Episode 36

Capsicum with the Chilli Chump!

Published on: 18th April, 2024

What is the secret to delicious hot sauce? Hot peppers or chilies? How many species of Capsicum are cultivated for their spicy fruits? What qualities are worth seeking when purchasing a grow light? These questions answered and so much more as the ChilliChump shares the spicy details about all things Capsicum!

Opening tune: Solanaceae by Carmen Porter (https://carmenporter.com)

Shaun (ChilliChump) connections:

main page: https://chillichump.com/

seed shop: https://chillichumpseeds.com/

awesome software: https://seedsio.com/

videos: https://www.youtube.com/chillichump

Transcript
Carmen:

Capsicum annuum.

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Welcome to Song and Plants.

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My name is Carmen Porter.

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In this episode, I was joined

by the Chilli Chump, to

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discuss all things Capsicum.

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His website offers a plethora of chili

resources to satisfy the needs and

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curiosities of heat seeking gardeners.

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He offers a spicy cookbook, a seed

store, growing videos, detailed articles,

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and amazing software for tracking,

documenting, and organizing plantings.

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I hope you enjoy our conversation.

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So welcome to Song and Plants.

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Would you mind introducing yourself?

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Shaun ChilliChump: Hi, my name is Shaun,

also known as ChilliChump online, and

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I've been growing chilies for a couple

decades now, and I decided to start a

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YouTube channel around about 2016, where

I share my adventures in chili growing,

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making hot sauce, and also a bit of

the techie stuff that I like to do as

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well around automation of the growing.

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But yeah, that's me.

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Carmen: So you say

automation of the growing.

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What's your setup?

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Shaun ChilliChump: Some

of it's quite complex.

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When I talk about automation, obviously,

when I first started doing YouTube,

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I wasn't doing it full time and I

had other jobs to be dealing with and

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the only way I could do that is by

automating some aspect of the growing, in

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particular, the watering side of things.

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When the season gets fully underway,

you obviously have quite a few plants,

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I have at the moment about five, six

hundred plants and having to water

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them manually, that's a good few hours

each, well, every second day or so

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during the height of the growing season.

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So being able to automate

that was paramount.

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And I started building out some basic

systems doing that when I first

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started growing in bigger numbers.

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But, it's got a bit more

complex than that recently.

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Built out some really interesting,

watering systems, but also controlling

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my fans, doing some things like

temperature monitoring, humidity

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monitoring, optimizing when things

are watered based on some machine

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learning algorithms that I built.

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And I built out a bit of software

as well that allows other

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people to do similar things.

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It got a lot bigger than

what I originally intended.

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Originally it was just to help me out,

to allow me to actually still live

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my life and not be watering 24 /7 but

it's turned into a bit more than that.

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And yeah, it's good fun.

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I'm quite a techie at heart.

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So that's, that's kind of my background

before getting into gardening, but it

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allows me to mix the two loves of my life.

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Carmen: And where are you located?

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Shaun ChilliChump: I'm in the UK.

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We moved about three,

about three years ago.

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We moved a bit further

north than we used to be.

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We used to be just outside of London.

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The reason I mention this is because

if you are living just outside London,

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the last frost dates are a little bit

earlier than when you go further north.

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So if you're going up more towards

Scotland, which is kind of, you

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know, the direction I'm heading.

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So I'm in the middle of the

country, what's called the Midlands.

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Yeah, three years ago, we did that

move because I wanted more space, but

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it does mean that we have a bit of a

later Last frost date and as you know

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that obviously impacts you're growing.

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So I think we have about three weeks

Later, which is quite weird because

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the UK is not a big place but moving

just, just as far north as I am now,

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it changes the whole game, and I had to

learn things pretty much all over again.

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Optimizing my strategies with growing

and that sort of thing, because obviously

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chilies are not native to the UK or

anywhere in our sort of hemisphere.

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But, yeah, it was a shift, but

it's the best move we made because

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we've got a nice big old spot here,

about an acre of land, and I get

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to grow loads and loads of chilies.

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Carmen: Nice.

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Do you have to provide light?

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Shaun ChilliChump: Only in

the beginning of the year.

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So at the moment, all

my plants are started.

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I started the majority of my longer season

plants and most of my superhots, the

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chinense varieties, and I'm sure we'll get

into the different species a bit later.

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But the longer season plants, the ones

that take about 120 to 160 days, I start

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those very early in the year, around

about January, just after the 1st of Jan.

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And to do that, because again, we

are in the middle of winter at that

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point, there's not enough light,

but there's also not enough heat,

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so I'm having to use a heated grow

space that I call my germinator.

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It's just a shed that I've converted with

some lighting and, some heating in there.

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And that's the only way you can

really start if you want to get

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a good, good start to the season,

because the last frost dates here

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are around about the end of April.

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I do have greenhouses, which means

I can go out a little bit before

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those last frost dates, but that

still means it's early April

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that I'm taking plants outside.

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And if I just start my plants early April,

there's no way I'd get the harvests I get.

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So, Starting a few months before, getting

them to a point that they are starting

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to mature and they're ready to go into

the final pots around about end of April.

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That's essential and that means

obviously growing them under grow

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lights in the beginning of the year.

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But once they're outside in the

greenhouses, after April time until

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October, November even, there's no

need for any supplemental lights.

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So we just use the sunlight.

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Carmen: So when you're starting the

seeds are there any recommendations

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that you'd have for getting good

germination other than having good seed?

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Shaun ChilliChump: Good

seed is the first way to go.

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Too many times when I'm responding,

I get a lot of people asking me

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questions, sending me emails and

messages and asking, you know, I'm

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battling to get my seeds to germinate.

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Most of the time it's because they

are using bad quality stock, so seed

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that haven't been dried properly,

or maybe seed that's older than what

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the seed vendors are saying they are.

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But beyond that some varieties can be

a bit more challenging than others.

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So, typically, if you're using something

like Jalapeno or Cayenne, you know,

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some of the Capsicum annuum varieties,

those are a lot easier to germinate.

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Generally, you'll get about 5

or 6 days for them to germinate,

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and they're not too challenging.

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Some of the hotter varieties,

some of the longer season ones,

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like the Capsicum chinense they

can take you know, 12, 14 days.

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I wouldn't really go too far beyond

that sometimes can take longer and

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some of the very rare ones can take

Up to a month, month and a half.

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It's quite difficult.

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But some tips to actually get them

to germinate just get some good seed

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stock and typically the same way that

we would germinate most seed varieties.

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Keep them moist.

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Keep them humid.

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So I use a, a dome

obviously on a propagator.

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Keep that covered.

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And then very important is the heat level.

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You need to be germinating at

around about 28 degrees Celsius.

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That's what I germinate at.

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I think that's 82 Fahrenheit.

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But a minimum there is

probably 20 degrees Celsius.

