Late harvest pickles. I was holding back in the hope I'd get enough for a couple of jars, and I reckon I timed it about right. They're a mixture of 4 Jalapeños: White, Mammoth, Lemon Spice and Early (although they certainly weren't early this year). 🌶️🌱🍽️

This is exciting, and slightly daunting. I've always wanted a curry leaf plant, but I assumed they were too difficult to grow over here. I may yet be proved right, but it's a definite birthday treat to at least get a pop at it 🌱.

Even yet still more harvest in the ongoing attempt to clear the greenhouse. 🌶️🌱

Don't think we ever had this one, so here's Mystery Chilli #8. Thoughts? The plant is statuesque, not especially bushy, and large leaved. Early flowers were small, like chinense, but later ones (as shown) are bigger. Fruits are small but aromatic. So baccatum? Also, flowering in December, WTF? 🌱🌶️

So these guys get a head start for the 2026 season 🌱🌶️

Pepper by pepper, the onslaught of winter is taking it's toll. The order isn't always as you'd expect - Dorset Naga is surprisingly tough, Mini Olive surprisingly delicate. Now it's the turn of the Green Trinidad to lose all it's leaves. Plenty of pods have ripened though, so thanks, and RIP 🌶️🌱

Community garden winter sky

It's hard work processing 🌶️ at this time of year, especially if they've been waiting around till you had time. Frostbite, resident caterpillars, snail chomps, aphid mould and rotten placentas where the outside looks fine - all have to be detected and discarded. Greens can wait till tomorrow... 🌶️🌱

RH Lilac so far unfazed by the weather. Probably should pick those pods and do something with them. That orange mass on the side is the fox, skulking around wondering whether she dares sniff around inside the greenhouse while I'm in there 🦊 🌶️🌱

❄️-2°C tonight, so that which was outside has to come in.❄️ This is from the two remaining plants on the plot; would have been a bounty if we'd had mid/late summer sun. As it is, my amarillos will have to make a verde ferment. Now I need to stash these somewhere so I can clear the patio... 🌶️🌱

And... 🌶️🌱

icymi: the city of boynton beach received a nonsensical complaint about our little free library & pantry, which have existed for ~5 years. local news station WPTV reached out to talk to us about the process of trying to get our city to amend code & save our amenities www.wptv.com/news/region-...

Mystery Chilli #2 is no closer to being named, but it does keep producing. Here are the latest pics, and I'm still keen on suggestions. Not as hot as the brain strain, but stupid-hot all the same. Looking forward to diluting it into a sauce, as it's too spicy to actually taste otherwise.

I'm a real fan of these Green Trinidads: very little heat, but an incredible flavour that marries sweet fruity notes to a broader, vegetal pepper taste. They make a cracking jam, but I'll chop these and lightly sauté in olive oil & salt to make a magic condiment that defies convention. 🌶️🌱

I did this last year, following ChilliChump's recipe, and it was beautiful - really captured the crispness. and lasted longer than I'd let them 😉 I've also been thinking about throwing different chillies into the mix, and while I've not grown aji champion, I can see why it would be a good choice.

Good to see, and a post for the season. And I'm intrigued, because we're all at this point right now. What's the sauce? What's the pickle liquor?

Part of the joy of working with European #orchids is seeing the reaction they elicit, whether in person from my @mariposanature.bsky.social guests or here online. It's so satisfying to see how they touch something in people. I'm currently writing about that emotional response for a new book.

Ready for the fryer. Almost. Still a bit of dipping and coating to be done. Top is cannellini bean, chorizo and beetroot, bottom is the classic cheese, cream cheese and crispy bacon. Both were 😚👌 🌶️🌱🍽️

Mammoth Jalapeno poppers last night, half in the classic style, half filled with refried been and chorizo. Also a whole roasted rocoto stuffed with special fried rice. 🌶️🌱🍽️

Chipotle update: I think they've done their thing, and they look like gemstones as the light passes through them. Very pleased, and can't wait to use them 😊 🌶️🌱

I finally got my first hybrid pepper seeds listed on Etsy. If you're in the USA and are interested in unique seeds, please give me a follow there. If outside the US and are interested contact me directly I Can figure out what shipping would cost to you. 🌶️ 🌱 sunrisepepperlab.etsy.com

Great news - Hot Peppers feed has now migrated to Graze! Any post with a 🌱🌶️ or a 🌶️🌱 should now be picked up, without waiting a week for me to do a search and add them manually. Not to gush, but both @graze.social and their Discord community have been extremely helpful in getting this working, so 💚

Chipotle experiment. Flying a bit blind on this, hoping the stovetop smoker on a low hob will provide enough heat to dehydrate without cooking. Also, removed the seeds to help with the drying. 🌶️🌱

Meanwhile, in Wales...

