You don't say what caused your limited success. The peppers you mention are all the same species, so they should all grow fine in zone 7. I do just fine with those you mention in zone 5a which is cooler and with a shorter growing season. The Chilaca/Pasilla takes the longest of the ones you mention.

Jim, this is what I plan to do this year along with making my own spices such as chili powder, paprika, cayenne,etc. No experience as yet but the harvest forum has a great deal of good advice on safe methods, many recipes.

You should be able to grow the peppers there with no problem. Drying may depend on the thickness, may need a dehydrator. If you can grow jalapenos you should be fine with the others. Good luck!! Let us know what discoveries you make. Jackie

I grow a lot of chilacas (green pasilla) and poblanos in NY very successfully.

You have some problem not related to the chile.

My only guess is that either the seeds were of weak strains or that my seedlings were not robust enough. Maybe I didn't start them early enough. A friend has good success with several different chiles but he started his a month earlier than I did this year. Mine are now slightly less than a month old. I hope that's good enough. I've done a first repotting and the root systems were amazing.

I will use black plastic this time to give the soil extra warmth and I will give close attention to nutrition and moisture.

Thanks for the encouragement, folks. Let me know of any other thoughts you have on this and we will keep in touch.

Jim

Jim you have a weather problem like I do...

Start seeds about 12 weeks before your normal plant out

At first transplant use some 4" pots at about 12 weeks transplant them to a 12 in pot.

When you transplant to the field, use some floating row cover for 3 to 4 weeks

At about Labor day, return the floating row cover

You should get 8 to 12 weeks extra growing time

A bit OT, but have you considered growing chilhuacle negros? They are the main ingredient in the famous Mole Negro and are very tasty. I may have a few extra seeds from last years crop (not many, I'll have to check after work). It's too late for this year, but you could use them next season. PM me if interested. A side note, when drying the anchos and mulato I recommend investing in a good dehydrator with temperature control. Anchos and mulatos can be a bit tricky to dry due to their size and the high amount of moisture they hold.

I have grown Chilhaucle Negro and cut them in half before putting them in the dehydrator.

I have not made the sauce. Do you have a good recipe?

This past year also grew Chilhaucle Amarillo and not sure of it's uses

Interesting and encouraging posts, everyone. Thanks. It's nice to get acquainted with you who have similar interests. Most of my chile growing is aimed at providing ingredients for Mexican cooking.

Chilhaucle Negro is new to me. Fiedlermeister, your photo is a work of art. I will post a recipe soon for mole.

Jim

i am always reading people dry their peppers in dehydrators, and often to cut in half when having thick skinned peppers such as poblanos. i have had zero problems by stringing them thru their stems with sewing thread and needle, and then hanging horizontally at ceiling height more or less. it may take a bit longer than a dehydrator, but at least i'm not having to listen to a dehydrator, i feel i loose no flavors , and then i'm already festooned with our solstice decorations come december. we do heat with woodstove and so maybe we get a higher heat in that room, but i've never had a problem in 3 years of drying.
looking forward to your mole recipe jimster, i still have a few dried poblanos and i'd love to try a new recipe with them.....waiting anxiously.

@ fiedlermeister

Mole Negro is a very complex and time consuming recipe. Keep in mind this is a somewhat simplified recipe, as a true mole negro can take days of undivided attention to make. This one is still pretty good though, but plan to spend a few hours of prep and 5-6 hours of cooking time in a slow cooker/crock pot. It seems like a lot of work, but it is well worth it. A note on the dried chiles, you can sub whatever kind you like, but for authenticity I recommend using the "Trinity" of chihuacle negro, anchos/mullatos, and pasillas. The tanned chipolte meco gives the sauce a nice smoky touch but is completely optional.

Ingredients:

2 oz. chihuacle negro chiles (dried)
5 1/2 oz. mullato or ancho chiles (dried)
2 oz. pasilla chiles (dried)
1 chipotle meco (tan, dried, not canned in adobo)
2 tortillas, torn up
1/2 small onion, peeled and cut into thick slices
4 unpeeled garlic cloves
oil or lard
1/2 c. sesame seeds
1/4 c. each: sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds
3 quarts chicken stock
8 plum tomatoes, chopped
4 oz. tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and chopped
2 slices bread, toasted
2 cloves
1 stick canela (real cinnamon)
1 t. Mexican oregano
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 ripe plaintain or banana
3 oz. Mexican chocolate (very important)
salt, sugar

