[gardeners] Chiles
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Wed, 23 Jul 2003 18:37:16 -0500
Just came in from the chile garden where I picked about four quarts of
chiles to make hot sauce this fall. The Aji Limon de Peru are really
producing a lot of the chrome yellow chiles. Most are about two inches
long and almost an inch in diameter, except that they are flat and not
round. I made a hot sauce just from the Aji's last year and it is
probably the best I ever made, really good flavor and just hot enough to
make it interesting.
The other prolific chile for the moment is a Maroccan one that Margaret
Lauterbach sent me a year or two ago and that I just got around to
propagating this year. Chiles are similar to a cayenne except the fruit
points straight up as it grows and is extremely hot, had to come in and
put my surgical gloves and mask on as picking them was making me cough.
The chiles are about three to four inches long and about 1/4 to 3/8's of
an inch around. I even had to wear my mask while I was washing them in
cold water because I was coughing again.
The New Mexico ristra chiles aren't producing well this year but the
chiles are really nice and fat. My Longhorns are as prolific as ever and
I pick about two quarts a day of them green for table use and have just
started letting them ripen red for sauce making.
Here's the kicker: the chiles are planted in a strip three feet wide by
twelve feet long on the hill by the peach tree. They are in shade except
for about two hours a day and are producing more than they ever did out
in full sun. In this 36 square foot strip there are fourteen plants,
fairly crowded together but healthy and thriving. As this is the west
side of the house and they are protected by brick on two sides (houses
are about 12 to 14 feet apart here) and the prevailing southeasterly
breeze funnels down through that area they seem to do well there so will
plant them in the same place next year.
Sleepy Dawg has quit mourning for her "mom" but still goes to the front
window about dark to see if she is coming down the street. At night she
sleeps on Miz Anne's pillow and I cover her with a tee shirt Miz Anne
wore for a few hours the day before she left and Sleepy sleeps
contentedly through the night now instead of getting up to go to the
door when she hears a car go down the street. Dogs are funny people
aren't they.
Talked to Miz Anne this morning and she seems to be existing on crab
cakes, crab stuffed seafood, and anything else with crab meat in it and
sounds happy to be with her mother. They both were very animated on the
phone so reckon they're having a good time.
Life is good.
George