I’m sure a lot of you chile heads have started your pepper seeds weeks ago under hot grow lamps or tropical skies. 

For the rest of us, here are some tips to help you get a successful start to the 2013 season.

Pepper seeds can take a few weeks to sprout!

Because chile seeds take their sweet time to germinate, a lot of factors and considerations arise that you don’t typically experience with plants like beans or even tomatoes.  Pepper seeds will be sitting in those pots/cells for many weeks which is why proper seed starting know-how is essential.

• Keep it moving.  A fan set on low in the room where you start your seeds is a great idea to avoid stale air and mold that can negatively affect seeds and seedlings.
• Avoid peat pots.  They seem really easy, just start the seed in there and transplant it directly into the soil when ready.   In my experience, these soggy pots promote mold growth. Go with recycled plastic and reuse them year after year.  If you do prefer peat pots, buy the larger size and be sure to crush off the bottom of the pot before transplanting, not doing so will inhibit root development.
• Typical Seed Starting Mix is just peat or coir (coconut fiber) and contains no nutrients at all.  Mix in some organic potting mix (with OG fertilizers) and some organic perlite to your seed starting mix.  The potting mix will feed your seedlings for a few weeks and the perlite will hold water.
• Hot and moist.  Yeah, you read that right.  Pepper seeds love the heat.  Try using a grow mat (not a heating pad) or some powerful lights to speed up the process and make those chile seeds nice and comfy.  A plastic dome or cling wrap over the pots will keep the moisture in and create a nice humid environment.  Don’t forget to ventilate!
• If you totally suck at seed starting, don’t worry.  Cross Country Nurseries is now taking orders for their enormous selection of hot chile plants.  They ship the plants ready to be transplanted in the garden.  Read more about CCN here.

For more seed starting tips, check out these free Pepper Growing Guides:

The Chile Man’s Growing Guide

Fatalii’s Growing Guide

Are you playing Peppermeister roulette? No? Well, someone is.  Head on over to Rachel’s Table and find out which pepper caused her to go from this…

To this….

Don’t worry, she not only made it out alive, but she’s challenged me to a Peppermeister Roulette Duel this Summer.  Challenge accepted, although her hot pepper perseverance worries me…..  Details to follow.  

Reblogged from Rachel's Table:

Great News! My neighbor Jeff has declared that 2013 will be the year of the pepper.  Whether you’re a seasoned chile-head or an aspiring gardener looking for some variety in their backyard and heat in their kitchen, you’ll want to take advantage of this sweet offer.

Let’s remind ourselves of how this works…..

All seeds are harvested in a non isolated 100% organic container garden.  I only harvest seeds from the biggest and ripest chiles.

Here’s how you get FREE SEEDS….

• Email me with the names of 2 varieties from the list below that you would like to grow.
• thepeppermeister@yahoo.com
• I will then let you know if they are available and send you my mailing address.
• You send me a self addressed stamped bubble envelope (4″x6″ bubble mailer folded in another with 3 stamps and your address on it).
• I send you free PEPPERMEISTER seeds. (most packs have 20+ seeds and I throw in extra varieties when i can.)

The varieties of seeds that I have available will change often since I will run out of some and add more as I harvest and dry more seed varieties.  Check back here for updates and seed availabilities.  Please email me if you have any questions about the varieties listed below.  Yes, you are welcome to share some seeds with me as well.

Here’s what i have available now(Updated 2-9-13)

1. Cyklon Paprika
2. Suryankhi Cluster
   
3. Limon
4. Hanoi Red
5. Jamaican Gold
6. Aji Cristal
7. Beni Highlands
   
8. Hinklelhatz
9. Jamaican Hot Chocolate
10. Sigaretta Di Bergamo
11. Wenk’s Yellow Hot
12. Lombak (Indian Pepper)
13. Thai Giant
14. Organic Jalapeno
15. B.A. Cayenne
16. Thai Hot (Bird’s Eye)
17. Serrano
18. Big Jim
19. Cobra

For information on getting started with chile gardening, check out my new HOW TO GROW PEPPERS page.

When you’re finished re-reading the instructions for getting free seeds, check out this recipe for Bacon Wrapped Spicy Turkey Meatloaf created by my wife and featured by the one and only Rachel’s Table.