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You're not going to get very good

germination if you don't sit at

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at least 20 degrees Celsius, which

is again around 68 Fahrenheit.

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But the 20 degrees Celsius, those

are going to help with those easier

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varieties like the jalapeno, the

cayenne, even peri peri or bird's

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eye Thai chilies, that sort of thing.

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The other little trick that I use, I

actually made a video about this fairly

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recently because again beginning of the

season I'm always reminding people some

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tips and tricks on getting some good

germination rates is to soak your seeds.

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So I Soak them in a tea.

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So it'll be a just normal English black

breakfast tea or chamomile tea as well.

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And the reason you're doing that is

it has tannins within the tea and the

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tannins is kind of an acid type of thing.

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And it helps to scarify the seeds.

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And what that means is scarifying, it's

similar to what happens when a bird eats

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seeds, it goes through the digestive

system and it'll break down the shell.

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So it'll soften the shell somewhat.

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And it allows the seeds

to germinate a lot easier.

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By using black tea or chamomile

tea, it has a similar sort of effect

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and it softens the shells And it

allows those seeds to come through.

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It helps from two ways Number one is going

to help you germinate a lot quicker and

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have better success with germination But

the other one is it avoids helmet head.

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That's probably most important.

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I don't know if you've grown chilies

before but One of the problems you

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have sometimes is the seed will

germinate But the shell of the seed

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will stick on the top of the cotyledons,

the two little leaves that start

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out, and the shell won't come off.

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And if it stays on there too long,

then the plant is going to die.

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Most of the time, the seed will end up

being able to get the little cotyledons

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out, and the shell will pop off.

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But when that doesn't happen,

you're having to do that manually,

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and oftentimes, if you are

trying to cut the top off, you're

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going to end up damaging it.

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But if you do soak it in that

tea , then it definitely helps out

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and it'll stop that from happening.

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It'll allow that seed shell

to pop off a lot easier.

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Carmen: That's fantastic, thank you.

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I actually I'd never heard it called

helmet head but that's perfect

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Shaun ChilliChump: it's just what

I call, I don't know, somebody,

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other people might call it something

different, but I call it helmet head.

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Carmen: It's great

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Shaun ChilliChump: it's very annoying,

especially when it's a seed that you

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really want to germinate and then you've

got that and it's like, okay, now what?

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Now I have to do some surgery

on the thing to get it off.

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Carmen: So one little thing that I

have definitely heard people talk

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about is if they don't have a proper

Lighting, like really good lighting.

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They'll end up with slightly

leggy plants when you start early.

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Is there anything that you'd recommend

for getting the plants ready to put out?

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Shaun ChilliChump: The good

news is you don't need to

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spend a lot of money on this.

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Yes, there are tons of

grow lights out there.

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Sorry about that.

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It's my puppy.

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Making lots of noise.

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Um, So we have, we have so many,

options today with led grow lights.

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The problem is people rush out and they go

buy these expensive led grow lights, which

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are fantastic, however, most of the time

they're way too strong for your plants.

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So the bypass spectra, the Mars

hydro, the Spider Farmer, those are

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some of the brands that I use quite

frequently and they make some fantastic

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lighting, but you're having to turn

those lights way down or take them

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very far away from the canopy of your

plants or you're just going to burn

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the leaves because they are so strong.

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So what you can do instead of spending

the money on these LED grow lights,

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you can use a standard light bulb, a

compact fluorescent light bulb, I don't

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know if you can really get them too much

these days, but the old helix sort of

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shaped light bulbs, they work fantastic.

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Get one that's in the daylight

spectrum, so:

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know, down to maybe 5000 Kelvin.

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Not any warmer than that.

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When the light is too warm, you get too

much of the red light coming through.

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That's not what you're looking for.

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You want the blue spectrum, which

is the daylight, the white light.

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But you can use those bulbs

and they work perfectly fine.

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In the beginning when I first started

growing, I would use T5 lighting.

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So the old shop lights,

the round, long, bulbs.

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They work fantastically but again,

those get a little bit more difficult

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to get hold of too much these days

and people tend to just go with LEDs.

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Now the benefits of these compact

fluorescents and those t5 fluorescent

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bulbs is you can't overdo it.

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You can't damage your seedlings, you

can have those lights directly on top of

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the canopy of your plants, so on the

leaves themselves, like almost touching,

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and they won't cause any problems

because they're not very hot and also

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they're not putting out too much light.

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The problem is if you're going beyond

that first month of growth where your

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plant now starts to really develop

and you've got a far more mature

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plant, they need a lot more light.

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So at that point that's when the LED

lights really come into their own.

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But the problem is people buy one

light and it's going to fix all their

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problems and they use that from the

very beginning, not realizing hey

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it doesn't look so bright to me so

I'll just turn it up because they're

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plants, obviously they need a lot of

light and they end up giving it way too

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much light and it stresses the plant.

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So even if you don't see any

physical damage you might not see

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the crispy edges of the leaves which

sometimes happens, what will happen

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is your plants just won't grow.

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They'll be stressed and they'll Just

decide to not put out any more growth

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on the roots or on the leaves and you

won't understand why that's happening.

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So Be careful of too much light

as much as yes, you do need a lot

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of light and chili plants love

light, too much is still a problem.

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So I did some tests, there's a video,

if you really want to get into some nerdy

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detail about it, I did a video on this,

and there's an article on my website as

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well, where I'm talking in depth about the

different types of lights, and also going

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into details on the amount of lumens that

are being produced, or lux, that's, sort

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of how we measure light for humans eyes.

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We measure it in lux, so when you

buy a light bulb, it tells you, hey,

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this is a 300 lux or 300 lumen bulb.

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I did some tests on quite a few different

bulbs, and I also tested it with the type

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of light reading that you'd get for what

plants actually see in terms of the light.

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It can get quite complex.

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There's a phrase called

lumens are for humans, right?

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So lumens are what, we know when

we see a light, light bulb that

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I have above my head right now.

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That looks bright to me because

those bulbs are manufactured

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to be bright for human eyes.

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But plants, they have a

bit of a broader spectrum.

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So human's eyes can see yellow very well.

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So, there's a big focus on the yellow and

even the green part of the light spectrum.

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Whereas, plants don't really get

affected too much by the green

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part of the light spectrum.

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They get very much affected by the

blue and the red, which is on the

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two opposite ends of the spectrum.

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If you're looking at a light spectrum,

the yellow is in the middle, and

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then on the two sides, blue towards

the left, red towards the right.

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So, to measure that,

you're measuring PAR.

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PAR is basically what you'd be measuring

the light spectrum on for plants

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themselves, because it takes into account

the blue and the red part of the spectrum.

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If you're looking at it, how

it's measuring it, it'll be more

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of a square box rather than a

curve, which is what we see.

