This could be the final crop of the year now. I’ve snapped this lot on my work top while thinking about what to make. These chillies are so appealing to look at I think I’ll ponder for a while longer…

Did anyone see River Cottage this week? Hugh made a mouthwatering piccalilli which gave me an idea. What about about Chillililli? Not a new idea of course – it’s in a great little book called Simply Piccles. But if you follow Hugh’s recipe and and get busy with some extra habaneros you’re onto a winner. But what to have it with?

This year at I Love Chillis we’ve had a good crop with several varieties coming good at the same moment. To make full use of these beauties we’re experimenting with a five chilli sauce balancing the mild and fruity with the searingly hot. If you haven’t guessed the varieties they’re (in size order): Romano Pepper, Hungarian Banana Wax, Aji Lemon, Naga, Bolivian Rainbow. Blended down with sugar, tomatoes, garlic, ginger and red wine vinegar it tastes awesome.

Yup, it’s cheese but not as we know it it. This week we received a sample of Chilli cheese from the cheese man at Beaconsfield market. Like a soft cheddar flecked with red and green it delivers an unexpected intense chilli hit. Will make a mockery of bland cheeseboards. Highly recommended.

Red and green chillies are all very well and good. But if you’re looking for something a bit different to pep up your summer salsa seek out some of these beauties. They’re Bolivian Rainbow variety. Cleverly, they ripen through pretty much the whole colour spectrum – hence the name. Very easy to grow from seed, I’m thinking they would actually make a stunning edible house plant offering deep heat and deep purple in one.

Bunched up on either side are Hungarian Banana Wax Chillies that I will attempt to pickle later on this year. Watch this space…

Andrew Buncombe of The Independent tells us about his taste of naga in his article:

“My encounter with the world’s hottest chilli”

Have you tasted this beastie? Tell us about your experience in the comments!

An interesting one from the BBC here.

“”Studying chilli peppers is helping scientists create a new type of painkiller which could stop pain at its source.”

Read more at BBC News.

It's Master Choc - making burgers doesn't get tougher than this...

Last summer my son Harry developed a fascination with Walkers chilli and chocolate flavoured crips. He then discovered chocolate, chilli and garlic ice cream at the Isle of Wight Garlic Farm. Now he has taken what he considers to be the next logical step in creating his own chilli/choc delights – the chocolate and chilli burger. He is pictured here grating a generous quantity of ‘Original Chilli Chocolate’ from The South Devon Chilli Farm into his burger mix of minced beef, egg, salt, black pepper and chives.

Roughly fashioned into a simple patty and barbecued later that day, it was apparently awesome!

It’s not exactly tropical outside, but with the odd glint of sunshine peeping in, now’s the perfect time to start planting your chilli seeds.
Here’s some hot tips from window sill specialist Catherine Rowan Jones.

Equipment
1 x half-size plastic seed tray (no holes at bottom)
1 x half-size clear plastic propagator lid
Jiffy-7s: these are compressed discs of dry growing medium enclosed by a biodegradable plastic mesh
Chilli seeds (Aji Lemon, Hungarian Hot Wax, Orange Habanero)
Warm water
Paper and pen/label
Warm place (south-facing windowsill)

Method
I rinsed a half-size plastic seed tray with very hot water and counted how many seeds I was going to plant (3 each of 3 varieties)
I put 9 dry Jiffy-7s in the seed tray and added warm water from the tap. Drank my tea while waiting for them to swell.
I tipped away the excess water and opened the first seed packet.
I planted one seed in each Jiffy-7 about a couple mm deep and gently pushed the compost over to cover it. If you have big fingers, you might find it helps to use the end of a chopstick as a tool.
I dealt with one packet at a time in a row so as not to mix up the varieties.
I didn’t have any plant labels, so I sketched a diagram of what was planted where (3 rows each of 3 varieties in alphabetical order and the tray had a paint splash at one end).
Finally I put the clear lid on the tray, put the whole set-up in a warm place and tucked the planting diagram underneath.

General Advice

All seeds want to grow. We’re just giving them a helping hand.
Seeds and seedlings are vulnerable to attack by moulds, fungus etc. Clean your trays before sowing, use freshly-opened compost each season and use water from the tap.
Try to keep the temperature consistently warm. I shade the propagator lid with a piece of paper if there’s direct sunshine.
Aim to keep the compost moist and, if possible, water from below so as not to wash the seeds out.
If you have plenty of seeds, plant 2 or 3 per Jiffy-7. When they’re a couple of inches tall, Be Ruthless and nip off the weedier specimens. It’s better to have a handful of strong plants than a horde of lanky poor doers who’ll never amount to much.
When the young plant is sturdy and has a couple of adult leaves (and especially if rootlets are visible through the mesh), it’s time to pot on. The benefit of Jiffy-7s is that you simply put the whole unit (plant, compost, mesh) into a larger pot and tuck fresh compost below and around. This avoids the risk of leaf damage and/or root disturbance with the traditional method of “pricking out”.

About Me

I’m a third generation gardener … without a garden. I’ve been growing chillies on windowsills (both indoors and outdoors) and on a table in my tiny yard for a few years with reasonable results. Chilli plants take up very little space and fresh chillies are relatively expensive to buy. I don’t have any specialist equipment, such as a heated propagator, let alone a greenhouse. My house isn’t very warm either, but I do have 3 south-facing windowsills and an airing cupboard. If I run out of space at home, my mother lets me put a few plants in her allotment. Finally, I’m not paid by the makers of Jiffy-7s – I just think they’re ideal!

Good luck

Catherine Rowan Jones

Seeds came from The South Devon Chilli Farm:

http://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk

For Jiffy 7 pellets:

http://www.gardensupplydirect.co.uk/

No greenhouse required...

Truck Stop

We all love chillis, and a bowl of chilli can be a fine dish. But please eat it safely. Especially avoid eating it while driving a truck…

From WHEC-TV News: Cup of chili to blame for Massachusetts lumber truck accident