Posted by: Steve
on Nov 16, 2009
Story of the Bhut Jolokia - short version!
In the year 2000, reports of a very hot chilli started coming out of Assam, India. The Bhut Jolokia was reported as being twice as hot as the previous record holder, the Red Savina Habanero.
These initial reports were treated with a lot of scepticism in the chilli community. It took a trial carried out in 2005 by the Chilli Pepper Institute to convince folk that this chilli was the new king. In this trial, the CPI measured the Bhut Jolokia at over 1million Scoville Heat Units.
The DNA tests performed showed that the chilli was mostly a Habanero, but had some contribution from a chilli related to Tabasco.
A chilli with many names.
The same chilli was being called several different names: Bhut Jolokia (ghost chilli); Bih Jolokia (poison chilli) and Naga Jolokia (warrior chilli). When the CPI published its results, they came down in favour of the Bhut Jolokia - the name adopted by the Indian company Frontal Agritech, who now hold the official record.
Posted by: Steve
on Nov 14, 2009
We have been working with our friends at THE SEED Co. on a Chilli Oil using their wonderfully flavoursome cold pressed Rapeseed Oil. I have tried a few Rapeseed oils now, and the one from THE SEED Co. is the best I have found for flavour. Find our Rapeseed Chilli Oil in our online shop from today. Some good bread and a small bowl of this oil is a great start to a meal.
The Seed Co. (www.theseedcompany.co.uk) are Based in Sherborne, Dorset and they produce COLD PRESSED RAPESEED OIL made from a single variety of seed that's been chosen by them for its flavour and versatility.
We steep the oil with a blend of our hot and fruity dried chillies for a month or two to produce this chilli-flavoured oil - great for spicy salad dressings, roasting and frying. Full of naturally occurring Omega 3,6 and 9, and vitamin E. This oil has the best flavour of any Rapeseed oil we have tried - nutty and very moreish - some good bread and a small bowl of this oil is a great start to a meal.
Posted by: admin
on Nov 12, 2009
Growing Chillies From Seed. If you are thinking of having a go at growing chillies next year, here is a shopping list to get you off to a flying start.
Shopping List. A heated propagator or warming mat is a valuable tool for germinating chilli seeds - they like it hot! At the farm, we sow the seeds thickly in a soil-based seed compost and place the pots in heated propagators - we expect to see an erruption of shoots between 6 and 10 days later - some do take longer. A Jonh Innes soil-based seed compost is a good start for them. Plant labels, a water-proof marker pen and a few plant pots, and you're all set - apart from buying some seeds.
Recommend Chillies. Here is a list of easy-to-grow varieties that we have always found very willing. It tends to be a good idea to stick to well-known varieties - you will have a better chance of starting with good quality seed. My six-of-the-best would be:
- Santa Fe Gande - a 'yellow' chilli that ripens to orange - good for salsa
- Cherry Bomb - ripens early and the fruits look amazing
- Hungarian Hot Wax - usually eaten green (or yellow in this case)
- Numex Twilight - a rainbow of colour and hundreds of 1"-long chillies.
- Ring-of-Fire - a very product cayenne type.
- Jalapeno - probably the most well know chilli - usually eaten green
What Else Do You Need? Chilli seedlings can get a little too leggy if grown-on after germination on a windowsill. A greenhouse is ideal, but you can also use a mini plastic greenhouse (less than £20) or a cold frame.
What Next?
You'll find tips on growing from seed and general plant care here. We also send a printed copy of instructions with our mail-order seeds.
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