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That article does go into a lot more

detail about that, but it also helps you

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because PAR-meters are very expensive.

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The one I had is like 700

pounds or 700 US dollars.

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Whereas a normal lux meter

probably costs about 20 dollars.

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So I measured these lights and compared

what they would be on the PAR spectrum

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versus what they'd be on the lux spectrum.

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So if you do want to measure how much

light your plant needs, I've got a

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graph that shows you exactly how much

it needs at each stage of growth.

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So, nice complex answer to a

very simple question, but, yeah.

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Carmen: Well, just to interject,

what is your website so that

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people can go check that out?

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Shaun ChilliChump: Chilichump.

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com, C H I L L I C H U M P.

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com.

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Carmen: And as always, I'll put the

links in the show notes as well.

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So when they've got these beautiful

little seedlings, but they need to

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get more light and then they need

to get them ready to go outside.

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What would you suggest they do?

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Shaun ChilliChump: So again, it really

depends on what you're going to be doing.

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So are you taking them outside or

are you taking them to a greenhouse?

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It really depends on where you're living.

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Even in the UK, I've done lots of

experiments on this, on planting

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chili plants directly in the ground.

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So not having any cover

and it's going to work.

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You'll be okay.

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You'll probably get a few chilies, but

you're not going to get the type of

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harvest that you'll see on my YouTube

channel, because, there's two reasons.

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Number one is, when they're outside

in the elements, chili plants,

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they do not like to have wet roots.

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They like to be able to

breathe through those roots.

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So if they're constantly wet, which is

obviously in the UK, we get a lot of rain.

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When it's raining, and let's say it rains

for an entire week, that plant has now

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spent a week with its roots sitting in

water and it's not going to enjoy that.

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By having it in the greenhouse or

polytunnel you're able to control

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just how much water is getting to

those roots and you can dry them out

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in between watering cycles And that's

going to result in a far better plant.

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The other thing is the plants

like to have warm roots.

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So if you're growing, especially in the

early part of the season, April, May,

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and you plant directly in the ground,

it might survive, but it's going to be

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sitting in the ground where above ground

you may be at 20C, but below ground

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it's sitting there at about 10 or 12C.

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And that's just going to completely

stunt the growth of the plant.

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So If you are going to be growing in a

greenhouse and I can give some advice

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there, if you get to a point where you've

got some lovely seedlings and now you've

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had them in a nice cozy environment like I

do in my grow shed and it's in a perfectly

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warm environment, the temperatures never

dip too much and it's getting artificial

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light so it's not getting full sunlight

yet, when you take it outside then

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you're going to have to consider that the

sunlight it's putting out way more light

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than any grow light you can possibly buy.

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So you have to be careful on just

how much light you're exposing it to.

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Now there's two ways again to do that.

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The one way is the way I do

it, which is the lazy way.

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You time it right so that you don't

need to harden off your plants,

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you don't need to protect your

plants when you take them outside.

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So when I put my plants outside in

early april, I know the sun is still

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coming in very low in the horizon.

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It's not hitting me directly and those

plants aren't getting direct Full

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sunshine for a long part of the day.

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So they're able to adjust a lot easier

without me having to protect them.

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The second way if you're not going

to be lazy about it, or you can't get

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them out that early in the season,

then you do need to protect them.

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So you need to use some sort of

sheet where you're protecting it,

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putting in a little bit of shade.

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So it's still getting some

light, but for most of the day

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you're still shading it somewhat.

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And that'll help the plants to adjust.

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You'll need to gradually adjust how

much sunlight it's getting per day.

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It'll take about two weeks

to do it effectively.

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That's why I said I prefer the lazy way,

because when you have so many plants,

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I do not want to be moving them in and

out of the sunshine all day, and I don't

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want to be shading them, shade cloth and

things like that, but that's essentially

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what you'll need to do if you are putting

them out into some strong sunshine.

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So if you do live in a place like Spain,

or you're lucky, you know, in Africa,

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yes, you need to protect your plants.

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You're going to definitely need some shade

cloth, but you're probably going to use

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shade cloth most of the year, because the

sunshine is just way too harsh for them.

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Carmen: You mentioned a

couple of different species.

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Would you mind expanding upon what are the

different species that we grow as chilies?

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Or hot peppers?

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Shaun ChilliChump: Sorry, I call

them chilies, but I actually

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did a video on that as well.

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I got a few Americans upset with me

because I said that peppers aren't

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actually peppers, they're chilies.

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So peppers, People call them

peppers because there was a bit

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of a confusion way back when.

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When Peppercorns were very expensive

and they found these spicy plants that,

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hey, well, this is kind of like pepper.

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And they brought them back to, I

think it was Italy, and they said,

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hey, well, this is pepper, right?

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Meanwhile, it was actually chilies, and

that's kind of why they call them peppers.

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But anyway, I digress.

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So species, there are five main

species that, well, five of the most

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common species that we grow, and

unless you are like me and get into

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the wilder side of chilies, then

that's probably all you've ever seen.

345

:

Most people that have never grown chilies

before have probably only ever seen

346

:

Three types of chilies, three species.

347

:

The most common is Capsicum

annuum, so A N N U U M.

348

:

And those are your jalapenos, your

cayenne, quite a few other varieties.

349

:

Most of your sweet peppers, so if you're

talking about a bell pepper, those are

350

:

going to be Capsicum annum as well.

351

:

Then the second most common

is Capsicum frutescens.

352

:

And there's a little bit of debate

about this, whether frutescens and

353

:

annuum are actually the same species.

354

:

But frutescens typically are your

bird's eye, your peri peri, so

355

:

your African bird's eye, Thai

chilies, things like that.

356

:

I would describe a frutescens as

being a plant where the fruits are

357

:

pointing upwards, they point skywards.

358

:

Whereas annuum, they typically

point downwards, right, or sideways.

359

:

But there is, yeah, there's

some confusion there.

360

:

People will confuse the

two, and that's fine.

361

:

It's not a problem.

362

:

Then the other one that people

are going to be familiar with

363

:

are the hots, the real hot ones.

364

:

And those are typically the

Capsicum chinense varieties.

365

:

Not Chinese, chinense.

366

:

These are things like habanero, scotch

bonnets, and then some of the really super

367

:

hot ones, Carolina Reapers, and then

some of the more interesting ones that

368

:

probably the layman hasn't really heard

of, like the 7 Pot Primo, the Primatale,

369

:

the Chocolate Jigsaw, you know, some of

the real exotic stuff that is killer heat.

370

:

Those are all gonna be from the

chinense family of chilis, or species.

371

:

And then the other two common ones,

and these are the top five common, you

372

:

can imagine there's at least 35 or

so species that I could go through,

373

:

but these are the most common.