Reblogged from Fresh Veggies in the Desert:

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I have been wanting to try a recipe that I saw on another blog for a very long time.   A special chicken wing recipe that, in my opinion, deserved a special day.   I gave those chicken wings:   Super Bowl Sunday, the true religious holiday of all chicken wings.   Here's to Peppermeister's Sweet and Spicy Asian Wings with Crema de Peppermeister…

Read more… 243 more words

It’s time to give away some seeds. 

I’ve had some great harvests this far and I hope to have another few weeks of mild temps so I can surpass my goal of 2000 peppers picked for the season.  I was able to collect several seeds from a lot of my earlier varieties and I’d like to spread them around to you guys.  Read below for instructions.

Thousands of seeds.

All you need to do to get free seeds is….

• Email me with 2 varieties from the list below that you would like to grow.
• thepeppermeister@yahoo.com
• I will then let you know if they are available and send you my mailing address.
• You send me a self addressed stamped bubble envelope (email me for instructions).
• I send you free PEPPERMEISTER seeds. (most packs have 20+ seeds)

The varieties of seeds that I have available will change often since I will run out of some and add more as I harvest and dry more seed varieties.  Check back here for updates and seed availabilities.  Yes, you are welcome to share some seeds with me as well.

Here’s what i have available now(Updated 2-7-13)

1. Cyklon Paprika
2. Suryankhi Cluster
   
3. Limon
4. Hanoi Red
5. Jamaican Gold
6. Aji Cristal
7. Beni Highlands
   
8. Hinkle Hatz
9. Jamaican Hot Chocolate
10. Sigaretta Di Bergamo
11. Wenk’s Yellow Hot
12. Lombak (Indian Pepper)
13. Thai Giant
14. Organic Jalapeno
15. B.A. Cayenne
16. Thai Hot (Bird’s Eye)
17. Serrano
18. Big Jim
19. Cobra

Hinkle Hatz: Amish Heirloom Pepper

For information on getting started with chile gardening, check out my new HOW TO GROW PEPPERS page.

When you’re finished re-reading the instructions for getting free seeds, check out this recipe for Pulled Pork Jalapeno Poppers from Fresh Veggies in the Desert.

• I once orchestrated a grand pilgrimage in the name of wings.  8 of my buddies piled into a rented passenger van and took a 7 hour trip up to Buffalo, NY with the sole purpose of eating wings in the town where it all started (there may have been some beers).  The trip was aptly dubbed: Lord of the Wings Weekend.
• I own a pair of Wing Snips (see below).
• The first time I ate a Buffalo Wing was in Panama City, Florida.  My cousin and I proceeded to eat 100+ wings over the next 2 days.
• I believe boneless wings are exclusively for little girls.
• If you prefer your wings breaded, I prefer you stay away from me and my family.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s look at this killer wing recipe…

This is certainly not a traditional Buffalo wing.  I’ve worked on this recipe for a couple of years now. It’s a downright delicious marinade that works great on all types of chicken and pork.  The brown sugar and lime juice provide great sweetness, the herbs give it freshness, and the abundance of chiles gives this sauce a serious burn.

Ingredients:

• 16 whole chicken wings
• 1/2 cup chopped Thai basil
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons chopped ginger root
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
• 6-8 chopped fresh chiles (I used Ho Chi Minh and Thai Giant)
• 2 heaping Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil (or canola)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 Tablespoons Sriracha sauce (rooster sauce)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

If someone serves you wings with that creepy tip, it means they hate you.

Directions: Separate whole chicken wings into “wingettes”. Watch this video if you’re not sure how to do that.  Place cut chicken wings into a plastic resealable bag or a marinating bowl.  Take all of the other ingredients and puree them in a food processor or blender.  Once the mixture is smooth, pour it over the wings (you may also want to reserve some to brush on as a glaze later).  Work the sauce around to coat the wings and leave covered in the fridge for at least 4 hours.  Carefully grill or bake these wings till they are cooked through and crispy and sticky on the outside.

Serve these wings with some Crema de Peppermeister and cold beer. Now, you’ve got yourself a finger licking good time. Enjoy!

There we go.

