Happy New Year

Well no recent posts and nothing much to mention. The chillies have been cut back for overwintering and are safely ensconced on the window sills inside the house.

I've rigged up the growlight to provide a little extra light during these dark months. It does an admirable job of lighting up the chillies, along with the back garden and half the neighbourhood.

As for the Chilligrow experiment, well they seem to be coping as well as the potted chillies. I've had to cut back the watering as the continually damp soil promoted mould to form on the surface of the soil. However, the chillies need less water and nutrients during the winter anyway so I doubt it will do them harm.

I'm now lining up the chillies for the new year's growth. I'm concentrating on the superhots as they offer a better return for yield per space, despite their longer growing season. The new seeds for 2013 are:

Habanero Magnum Orange
Trinidad 7 Pot Jonah
Scotch Bonnet Red & Yellow
Dorset Naga
Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Chilli)

The seeds are now planted so fingers crossed we'll be seeing some results within a week or two.

As for the chilli sauces, well I've gone from one extreme to the other. Firstly was the Christmas Cracker, a seasonal cranberry and apple with a mild chilli hit. Is was popular at the Christmas dinner table, even with those who don't appreciate the hotter sauces.

And then there was the Hellish Relish...

Three Dorset Nagas, five Black Nagas and about two dozen Red Habaneros went into making just three bottles. The hardest part of making the sauce was the tastings. After sampling half a teaspoon of the devilish brew it required 20 minutes and a pint of milk for the burn to die sufficiently before I could taste again.

There's still two bottles left but when and where I'll find anyone brave enough to tackle them remains to be seen...