374

:

The next most common I would say

is, and it's one of my favorites,

375

:

is the Capsicum pubescens.

376

:

Which is a beautiful chili.

377

:

What makes this fairly unique

is the seeds are black.

378

:

So all chili seeds that you

get, they're white seeds, right?

379

:

Similar to tomato seeds, but the Capsicum

pubescens, they have black, black seeds.

380

:

And I just love that.

381

:

They look so cool.

382

:

The other way that you can tell a Capsicum

pubescens besides the seeds is the fact

383

:

that the leaves and the stems are all

furry, hence the name Capsicum pubescens,

384

:

but they're all like a furry type texture.

385

:

But they yeah, they're

one of my favorites.

386

:

They have a good amount of heat, they're

very thick fleshed most of the time.

387

:

Things like the Ricotta Manzano is

one of the varieties that are quite

388

:

common in the Capsicum pubescens.

389

:

But this year I'm growing about

six different Capsicum pubescens.

390

:

I'm trying to collect up

more and more varieties.

391

:

There's, there's not a lot that I've

been able to get hold of, but some

392

:

of the more common ones are like the

Ricotta Manzano, Ricotta Marlene

393

:

is another very interesting one.

394

:

And I've got a few others growing.

395

:

They're very thick fleshed, very,

very juicy and fruity, but they do

396

:

have a bit of a kick to them as well.

397

:

Then you've got the last one in the most

common, which is the Capsicum baccatum.

398

:

So these are quite

popular in South America.

399

:

They call them the Aji varieties.

400

:

One of the very common ones or very

popular ones over the last maybe

401

:

five years is the Aji Lemon Drop.

402

:

Which is yellow.

403

:

It's got a good bit of spice, and it's

got a almost a citrusy sort of flavor.

404

:

Those are quite common

because they look wonderful.

405

:

But it's not one of my favorites

really, but they look great.

406

:

I mean, there's a ton of other Aji

varieties and, well, Capsicum baccatum

407

:

varieties out there, tons and tons.

408

:

They've got quite a unique flavor profile.

409

:

Not my favorite flavor to work with,

because obviously I make hot sauces.

410

:

I tend to work more with the annuum,

frutescens and chinense varieties.

411

:

Just I prefer those flavors

when we're making a hot sauce.

412

:

But baccatum still, there's so many

beautiful plants in that species.

413

:

One of the nice things with that

is, also, the flowers are purple.

414

:

So, this is what attracted me

to chilies in the first place.

415

:

I love growing things anyway, but

chilies, obviously they taste great,

416

:

they look awesome, there's so many,

there's tens of thousands of varieties

417

:

of chilies, but each of the flowers

they look different, each of the

418

:

species they just look amazing.

419

:

The Capsicum pubescens also has

purple flowers, it's stunning.

420

:

There's just so much so much variety.

421

:

You'll never run out of

new varieties to grow.

422

:

So it is a great hobby

if you haven't done it.

423

:

One of the first wild types, because

there's quite a few different wild

424

:

types out there, one of the first

ones that I really wanted to grow,

425

:

and I've never had success with

it, is the Capsicum galapagoense.

426

:

And this is something that's

native to the Galapagos Islands.

427

:

And it's a stunning little chili, a

tiny little fruit, but it's really

428

:

difficult to get that thing to germinate.

429

:

That will typically take about

a month at least to germinate.

430

:

And the problem is if you have

something sitting in a humid

431

:

environment for that long, the chances

are you're probably going to make it

432

:

rot before it actually germinates.

433

:

So it's a bit of a balancing act.

434

:

But that's, that's one

of the interesting ones.

435

:

There's so many Plenty, plenty

others that you can get into.

436

:

The chacoense, eximium,

flexuosum, some beautiful ones.

437

:

And most of them are more

on the wild varieties.

438

:

And there's quite a community, a sub

community within the Chile community

439

:

that love to grow these wilder varieties.

440

:

And it fascinates me.

441

:

There's so much choice.

442

:

Carmen: How do the wild varieties

differ in terms of the fruit?

443

:

Shaun ChilliChump: Most of

the ones that I've seen, they

444

:

tend to be quite small fruit.

445

:

Like I said with the galapagoense,

they're tiny little round things

446

:

and maybe about a quarter of an

inch, maybe even smaller than that.

447

:

They have some heat.

448

:

And, and some of them, some

interesting flavors as well.

449

:

But, Yeah, it depends.

450

:

Like I said, there's another 30 or so

species out there, and they all have

451

:

something a little bit different to them.

452

:

But typically the ones that I've seen,

the ones that I've grown before, Capsicum

453

:

exile is another one I've grown.

454

:

I did that successfully, but those

are also small little tiny fruit.

455

:

Tons of seeds, which is never great when

you have a small fruit, but They are,

456

:

yeah, they're interesting to look at

more so than for me to use in a sauce.

457

:

Because again, I'm growing a ton of

chilies, I'm not just growing them just

458

:

to look at, I'm going to eat the things.

459

:

So I like to grow the bigger varieties.

460

:

Carmen: Would you say that there are

differences in general flavor between the

461

:

species or is it more between cultivars?

462

:

Shaun ChilliChump: Species definitely.

463

:

Obviously I review these chilies on my

youtube channel But I also sell seeds

464

:

for quite a few different varieties and

one of them that I'm selling this year

465

:

is, It's a chinense variety, so it's a

chinense species, but it has no heat.

466

:

So what's unique with this

one is you get the flavor of

467

:

a super hot chili but no heat.

468

:

Now that's not really a good

thing because the chinense species

469

:

Don't tend to taste fantastic.

470

:

It's a very unique taste.

471

:

I'll be able to tell you, even from

the smell, I'll be able to tell

472

:

you that it's a chinense variety.

473

:

So yeah, definitely between the different

species they have very unique flavor

474

:

profiles and also spice profiles too.

475

:

You obviously get heat from

the Capsicum annuum species and

476

:

also the Capsicum frutescens.

477

:

If you've ever had a Thai chili,

you'll know it's got some spice to it.

478

:

But there we're talking maybe 50, 000 to

100, 000 Scoville in terms of heat levels

479

:

compared to a chinense you know, some of

these super hots like Carolina Reaper 1.

480

:

3 million Scoville, you know,

the heat levels are drastically

481

:

different, but the flavors are

certainly very, very different.

482

:

So.

483

:

My favorite chili is probably the peri

peri, so it's an African bird's eye.

484

:

I am from Africa.

485

:

And the flavor of that I would

describe it as smoky and sweet

486

:

and it's got a good spice to it.

487

:

spice profile, it burns, your

lips and your tongue but it

488

:

also goes away very quickly.

489

:

So it's a lot of heat very

quickly, but then it goes away.

490

:

Whereas quite a few of the Capsicum

chinense they'll build, build, build.

