have no doubts about this one. My tongue numbed out at 5 minutes, but the burn went on! I had to blow my nose several times, and it brought tears to my eyes. I admit, I even had a mug of coconut milk to settle the heat. The aroma of the freshly sliced pod was the strongest I've smelled in a Chinense, and the flavor was classic red Scorpion - not sweet, but not bitter either. I only wish that I'd taken a better pic....

Slowly the season winds down....and slowly the peppers come trickling in....

I've been waiting all season to hold these pods together - Red, Brown, and Yellow Bhut Jolokia. This season's Ghost trifecta :-)

Yellow Monkey Face pods - I don't see the monkey, but boy are these pods crunchy and sweet! Good heat in the middle, about three or four times hotter than a jalapeño, but superior in flavor. Unproductive plant, though, and I won't be growing it again.

A mixed plate - all the familiar faces. This has been the Year of the Yellows. They really do brighten the mood. Datil, Bonda ma Jacques, Yellow Bhuts, Monkey Face, some Red and Chocolate Bhuts, too.

The Red Bhut Jolokia plants are finally ripening en masse. I semi-isolated my two Red Bhuts so that I could harvest seed. I'll only harvest from the longest most Bhut-like pods. A few pics of pod variation.

Keepers! Look right for seed harvesting.

And not quite the pod shape I'm goin' for...

Lastly, a few pepper poppers I made. Only had four strips of bacon left...so I mixed some cream cheese, parmesan, dried garlic, and a dash of seasoning salt, then stuffed two jalapeños, a Datil, and a Bonda ma Jacques. The Bonda I ate first as I knew it would be quite hot and off-putting with that intense Habanero flavor. Then I dove into the Datil, which was superb as I knew it would be. The jalapeños were as expected...no surprises...mild, easy to eat, but with that green flavor.

I'll start dehydrating pods soon. My kitchen table is loaded down at the moment.

Josh

Nice update Josh! What's the possibility of hitting you up for some of those Bhut seeds? Mine don't look like yours at all. :(

I do have a few varieties to trade if you want.

Kevin

Thanks, Kevin!
I think this might be it for the season...cold's a comin'.
I'll add a few more pics for sure.

Josh

Red Bhut Jolokia...

Josh, do you have small hands, or are those pods really just that huge?

Hehe, Judo, my hands are normal sized, I assure you.
As for these pods....isn't this how Bhut Jolokia should always look? ;-) 3 - 5 inch peppers on average.

A few more Chocolate Bhut....

I'm sure that is the proper size, mine are just undersized, all coming in around 2.5". now I feel so inadequate...

Josh, sorry i have not been checking in on your grow. Been super busy like all of us. Pods look superb my friend. Thanks for the kind words as well. If you are interested in a few new varieties shoot me an email :)

Oh my goodness, what beautiful peppers! My family would think they were in heaven.

Jaime, thanks so much! Between you and Bill and a few other generous souls, I've got years worth of seed to grow. I'm really looking forward to the fresh Douglah seeds you sent...hopefully 2014 will be the year I finally get some to germinate.

Thanks, Camellia! Peppers and succulents, two of my loves :-)

Josh

Cracked into the "Yellow Fever" Pineapple Ghost Jam last night with my sister and her boyfriend. Toasted some bread to go with the brie and the jam, then indulged. My hottest jam yet - very sweet at first, with that classic slow creeping heat for which the Bhut Jolokia is known. The ribbons of Yellow Ghost were a real joy to encounter :-)

Josh

Geez, have heard of pepper jelly and jam before but my immediate reaction was always, "YUCK". But that picture makes it looks "YUMMY". I am going to have to give that a try next year. I will try anything once. Probably not with Ghost peppers however.
Bruce

oh it's delicious. throw one moruga or brain strain in a batch of strawberry jelly, and you're in heaven every morning.

Judo, I think you got that mixed up. The heat is in hell, not heaven.

Looks good Josh! Just the mention of brie made my mouth water.

Kevin

Yessir, you may. Thanks for the interest :-)

Josh