When you’re done making these tasty wings, check out these kick-ass recipes from around the blogosphere…

Sweet Heat Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Pepper-licious Grilled Chicken Thighs

The greatest time of the year for chile-heads.  I’ve picked several hundred peppers in the past week or so, and I have many more to pick before the frost comes.  I’ve been saucing, drying, powdering, pickling and of course saving seeds like a boss.
Below are some pics of what I’ve been up to lately at PEPPERMEISTER Headquarters.

But First…. Ever Heard of Peppermeister Roulette?

If you want to see some serious pepper prowess, head on over to Rachel’s Table and check out Peppermeister Roulette.  This hilarious video was made by the lovely Rachel and her equally-lovely-but-in-a-different-way husband.  Rachel courageously bites into peppers without knowing how hot any of them are.  Pretty riveting film making coming from the First State.

My wife and I merely shared a bounty of peppers with Rachel and her husband and we never expected the video gold that would ensue.  Thanks Rachel!

On to More Harvest Photos!

I picked 225 Thai Hot chiles today. Big whoop, wanna fight about it?

I also pickled some Hinkle Hatz or “chicken heart” peppers.

Variety! Most of these got seeded and dried last night.

FOLLOW @Peppermeister1 on Twitter for even more pepper pics and recipes.

Reblogged from Rachel's Table:

I want to thank everyone who entered.  My wife and I looked at dozens of entries and narrowed it down to 3 finalists.  Here are the results…..

Grand Prize Winner: LK from Trying Not to be Fat!!! LK submitted this amazing pic of her own chile vodka.  I know why my wife loved it, but we both agree that LK’s creativity, photo quality, and pepper-usage had the makings of a prestigious pepper photo champion.  Congrats LK, enjoy your Stainless Steel Pepper Roaster!

2nd Place Winner: Tim Sheets. Tim regularly contributes chile advice and info on GardenWeb’s Hot Pepper forum.  Tim submitted this peculiar photo featuring one lonely cayenne pepper.  Beautiful shot Tim! Read below for your prize info…

Tim wins a Chile Pepper Taco Holder! Because… how else is Tim going to hold his tacos?

Not bad for 2nd place.

3rd Place Winner: Monica Mooney from Sweet Heat Chefs!  Monica and her daughter, Jasmine, feature amazing recipes on their site.  If you don’t believe me, ask Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri.  Monica’s fiery pic of charred poblanos made my mouth water and long for some tasty stuffed chiles.  Monica’s photo (featured below) has earned her a 3.5 oz. Lindt Dark Chili Chocolate bar which is appropriately filled with sweetness and heatness.  Congrats Monica!

Honorable Mention: Linda Roper.  Linda’s photo below displays a scary 7 pot chile.  This super hot pepper is as mean as it looks.

Linda, along with everyone who entered the contest, can receive free pepper seeds!  If you’ve submitted pics and would like to receive free pepper seeds, send your mailing address to thepeppermeister@yahoo.com

Thanks for participating! I will be giving more seeds away in October so stay tuned to PEPPERMEISTER!

FOLLOW @Peppermeister1 on Twitter for even more pepper pics and recipes.

Top Left: Mucho Nacho Jalapeno Top Right: Wenk’s Yellow Center: Aji Crystal

Here is my latest installment in the series I just made up:           Peppermeister’s Video Garden Updates!

I was able to keep this down to 2 minutes!

Watch it in HD, with headphones on, because it looks and sounds better that way and let’s face it: Is watching a pepper video with headphones on the weirdest thing you’ve done today? No. Not even close. Weirdo.

Enjoy this masterful film a few times, then scroll down for news about PEPPERMEISTER’S Pick a pic of Peppers Photo Contest!

PEPPERMEISTER’S PICK A PIC OF PEPPERS PHOTO CONTEST NEWS:

The Deadline for the Pick a Pic of Peppers contest is Sunday August 26, 2012.  I’ve gotten dozens of great entries and I hope to get more as those pepper harvests keep rolling in.  Remember photos can be of anything relating to your peppers, so get creative!  You don’t want to miss your chance to win a brand spanking new Stainless Steel Chile Roasting Rack.

Check out this recipe for Chile Agave Liqueur from BOOZED + INFUSED.