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Post by macmex on Jun 13, 2021 5:19:25 GMT -6
We were outside almost all day yesterday and I was worried for my wife when we finally came in. I'm sure her electrolytes were off. We got things stabilized though it might have made a interesting video when we went to bed. We laid down and "groaned in unison."
I think you're right on track with the fish pepper. Just select from the plant(s) with the best type. When I grew out some crossed seed, back in 2013, it was easy to get things stabilized. In 2014 everything grew true to type because I just selected from the plants with the type they were supposed to have.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jun 13, 2021 14:08:25 GMT -6
I’m not sure whether the very green fish pepper is crossed or not, but it sure looks like its genetics aren’t as good as the more mottled/variegated one. I only have the two plants, and they’re so close to other peppers that I’ve decided not to try to save seeds this year. I have more of the original seed, and I’ll plan more isolation at some point when I make it my goal to save seed from that particular crop. I’ve just been thinking about it, and I thought the contrast in my two plants was so great, that it was a really good example of a time to make a selection based on desired traits. It’s hard to capture the beauty of these plants with a photo, but I thought I’d try. The second plant is a nice, healthy plant, and it does display some of the albinism, but it doesn’t strike me as nearly so ornamental as the first. It will be interesting to see if the second holds up better to the heat and sun that have really hit hard this week, however. The white can sunburn more easily.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Jun 13, 2021 23:13:22 GMT -6
A Quote from chrysanthemum, "I’ve just been thinking about it, and I thought the contrast in my two plants was so great, that it was a really good example of a time to make a selection based on desired traits." Chrysanthemum, that's basically all of what I do out here. I don't pay nearly as much attention to crosses as I do to desired traits. If a plant turns out to be something that I like, I don't really care what it's crossed with, I just try to preserve those desired traits through seed saving. Sometimes, I only get that desired trait to carry on in one out of a couple of hundred plantings, but as the years pass by and I keep selecting for those traits, the seeds I get eventually start producing them fairly consistently.I crossed Heavy Hitter Okra with Zeebest Okra once and got some crazy results that I decided were not what I was looking for, but they were still very thought-provoking and that is a big part of what keeps gardening interesting as a hobby. No matter what trait you develop along the way, someone is bound to like it. I came across a midget branched okra plant once that bore pods at about 18" inches in height. I pulled it up, so as to eliminate it from the gene pool, telling my son, I guarantee you, if a guy had time to pursue that mutation, someone would like it and buy seeds." My son said, "Are you serious?" I said, "Yes, I'm serious." He said, "Why?"I said, "Because people like uniqueness."About ten years later, I look in a seed catalog and see, 'BABY BUBBA OKRA' advertised 60 seeds for $23.62 That's right at .40 cents per seed.www.toyboxtech.com/burpee-baby-bubba-okra-seeds-60-seeds/?msclkid=4fea571cebb51ecdfb4e37da0fea68a3&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=toyboxtech&utm_term=4587162514666531&utm_content=Ad%20group%20%231You go, chrysanthemum, somebody will like it, I guarantee; even if that somebody is only you, it would make the entire season worthwhile and would make a few of us other seed savers very happy for you as well.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jun 18, 2021 20:37:24 GMT -6
Thanks for the encouragement, HeavyHitterOkra, At this point I’m still just beginning my seed saving journey, but it’s great to be learning what to do for the future.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jun 28, 2021 20:52:04 GMT -6
I just wanted to add a couple more pictures to this thread. I was harvesting a few fish peppers this afternoon for adding to jars of cucumbers to ferment into pickles, and I was just enjoying the colors of the peppers and the foliage. Some of the peppers are beginning to mature. (Of course, the one the other day about which I thought, “I’ll give that one more day, and then I’ll harvest it for seeds,” got taken down and pulled apart by some kind of critter!). Here are a couple shots where I tried to capture some of the beauty.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Jun 29, 2021 3:37:38 GMT -6
Would you happen to have a recipe to share, for your fermented pickles?
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jun 29, 2021 6:14:29 GMT -6
Sure, but I’ll find a good spot over in the cucurbit section of the forum. I figure that will make more sense if someone wants to find it in the future.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jul 24, 2021 6:27:02 GMT -6
I had my camera out in the garden yesterday and took a picture of my fish pepper plant with ripening peppers.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Jul 24, 2021 8:17:04 GMT -6
I enlarged that photo, those are beautiful peppers! The bi-colored pods are a very interesting and desirable trait. How do they compare to a jalapeno heatwise?
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jul 25, 2021 19:12:32 GMT -6
I’ve read that Fish peppers are possibly a mutation of Serrano peppers, and they rank similarly on the Scoville scale. The numbers I just looked up said 5,000 up to 30,000. Jalapeños are 2,500 up to 8,000. I just picked a whole bunch this afternoon. I wanted a few for a recipe, but I brought in the ones that were showing signs of color change because something has been nibbling my peppers when they ripen on the bush. I thought these could ripen indoors, and I’d try to ferment a batch. I made a nectarine and fish pepper jam this afternoon. We ate it on hot biscuits and used the leftovers in the cooking pan to make a sauce for pork chops. I used the linked recipe for inspiration, though I made nearly a double batch. I accidentally didn’t double the sugar, though, and it turned out great. I also used only three fish peppers instead of four because of their higher heat. It was noticeable but not overpowering. www.homesicktexan.com/2012/07/peach-jalapeno-jam.html
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Jul 25, 2021 21:54:56 GMT -6
That jalapeno peach jam recipe sounds very good and with only 2-1/2 pounds of peaches required, is very doable from home grown fruit stock. Thanks for passing that one.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Aug 15, 2021 14:07:46 GMT -6
I just wanted to post a couple more photos of my fish peppers. They’re happily ripening right now. I’ve fermented a small batch, and I have some in my dehydrator at the moment from yesterday’s harvest. (I’m dehydrating more cucumber chips because I found some overgrown but still tasty pickling cucumbers, and those large slices make good chips, but they didn’t fill my dehydrator completely, so I threw the peppers in with them.)
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Aug 16, 2021 18:10:05 GMT -6
I've never heard of cucumber chips. Do you season them with anything special? That would be a great way to get rid of some of my surplus. I'm overrun with cucumbers right now.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Sept 26, 2021 13:55:53 GMT -6
I've never heard of cucumber chips. Do you season them with anything special? That would be a great way to get rid of some of my surplus. I'm overrun with cucumbers right now. I’m sorry. I was just going to add to the fish pepper thread and found this message from last month. From being overrun with cucumbers, I’m now missing fresh ones. We still have chips, pickles, and frozen cucumber puree, though. I have a couple of different ways to season cucumber chips, but mostly I just salt the cucumbers down to let them drain in a colander before drying them. My kids like them with just plain salt. They also enjoy a Chile lime seasoning called “Tajin” that we can buy in our local grocery. I have done soaks in lime juice or vinegar before or sprinkled Italian seasoning, but I didn’t get that fancy this summer.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Sept 26, 2021 13:57:48 GMT -6
I turned a pint of dehydrated fish peppers into a powder the other day. It’s potent stuff but really good. I’ve used it in an Orange sauce I made for chicken, and in cheese sauce and guacamole for nachos. A little goes a long way.
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