491

:

And again, even the different

varieties within the Capsicum chinense,

492

:

they'll burn in different ways.

493

:

Some will have an upfront burn in

your tongue, some will burn the back

494

:

of your throat, some will burn the

entire mouth, some will take a while to

495

:

build, some will hit you very quickly.

496

:

So, yeah, they will have their own little

intricacies, but you can typically

497

:

tell which species it is by the

smell, the flavor, and even the heat.

498

:

Carmen: And certain ones can

actually be cross bred as well.

499

:

Shaun ChilliChump: Yeah, so that's,

that's one very cool thing about

500

:

chilies is they are very promiscuous.

501

:

They, Not in that way, But

they, well, kind of, yeah.

502

:

Number one, they can self pollinate,

and number two, they are promiscuous,

503

:

and they got no problem pollinating

within the different species.

504

:

Now some species cross,

easier than others.

505

:

Some you could probably cross but

you'd have to do some very specific

506

:

things to get that to happen.

507

:

So if you consider if we take two Capsicum

frutescens species of chilies and cross

508

:

them, they're going to be highly fertile.

509

:

The F1, the first generation, is

likely going to be very fertile, and

510

:

you're going to have no problem seeding

that and creating a new variety.

511

:

So let's say you want to cross a

jalapeno with cayenne right, you're

512

:

going to cross those over, and they're

most likely going to create a new

513

:

variety of that species, and it'll,

you know, it'll be quite interesting.

514

:

You might get something unique,

you might get something that

515

:

reverts to whichever was the most,

you know, longest living gene.

516

:

So if the jalapeno has been around

for many, many generations, then

517

:

that specific one is likely to

come through in the genetics.

518

:

But then when you get to the more

interesting things is when you want to

519

:

cross something like something from a

baccatum species with a frutescens, right?

520

:

That's not going to be easy, right?

521

:

Your hybrids are going to germinate

okay, so you'll be able to cross them.

522

:

The hybrid, the combination of the

two will likely germinate, but

523

:

you're probably not going to

have too much luck going into F2

524

:

or F3, so the next generations.

525

:

The big one that people try and do is

the chinense variety, so the super hots.

526

:

They try and cross a super hot

with something that's large, like a

527

:

Capsicum annuum, maybe a bell pepper.

528

:

It's always the the comment I get

on my crossing videos is hey, you

529

:

know what you should do you should

take a Carolina Reaper and cross

530

:

with a bell pepper and then you'll

have a massive Carolina Reaper.

531

:

It doesn't work that way unfortunately,

you might end up getting a very small

532

:

bell pepper you know, so It's a lot

of fun, and it does take a lot of work

533

:

because obviously F1 is easy enough,

but then you have to then stabilize

534

:

it, isolate it so that it doesn't

cross again with something else.

535

:

You've got to make sure that it's going

to pollinate itself, like I said, they

536

:

self pollinate, so you can isolate them

by using mesh bags, things like that,

537

:

or put them in a location that they

don't have access to any other pollen.

538

:

And then you can self pollinate these

things, and then you have to grow

539

:

it out over multiple generations.

540

:

So, it takes about seven generations

before you get to a point that

541

:

they're going to be fully stable.

542

:

And that means that, from there

onwards, You don't need to be very,

543

:

very specific about, isolating them.

544

:

Those seeds that are going to

be coming from those plants,

545

:

they're likely to grow true.

546

:

They'll have the same look and

taste of the chili that came

547

:

before it, the parent plant.

548

:

But anything like F2, F3, F4, the

likelihood is it's going to keep changing.

549

:

And you might have something that

looks a bit different, tastes a bit

550

:

different, it might not grow very

well, it might not be very healthy.

551

:

And That's where the challenge comes

in because you can't just grow one

552

:

or two of these resulting seeds.

553

:

You need to grow, you know, 50, 60 of

them and then decide which of those

554

:

50 or 60 have the traits that you're

looking for and then isolate those

555

:

further and then grow another 50 or 60

in the next generation and keep doing

556

:

that down multiple generations until

you get to something that, I'm happy

557

:

with this, this is exactly what I was

looking for, the color, the look, the

558

:

shape, the taste, and there you go, at

F7 there you have a brand new variety.

559

:

So, it can be a little challenging

to get it happening, but it is

560

:

worth it when you've now created

a brand new variety of chili.

561

:

So I do have a few.

562

:

I don't know if you've come across that.

563

:

I have a few that I've done.

564

:

I have one that's at f5 right now.

565

:

That was really challenging, and that was

crossing a baccatum with a frutescens.

566

:

So I mentioned before Peri Peri

is my favorite chili, and I have

567

:

my own variety of Peri Peri that

I've been selectively breeding for

568

:

a while, the Chili Chum Peri Peri.

569

:

And I crossed that with an Aji Lemon

Drop, which again I mentioned earlier.

570

:

So it's called the Lemon Peri,

and It's at f4, well f5 this year.

571

:

But it's been a real challenge to get

that thing to, number one, to fruit.

572

:

I can get a massive plant, a

beautiful plant that looks amazing.

573

:

The fruit that come off it, I love

the shape of it, but I'm getting

574

:

three or four fruit on this plant.

575

:

Now what I have to do is try and make

it so that it's gonna, You know, grow

576

:

out, I'm going to grow out another 30 or

40 of them this year, maybe 50 of them,

577

:

and then choose the plants that grow the

most fruit, and keep isolating it down

578

:

until I get to a point that I've got a

prolifically growing plant with a lot of

579

:

fruit coming off it, but with the unique

traits that I've been looking for, and

580

:

the taste, which is kind of a sweet taste,

the citrusy taste, mixed with that smoky,

581

:

spicy, sweet taste of the peri peri.

582

:

So it's, it's challenging, but

it's a lot of fun, very rewarding.

583

:

Carmen: I'm a little curious,

because I know that when you

584

:

are crossing, stable varieties.

585

:

So within the same species, when you make

your F1, you'll get mostly dominant traits

586

:

that are going to be coming out, but then

when you plant out those seeds, you're

587

:

going to get a lot of recessive genes

manifesting, so you have to plant a lot

588

:

of them, and then select plants from that,

and then continue down the line if you're

589

:

dealing with a self pollinating plant.

590

:

I guess what I'm wondering

is when you're going cross.

591

:

species are the challenges different?

592

:

Shaun ChilliChump: There's a study done

back in, I think,:

593

:

that I read about, and it talks about

some of the more common varieties, I think

594

:

there's 12 species that they worked with,

and they did the crossing between the male

595

:

and the female parent, and they worked out

which were going to germinate normally,

596

:

which ones would be partially fertile,

which ones would be highly fertile.

597

:

So the one that I crossed, the frutescens

and the baccatum, it says there

598

:

that the hybrids germinate normally.

599

:

So that's fine.