This noble false widow, Steatoda nobilis, had two distinguishing features: 1: She was the biggest I've seen by a country mile, fast, sure-footed and genuinely impressive. 2: She was outdoors, unlike her many cousins who are gumming up our house with their insanely tough & extensive webs. #ukwildlife

Many of the predators have slowed up or gone to ground, and the pests are ascendent. This has happened to a few Jalapeños and Rocotos now, and it's got to be slug or a snail. But it's very different to the chomping pattern I normally see. Anyone else had similar?🌶️🌱

I'm trying to fix the Hot Peppers feed by migrating it to Graze. The entire community there has been really helpful, but there are weird things that come from having emojis as search terms. So I've set up another test. Here's a pic of Capsicum flexuosum to see if the🌱🌶️ gets picked up.

I called a few more in today. Mostly Jalapenos, Aji Amarillo, Berbere Brown, Green Trinidad, and the still unidentified Mystery #7 & Mystery #2. Mystery #2 looks like it's AI generated, but it's definitely real. Shiny like burnished bronze, the colours seems to cycle with the angle and the light 🌶️🌱

"But when the second Rocoto arrived, it was as big as an apple!" 🌶️🌱

Sometimes the colours on this RH Lilac chilli are hard to believe. 🌶️🌱

On most Saturdays I volunteer to help kids learn to code. Sometimes I run my own course, on HTML & CSS. So it was for this half term, and here's what I steered the kids toward making. 🌶️🌱

Here's that achar then. DeCayenne on the left, Buena Mulata on the right. I've also got a half full jar which I'll open first, but I don't want to touch it until at least a fortnight has passed. 🌶️🌱

Not a perfect year for me either, but this is a good haul, and the biquinos are making me misty-eyed for years gone by - I need to get those on the grow list again soon. 🌶️🌱

A mixed bunch of Buena Mulata, prepped to make a pretty spicy chilli achar. Not sure how it's going to work out, but my usual green chilli stock hasn't done well enough to make a jar's worth.🌶️🌱

Apologies to all for the state of 'Hot Peppers' feed. Now that they've gone all premium I've been trying to transfer to @graze.social . But @graze.social doesn't pick up all the posts either, so I'm a bit stuck. Anyone got any ideas? 🌶️🌱

I took a good haul off this Buena Mulata the other day, but it still looks crazy as a Christmas tree. Quite a small plant, despite the 20 litre pot, making it a clear winner in the harvest:plant-size contest.🌶️🌱

Q:Which fictional classic medieval hero was most effective at weeding? A: Ivanhoe

At last, my first Rocoto! They were a total no-show last year, yet this year's plant is laden. Very late, but being so big and fleshy they take a while to ripen. This one, the size of a generous tomato, weighs 50g, whereas the big Fatalii I posted earlier weighed only 5 👀 #pubescens 🌶️🌱

Fatalii at sunset. These are beautiful looking peppers, and tasty, but like all my chinense this year, they're coming through too slowly to make a single variety sauce. They'll add to the mix though, and I'll try for more next year

Colour range of ripening Buena Mulata chillies, unripe nearest, ripe farthest. 🌶️🌱

These fruity volcanoes really look the part in all their red hot knobbliness. 🌶️🌱

This 7-Pot Brain Strain came with a notable amount of liquid pain pooled inside. I've put it in the freezer for now, where it can't do any damage, but sooner or later I'm going to have to deal with it properly. 🌶️🌱

A bit of a harvest at the weekend. 🌶️🌱

The colour transitions on the Buena Mulata are as stunning as any I've seen, and at this point they are preternaturally beautiful. They may have to be added to my 'grow every year' list. 🌱🌶️

Looks like government agents have got word you're hiding E.T. Good luck to anyone dealing with frost so early - must be like being back in the '90s or something. 🌱🌶️

An American billionaire tells the people of the UK they should fight each other. If you think this is okay, you're not a patriot. You're not even British. You're a fuckn idiot. Grow up.

I know it's been a good gardening year for a lot of folk, but it hasn't for me. I accept there's been a lot of sun, but there's been drought too, and somehow I mistimed it with the chillies and they don't know if they're coming or going. Very pleased though that this one managed a late flourish.

The fox putting on her best "What are you talking about, why would I dig up your chilli pots for worms when there's a whole garden out there?" face 🥰

FELLOW PATRIOTS!!!111!1 I'm sure you'll join me in welcoming all newcomers to these shores, and wishing them the best of luck in the future. We're not all meatheads and f#ckwads, you know 😊

Mystery Chilli #7 is going to be hard to identify. How many red, mid-size pointy annuums exist in the world? Medium heat, medium size, some point up, some point down. Maybe up to 4" long? Maybe a bit less (the kids stole my ruler for homework). Answers on a postcard... 🌱🌶️