Cooking and Eating

[AxAxSxS]

Combine one splash of port, one of red, some rum, some sherry, fill the rest of the glass with white wine.
Go get a sharp knife and open the fridge.
Cut of a slice of cheese.
Eat that shit and drink your vino.

Fucking fancy.

[Ugly Nora]

I am happy to report my chili was pretty damn fantastic, even sans the coffee and maple syrup. It wasn't as hot as I was hoping for though, so I gotta work that out.

[Mike]

I am happy to report my chili was pretty damn fantastic, even sans the coffee and maple syrup. It wasn't as hot as I was hoping for though, so I gotta work that out.

If you PM me an address, I will add you to my list of people who I need to send some of my home grown habanero powders. My powders are hot enough that, for some people, a teaspoon will destroy a perfectly good pot of chili.

There are already a few people on my list (who I have not forgotten... waiting for a few more people before I track down my respirator and package some up). I could add a few more people to the list, too. If anyone wants some, just PM me an address.

Mike

[Ugly Nora]

I really appreciate that, but my work provides vegetable gardens for the employees (they even buy the plants/seeds) and me and some other guys are going to grow tons of habaneros, ghost peppers, 7 pot, lightning peppers etc. Along with other goodies of course.

[futuresailors]

Mike's powders are amazing.

[PetZounds]

I am happy to report my chili was pretty damn fantastic, even sans the coffee and maple syrup. It wasn't as hot as I was hoping for though, so I gotta work that out.

If you PM me an address, I will add you to my list of people who I need to send some of my home grown habanero powders. My powders are hot enough that, for some people, a teaspoon will destroy a perfectly good pot of chili.

There are already a few people on my list (who I have not forgotten... waiting for a few more people before I track down my respirator and package some up). I could add a few more people to the list, too. If anyone wants some, just PM me an address.

Mike

Holy shit. That sounds pretty intense. How much do you typically add to things?

[futuresailors]

Depends how hot you want it.
I put like 1/16 of a teaspoon into my wing sauce and it's about as spicy as my girlfriend can handle.

[PetZounds]

I just made fried new potatoes and scrambled eggs.
Covered that with salsa and had an incredible meal.

Now, it's time to doze. Mmmmmmmm

[BitchPudding]

I really appreciate that, but my work provides vegetable gardens for the employees (they even buy the plants/seeds) and me and some other guys are going to grow tons of habaneros, ghost peppers, 7 pot, lightning peppers etc. Along with other goodies of course.

What the fuck is a lightning pepper cause it sounds amazing

[AxAxSxS]

I really appreciate that, but my work provides vegetable gardens for the employees (they even buy the plants/seeds) and me and some other guys are going to grow tons of habaneros, ghost peppers, 7 pot, lightning peppers etc. Along with other goodies of course.

My advice on that is less plants, more diversity and go heavy on jalapenos. Last year I planted a ton of peppers and holy shit! way more than I could use. Ever. Maybe the plants just did well but I had TON of peppers on hand and it got hard to find ways to use them all without sending my friends to the hospital.

Mike, I'm intrigued with the powders. How do you go about making them? dehydrator and then mash em up? do you add other seasonings or is it pure pepper? I love me some heat but lately I've become more conscious of how it adds and interacts with the other flavors. I quit smoking and I think that makes me more conscious of how things all play together.

[rustywire]

I really appreciate that, but my work provides vegetable gardens for the employees (they even buy the plants/seeds) and me and some other guys are going to grow tons of habaneros, ghost peppers, 7 pot, lightning peppers etc. Along with other goodies of course.

My advice on that is less plants, more diversity and go heavy on jalapenos. Last year I planted a ton of peppers and holy shit! way more than I could use. Ever. Maybe the plants just did well but I had TON of peppers on hand and it got hard to find ways to use them all without sending my friends to the hospital.

Mike, I'm intrigued with the powders. How do you go about making them? dehydrator and then mash em up? do you add other seasonings or is it pure pepper? I love me some heat but lately I've become more conscious of how it adds and interacts with the other flavors. I quit smoking and I think that makes me more conscious of how things all play together.

Planting with purpose should also be a goal. Certain plants drive away natural pests to others; the most common example (that I know of) being tomatoes next to basil plants.
They also taste great, together

[Mike]

My advice on that is less plants, more diversity and go heavy on jalapenos. Last year I planted a ton of peppers and holy shit! way more than I could use. Ever. Maybe the plants just did well but I had TON of peppers on hand and it got hard to find ways to use them all without sending my friends to the hospital.

Mike, I'm intrigued with the powders. How do you go about making them? dehydrator and then mash em up? do you add other seasonings or is it pure pepper? I love me some heat but lately I've become more conscious of how it adds and interacts with the other flavors. I quit smoking and I think that makes me more conscious of how things all play together.

I harvest the peppers from my yard. They're mostly organic-- no harsh chemicals, use fish fertilizer, etc. Once harvested, I wash them well. Then, I put on two pairs of gloves, slice them in half, and remove the seeds with a knife. I tried it once without gloves. Never again-- my hands literally tingled for a week.

I tried a few different drying methods, but the one I settled on is oven drying at the lowest temperature on my oven, about 150F. I put the peppers in a single layer on parchment-lined cookie sheets. It takes about two days to dry them. I open the oven every few hours to release moisture. It makes the whole house smell like a habanero, and luckily it doesn't effect breathing. When they're dry, they look oily and semi-translucent... beautiful. I put them in mason jars until I'm ready to grind.

To grind, I do it outdoors. Goggles, hat, gloves, long sleeves, pants, and... a respirator. Not one of those little cloth masks, either. I wait for a windy day, setup a fan on my picnic table, and grind it with a coffee grinder. It seems like overkill, but it's not. You do not want to breathe this stuff in-- it is basically pepper spray... delicious pepper spray.

I store it in jars in a cool dark place. I add nothing. It is pure pepper.

My tongue is tingling just typing this.

Mike

[PetZounds]

Holy cow, Mike. That sounds awesome.
My mom is a huge lover of spice, I might tell her she should try getting a few plants.
We grew jalepenos a while back and they were great.

But powders sounds like the right way to go.
Prepping, drying, and jarring them honestly sounds like fun!

[Ugly Nora]

What the fuck is a lightning pepper cause it sounds amazing

Lightning-flavored peppers. Very good.

My advice on that is less plants, more diversity and go heavy on jalapenos. Last year I planted a ton of peppers and holy shit! way more than I could use. Ever. Maybe the plants just did well but I had TON of peppers on hand and it got hard to find ways to use them all without sending my friends to the hospital.

Yeah one of the people in my employ grew tons last year - way too much to eat. They never stopped coming. Part of the problem was the corporate farmer guy told him to plant 2 of each plant because 1 would probably die. The problem was, none of them died so we had peppers galore. I walked around the office with a huge tray giving them away to people on numerous occasions.

Nora

[ShaunNecro]

Mmmmm, I freaking love peppers and all things spicy. I'm eating a big bowl of red beans and rice with a stupid amount of hot sauce. I like to feel my mouth buuuuuuurn.

edit: And my eyes water.