600

:

But beyond that, that's where

the challenge comes in, right?

601

:

Because your first F1, it's

fine and it's going to be great.

602

:

But then after that, that's

where you have problems.

603

:

I remember when I tried F2 of that

specific species, it took me, it

604

:

took me about 150 seeds to get four.

605

:

to actually germinate and ended

up having to keep doing that.

606

:

That's why it's taking so long.

607

:

I started this project

quite a few years ago.

608

:

It's quite challenging.

609

:

But yeah, there are different

challenges when you're crossing

610

:

between different species.

611

:

If you're crossing within

the same species That's easy.

612

:

That's fairly easy.

613

:

You've still got a lot of work to

do because you're going to have to,

614

:

like you've said grow out many, many

different plants to try and get the

615

:

traits that you're looking for and hope

that you don't get any recessive genes

616

:

popping in some of the stronger genes

coming in from one of the parents.

617

:

But, yeah, it's when you start

crossing between species, that's

618

:

where it gets pretty difficult.

619

:

Carmen: So I guess viability

is something to overcome when

620

:

you're going cross species.

621

:

Shaun ChilliChump: Viability,

the health of it as well.

622

:

What I've found, I've got about

12 different crosses that I'm

623

:

working with at the moment.

624

:

There's a few that

actually sell in my store.

625

:

I've crossed a few chinense varieties

with each other and come out

626

:

with some very interesting stuff.

627

:

Those I see as fairly easy to do.

628

:

It's still a lot of work and you

have to really be careful with it.

629

:

But, some of the others that I've

tried, I just, I'm getting nowhere

630

:

with it because the fertility of it.

631

:

I have these seeds that look beautiful

and healthy, but getting them to even

632

:

germinate, it's not happening, right?

633

:

That's the some of the challenges

that I face with the crossing piece.

634

:

But it is, it's something as long as

you go into it, understanding that

635

:

you're not going to just, Hey, I'm

going to take this flower, take that

636

:

flower, squish them together, and

now we're going to get new species.

637

:

As long as you're not going to think

like that, then you should be okay.

638

:

As long as you understand that

there is a challenge to it.

639

:

It makes it more worthwhile when you

actually do get something interesting.

640

:

Carmen: And I imagine because there

are so many different species and

641

:

even varieties within the species,

stable varieties within each

642

:

species you have a lot to work with.

643

:

There's a lot of different flavors,

there's a lot of different shapes,

644

:

even if you are just going to be

crossing varieties within one species.

645

:

Shaun ChilliChump: Absolutely.

646

:

The challenge that I have found

is I don't necessarily trust that

647

:

the seeds that I've purchased in

the past are isolated or stable.

648

:

So, you know, even though you might

grow it out and, hey, I've got exactly

649

:

what I was told it's going to be.

650

:

When you try and grow it out the second

season, if you save seeds from it,

651

:

the chances are you're probably going

to get something that's a little bit

652

:

different than what you originally had.

653

:

So you have to then isolate.

654

:

Before you even get to the point of

wanting to cross your different varieties.

655

:

You need to make sure they're

fully stable and isolated.

656

:

So, most of the time I'm buying seeds,

I have certain suppliers that will help

657

:

me out with this, and they'll be quite

candid with whether it is isolated or not.

658

:

So it helps me out.

659

:

But otherwise I treat it as if it's F1.

660

:

And I will grow it out for 7 generations.

661

:

Now you can do multiple

generations in a year.

662

:

But typically, A generation

happens once a year.

663

:

So that's seven years just to get

your plants to a stable, position.

664

:

Once they're in a stable position,

then you start doing the crossing.

665

:

Because if you're using an unstable

variety to then make a cross, it's

666

:

unstable with its two parents.

667

:

So now you might have recessive

genes coming in from two different

668

:

parents that you're now trying

to cross with another variety.

669

:

Which one is actually going

to come through, if you have

670

:

something specific in mind.

671

:

So you can do it if you just want to

have a go and see what you're going

672

:

to get from a cross and you're not too

bothered by the parents or what the

673

:

end result might be, then that's fine.

674

:

Go ahead and, you know, do that cross.

675

:

But if you are looking for something

very specific, maybe it's I want a

676

:

plant that is going to grow massive, be

very healthy, it's going to germinate

677

:

very quickly, and I, at the end, want

the fruit to look a certain way, and I

678

:

want the flowers to look a certain way.

679

:

Then I'm going to be very

specific about which varieties

680

:

I'm using to cross to get that.

681

:

If you're not bothered by that, and

you just want to make a new variety,

682

:

and it's going to be fun, then,

yeah, you can go ahead and do that.

683

:

Carmen: Have you found particular

traits that are dominant

684

:

within the different species?

685

:

Shaun ChilliChump: Not really.

686

:

It's more down to the varieties.

687

:

I've been isolating, you know,

selectively breeding my CC Peri

688

:

Peri, for example, the Chili Chump

Peri Peri, to be something that

689

:

has all the qualities that I need.

690

:

Number one, I had to choose a variety

that had chilies that were bigger,

691

:

because Peri Peri tend to be quite small.

692

:

And we're talking about like an inch maybe

half an inch even sometimes and harvesting

693

:

those smaller pods is a bit of a pain.

694

:

So if you are making sauce from

these things you want bigger pods

695

:

but you want to maintain the taste

and the heat of the smaller pods.

696

:

So Selectively breeding to get bigger

pods, that was one of my initial things

697

:

that I was looking for and then secondly

it was for the size of the plant,

698

:

so how prolific it was going to be.

699

:

And then after that, well, I mean I'm

looking for all these things at the

700

:

same time so, I keep track of all

these things, the app that I mentioned

701

:

around the beginning, it's Seedsio,

anybody can use it, it's not just for

702

:

chili growers, s e e d s i o dot com.

703

:

And basically it helps you to track your

germination rates and things like that.

704

:

So, I can keep track of all the plants.

705

:

Growing out the peri peri, I would

know, this plant here took four and

706

:

a half days for me to germinate.

707

:

So that's great.

708

:

I love that.

709

:

These ones here are

seven days, eight days.

710

:

Yes, the fruit are nice, but it

took a lot longer to germinate.

711

:

So I want the ones that germinate quicker.

712

:

Then I want the plants

that have a bigger yield.

713

:

So if i'm getting three kilograms of

chilies off a specific plant versus

714

:

this one over here has only a kilogram

and a half, then I know that I want to

715

:

save the seeds from that specific plant.

716

:

And you keep on doing that over and

over again and you keep on isolating

717

:

it to a point that now i've got a plant

that every year i'm going to get that

718

:

same quality, i'm going to get the

same virility from the germination.

719

:

I'm going to have easy fruit setting

and I'm going to have a delicious fruit

720

:

that's going to be the size that I want.