Directions
First, stem the chiles, then tear them open and separate the seeds and reserve them. Heat a pan over high heat, and add the seeds and tortilla (turn on your exhuast fan and open a window, you'll see why ;-). When they're black, dump them in a strainer and shock them by rinsing under running water for a minute, until the water runs clear. Transfer to your blender and clean, rinse, and dry the pan. Add the toasted bread to the blender.
Put the pan on high heat, and add the onion slices and garlic cloves. Roast until soft, and remove to a bowl. Squish the garlic out of the peels and discard the peels.
Roast the nuts in a 350 degree oven until fragrant and remove. Heat the pan over high heat and add a half-inch of oil or lard. Fry the chiles a couple at a time. They will get fragrant, and when they begin to lighten, remove them -- it only takes a few seconds on each side. Be very careful not to burn the chiles, they will be extremely bitter if burned...and you still have the exhaust fan on and the window open, right? Remove them as they are done to a paper towel and drain. Put them in a large bowl, cover with boiling water, and let them soak for thirty minutes. Drain.
Reserve about 1/4 cup of the toasted sesame seeds for garnish, and put the remaining seeds and nuts into the blender. Add about 2 c. of the stock, and puree until smooth. Remove to a bowl. (There is no need to rinse the blender until you're completely done with it.)
Puree the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and about 1/2 c. of the stock until smooth. Remove to a bowl.
Grind the cloves and cinnamon. Add the spices to the blender with the onion and garlic, oregano, thyme, plantain/banana, and about 1/2 c. of the stock. Puree until smooth and remove to a bowl.
Puree the chiles in two batches, each with 2 c. of the stock, and remove to a bowl. Now, you can wash the blender.
In a large, heavy, preferably non-stick pot, heat 3 T. of oil or lard over high heat until very hot. Add the tomato-tomatillo puree, and cook, stirring constantly, until very dark and thick. Add the seed/nut mixture, and repeat, stirring until again, very thick. Add the plantain/banana mixture and repeat, again until very thick. Add the chile mixture, turn the heat down to low, and let it cook until very thick and dark, stirring every few minutes. Add the stock and chocolate, mix well, pour into a slow cooker or crock pot and simmer slowly on the low setting for five to six hours (you can do this on top of the stove, but be careful because the nuts fall to the bottom and tend to burn, and if that happens, you have to throw it all out).
Add salt and sugar to taste (you may need to add some sugar to offset the bitter taste from the chiles, though most of it should have cooked away, but usie sparingly....you do NOT want sweet mole). The Mexicans strain everything at every opportunity. It would be considered mandatory there to strain the mole when done. Don't feel obligated. Really. It's amazingly good whether you strain it or not.
Mole is a sauce. You can top a few chicken breasts in some of the mole (freeze the rest) and simmer them until done, then sprinkle them with sesame seeds. You can poach chicken breasts separately, shred the chicken, and moisten with mole as a taco or tamale filling. You can do anything you like, but chicken is the traditional meat of choice, though turkey and pork work as well. And remember...this is the simplified version!

@fiedlermeister

There is also a yellow mole that uses the chilhuacle amarillo, though I do not have a recipe for it. An internet search may turn up some results. Maybe try Dave's Pepper Pages at fiery-foods.com. I think I remember him doing an article on the 7 moles of Oaxaca, and there may be a recipe for Mole Amarillo there.

djcorrosive

Thank's for the recipe and all your work posting it.I even have most of the ingredients-not the chocolate,though I have had it.

john

djcorrosive,

Thanks so much for posting that recipe.

I had intentions of posting one last night until I looked it over and saw that it was more than three pages long in Diana Kennedy's The Cuisines of Mexico. I will see if I get ambitious enough to post it. In the mean time, I found a video which will be of interest to mole makers. I certainly would like to visit Atocpan during their mole fair.

Here is a link that might be useful: Feria del Mole 2007 Atocpan

Hmm--can't get that to open with either IE or Mozilla

Here is the URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASq5ZgCsWHY

I'm using Firefox and it opens.

Jim

Hmm... Mozilla IS Firefox, isn't it? I don't know why it won't open for you. Have other links worked OK for you on GW? Anyone else having problems?

Jim

The url pasted works but now the link works too--thanks--don't know why it wouldn't open before

I just bought three pepper plants named Holy Mole Hybrid at the Fullerton Arboretum. They are supposed to have a Scoville rating of 700 to 1000, and are a 2007 AASW winner. I haven't planted them yet so can't give you any other info other than they were bred for making mole sauce and are supposed to turn dark brown when ripe.