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Thursday, 4 November 2010

Chilly Chillis

Despite the protection of a plastic mini-greenhouse, some of the Chillis are feeling the cold too much to hold out any longer. If I leave them outside I risk losing the last of the crop. Look at the sorry state of this - the "Cayenne"-type one I called "Long Thin"...

Foliage has been killed by the frost.

So, I picked the fruits and consigned the plants to the compost bin.




The Serrano Chilli plant still looks OK outside, and in any case it is far too tall to fit inside a mini-greenhouse.




If the truth be told, we already have enough chillis in the fridge and freezer to sink a battleship, so maybe I shouldn't worry too much about the possibility of losing the last few!
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8 comments:

  1. Sarah4 November 2010 at 20:37

    Wow, you've done really well with your chilli harvest. I hope you like chilli in your house! I grew Serranos last year but only got a few fruit.

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  2. Egretta Wells blog4 November 2010 at 20:44

    I would take a large needle with some twine threaded through, string up the chillis, and dry them. Makes a pretty decoration, too. Another thing to do is put them in jars with vinegar. I did that for decorative purposes once in a very tall jar in the kitchen, placed it on the counter and it looked great. I got lots of comments on it and it lasted about 2 years before I dumped them out.

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  3. Mark Willis4 November 2010 at 21:31

    Thanks Sarah and Egretta for your thoughts on the chillis. Even if we never eat the whole lot, I get pleasure out of growing them,(and now photographing them of course)and I usually manage to give a few of them away. Maybe someone has a recipe for Harissa, or Sambal Oelek that I could use...?

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  4. becky30864 November 2010 at 22:02

    I would freeze them and make hot pepper butter as soon as I get the chance. Yumm! I have a whole bag full but no rush because I have 2 quarts of hot pepper butter left.

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  5. Hazel4 November 2010 at 22:28

    Chillies leave me cold. :-)

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  6. fer6 November 2010 at 09:03

    Your chillies look great! I hope mines does as well. I think the cayenne type is chile de arbol, isnt?

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  7. Janet/Plantaliscious7 November 2010 at 17:29

    Great chilli crop, I'm jealous! I had a fairly prolific harvest but the fruits were tastless... Better luck next year I guess! I'd recommend Hugh Fernley-wotsit's recipe for harissa.

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  8. Mark Willis7 November 2010 at 17:39

    Janet; Most of my chillis were also very "mild". I've heard that plants grown from the seeds of open-pollinated parents seldom run true, and get very hybridised, losing their vigour. My seeds were from some individual fruits I bought at a foodie show last Autumn, so maybe this is true. Next year I will be growing from packeted seeds again! (Already bought one variety called "Pinocchio's Nose" which is a very long thin one.)

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