721

:

That's kind of what you're aiming

for, but it's keeping track of

722

:

everything as you're doing this.

723

:

That's where the real challenge comes in.

724

:

Some plants are bigger than others.

725

:

Some will grow into monsters.

726

:

So, some of the Capsicum chinense

varieties, some of them grow very

727

:

small, so it'd be like a small bush.

728

:

But, things like the naga

morich, that's a classic.

729

:

I absolutely love that chili.

730

:

It grows massive, very hot chilies.

731

:

It's not the hottest in the

world, but it's massive chilies.

732

:

You typically get a very large

tree, pretty much, from this plant.

733

:

And, in a single season, you'd have

tons and tons of fruit coming off it.

734

:

Now crossing that with something else,

so one of the crosses I've done is

735

:

between a Naga Morich and a Viper.

736

:

So a Naga Viper.

737

:

It's because I like more heat,

but I want the size plant

738

:

that the Naga Morich puts out.

739

:

So yeah, it definitely, it's

not down to species necessarily.

740

:

Yes, some species like the

baccatums can grow massive.

741

:

You can get four or five

meter high baccatums.

742

:

There's a friend of mine in Finland.

743

:

He runs Fatalii Seeds.

744

:

So, he calls himself Jukka Fatalii.

745

:

And he grows these monster baccatum

plants that It's unbelievable.

746

:

Every year I see his growth

and it's amazing to me.

747

:

But those things can grow huge.

748

:

So, you can imagine you might want

to cross a baccatum with something

749

:

like my peri peri because again,

I want these massive plants.

750

:

Unfortunately, the plant size

is more the size of my peri peri

751

:

rather than the baccatum, that

lemon peri that I'm growing.

752

:

But yeah different species They do have

certain traits, but within the species,

753

:

there's so many different varieties

that they can make such a difference

754

:

in terms of the yield and size of

the plant, the health of the plant,

755

:

germination rates, things like that.

756

:

Carmen: So you've mentioned a couple of

different, of your favorite varieties,

757

:

but would you mind talking about

a few other recommended varieties?

758

:

Shaun ChilliChump: Another favorite is

something I recommend to people that maybe

759

:

aren't too interested in the hotter stuff.

760

:

One of the most tasty ones

out there are the peppadew.

761

:

Now, This is something that many people

have had access to, so in the shops,

762

:

I don't know if you can get them over

where you are, but it's very popular

763

:

here in the shops, peppadew, pickled

peppadew, they're like little round

764

:

pods, and it's like a sweet pickle.

765

:

So I have a recipe on my website

which, on my YouTube channel actually,

766

:

to show you exactly how to make the

exact stuff that I'm talking about.

767

:

It's a sweet pickle and it is delicious.

768

:

But these chilies are just perfect for it.

769

:

They grow abundantly and they

grow into massive plants.

770

:

If you are wanting to start out with

growing chilies, number one peri peri

771

:

is obviously great because if you like

peri peri chicken and nando's and things

772

:

like that, then you can make some awesome

stuff with that and it makes great sauces

773

:

as well, but the peppadew or otherwise

known as the Malawi piquante, those are

774

:

amazing because they're just so sweet.

775

:

They have a bit of spice so enough

to you know, let you know that it's

776

:

there, but when you pickle them

in this way, it's just delicious.

777

:

And also you can stuff them with

cheese and things like that.

778

:

Then there's obviously the

classics like the jalapeno.

779

:

Every year I grow many,

many jalapeno plants.

780

:

You can imagine, I mean, I have access to

so many different varieties of chilies,

781

:

but I still grow some of the classics like

that because it's a classic for a reason.

782

:

It tastes great.

783

:

It's versatile.

784

:

It's good in a sauce.

785

:

It's Good on the barbecue, wrapped

in bacon, stuffed with cheese.

786

:

I mean, there's so many different

ways you can have it and it

787

:

does make fantastic sauce.

788

:

So a lot of people don't

know like jalapeno, they

789

:

think it's just green, right?

790

:

That's how it grows and then you end

up with a green pod It's not ripe

791

:

Jalapenos go red and that's safe.

792

:

Yeah, I get that question quite a lot.

793

:

It's like hey, my jalapeno is

changing color I think there's

794

:

something wrong with it.

795

:

I'm like, no, it's just ripening.

796

:

So sriracha is made with

jalapeno, ripe jalapenos.

797

:

They're also made with serranos.

798

:

So it's another classic as well but

those are some great varieties to grow.

799

:

They're fairly easy.

800

:

They germinate quite quickly and You

won't have too many problems with them.

801

:

Their season is fairly short.

802

:

So even if you are living in a place like

I am and you don't have a greenhouse, you

803

:

want to grow on a windowsill or something

like that, then those are good options.

804

:

But a lot of beginners they'll end up

rushing over to the superhots, like

805

:

they're the scary sounding ones, I

understand why I love growing them but

806

:

the problem is they need a long season

and they get very disappointed and very

807

:

disheartened when they start them in April

because sometimes on the seed labels it

808

:

says hey, you can start these in April.

809

:

That's great but by October,

November, you still haven't

810

:

got any pods or any ripe pods.

811

:

It's gonna make you feel

very despondent about things.

812

:

So those ones can be

a bit more challenging

813

:

Carmen: So you touched on a couple things

that I'd be curious to elaborate upon.

814

:

One is the preparation.

815

:

So what are some recipes

that you would recommend?

816

:

Shaun ChilliChump: So I'm a big

supporter of fermentation of chilies.

817

:

So a lot of people don't really know

that most of your most favorite sauces

818

:

out there are actually fermented.

819

:

They might not say fermented

because fermenting it's kind of

820

:

a scary word for some people.

821

:

It makes you think something

is rotten or whatever.

822

:

So a lot of these brands will say it's

aged chilies, which just means fermented.

823

:

It's a natural process that uses

a naturally occurring bacteria

824

:

that's on the chilies themselves to

actually process them into something

825

:

that is a little bit more acidic.

826

:

So lactobacillus is the

bacteria that's on the chilies.

827

:

It's the same bacteria that's on cabbage.

828

:

So if you're making sauerkraut,

it's the same stuff that

829

:

you use to make sauerkraut.

830

:

It changes the flavor of a chili so much,

and the sauces I make with my fermented

831

:

chilies, I far prefer to anything else,

because it mellows out the green taste.

832

:

There's kind of a green taste to

chilies, that's the way I describe a

833

:

green taste, and you'll know when you

try it, but it's a bit more of a harsh

834

:

taste, like eating leaves a little bit.

835

:

I'm not selling this.

836

:

But when you're fermenting it,

it mellows out the flavors.

837

:

The flavors all come together.

838

:

It sort of evens out the peaks of some

of the harsher flavors that are there.

839

:

The heat level is still there, but a

lot of people think that fermenting,

840

:

it actually reduces the heat level.

841

:

It doesn't, really.

842

:

It might seem like it, just because

the rest of the flavors all come

843

:

together and, like, supplement the heat.

844

:

But if you're fermenting a super

hot chili and you try that, believe

845

:

me, you're still going to have

a lot of heat coming through.

846

:

So, fermenting is one way that

I love to prepare my chilies.

847

:

What's great with that as well is

you get an abundance of fruit late in

848

:

the season, and you can't necessarily

use them all at the same time.

849

:

So by fermenting them, it allows you

to make sauce throughout the year.

850

:

So I have buckets and buckets

of fermenting chilies right

851

:

now for my sauce business.

852

:

They're all ready to go, and when I

need to make new bottles of sauce, I

853

:

can then process it from these batches.

854

:

Yes, you can freeze them, but that's

a bit of a different ballgame.

855

:

Carmen: Do you salt them?

856

:

Are they in a brine or

what's your process?

857

:

Shaun ChilliChump: Yeah, so there's

two, two different ways that I do it,

858

:

kind of three ways, but two main ways.

859

:

There's a brine fermentation.

860

:

So that's where you're adding salt

to water typically at about a 2.

861

:

5 to 3 percent ratio.

862

:

So 2.

863

:

5 percent by weight the salt to the

water and then you're rough chopping

864

:

up your chilies covering them over

with this brine and then sealing it up.

865

:

I use airlocks similar to if

you do homebrewing then you'd

866

:

use these little airlocks.

867

:

I like to use it that way.

868

:

I see some people saying you can use like

a mesh cloth over the top and not seal

869

:

it, but I'm not a fan of that because it's

not as foolproof as the way that I do it.

870

:

So that's one way of doing it.

871

:

The other way is a mash fermentation

where you don't add water.

872

:

This works better for juicier chilies.

873

:

So you basically blend

up the chilies with a 2.

874

:

5 to 3 percent weight

of salt to the chilies.

875

:

So you'll weigh out all your ingredients

that you're going to ferment and then

876

:

you measure out the salt as 2.5 or 3

percent depending on how you want to go.

877

:

But 2.

878

:

5 I would say is the minimum.

879

:

And then you measure out that salt,

mix it in, blend it up, and again seal

880

:

it and let it go at least 3 weeks.

881

:

Let it ferment at temperatures of around

68 Fahrenheit or 20 degrees Celsius.

882

:

And by the end of that you'll

have a nice fermented, Chili

883

:

mash or chili fermentation.

884

:

Then you process it into your sauce.

885

:

You can do so many different things

and this is again where you probably

886

:

want to go to my youtube channel,

I have probably about 40 or 50

887

:

different recipes up on my channel.

888

:

On my website I've got a bunch

more and I've got a recipe book

889

:

as well that's got a few in there.

890

:

But there's different ingredients

you can add you can keep it simple.

891

:

Have you had Cholula before?

892

:

Cholula hot sauce?

893

:

So that's a fermented hot sauce that

they use fermented chilies in there.

894

:

I believe it's fermented

cayenne if I remember correctly

895

:

and they keep it very simple.

896

:

They add in some vinegar, there's

some salt and there's chilies.

897

:

That's it.

898

:

Tabasco same thing.

899

:

Tabasco is fermented chilies.

900

:

Tabasco use a lot more vinegar but they

ferment their chilies for about three

901

:

years four years, so you can go that long.

902

:

The longest I've done is three years,

but three weeks is the very minimum

903

:

I would normally recommend a month, a

month and a half, two months, and then

904

:

you can use it but you can keep it

for a lot longer than that, obviously.

905

:

But Tabasco, they do about, it's about

70 percent of the ingredient is vinegar.

906

:

So they add vinegar after which is

why it is so watery and vinegary.

907

:

But most of your big brands,

Sriracha is fermented Who else?

908

:

Franks.

909

:

Franks is definitely fermented.

910

:

Franks uses cayenne as well.

911

:

Franks is straightforward.

912

:

It's probably the type of vinegar they use

is what changes the flavor a little bit.

913

:

But other than that, there's

no other ingredients in there.

914

:

But if you do want to start playing

with ingredients, some of the

915

:

ones I like to use, especially

when you're doing hotter chilies.

916

:

So, ones that can be a

bit more overbearing.

917

:

You want to get that balance right.

918

:

You need to use stronger

other ingredients.

919

:

So, garlic is obviously a good one.

920

:

Garlic works great.

921

:

So you can add that in there,

blend it in with your sauce.

922

:

One that I like to use

as well is Cardamom.

923

:

If you have got an extremely hot chili,

something like the Carolina Reaper or

924

:

7 Pot Primo, something like that, and

you're making a sauce from it, If you

925

:

go and add something subtle, you're

not going to taste it, because the

926

:

heat is just going to overwhelm you.

927

:

So you need something

that's going to be strong.

928

:

So green cardamom, I like to use

that, roasted green cardamom.

929

:

Blend that up into your sauce, and that

really brings out some amazing flavors.

930

:

And there's some other great ones.

931

:

Cumin is great.

932

:

You know, a lot of the Indian spices,

they work really well with this.

933

:

Ginger, always a good one, but that's,

again, it's quite subtle in my mind.

934

:

If there's something missing, and

I'm battling to get past the heat of

935

:

something, and I need to get some flavor

in there, then cardamom is normally one

936

:

of the things I'll start playing with.

937

:

But yeah, there's so many

different ways to prepare it.

938

:

That's just the sauce side of things.

939

:

Then you've got the other side, pickling.

940

:

Pickled chilies are amazing , but

doing it is so so easy again, I have

941

:

some very simple recipes on my channel

which will help you with pickling.

942

:

There's the sweet pickling that I

do with the peppadews, the Malawi

943

:

piquant, and those are great.

944

:

You can do it with many different chilies.

945

:

Malawi piquant is one of them

that are particularly nice.

946

:

Pickled jalapenos are always good.

947

:

Sliced pickled jalapenos.

948

:

I put those into salads

and, well, into most meals.

949

:

Chili con carne, I'd go and

stick it in there as well.

950

:

So pickling is fantastic.

951

:

Yeah, the other way is every

year we have lots of barbecues.

952

:

I'm South African, so barbecues

or braaing, what we call a

953

:

barbecue, that's like our life.

954

:

But every time spring, summer comes

along I am doing my stuffed jalapenos.

955

:

So what we call jalapeno poppers.

956

:

Basically you slice it in half, take

out the seeds and stuff it full of

957

:

Philadelphia cream cheese, and then

wrap it in bacon, and then barbecue

958

:

it and it's awesome, tastes so good.

959

:

So yeah, there's so many different ways

so many different ways to prepare them.

960

:

And then the obvious way which is just

chop them up into whatever you're making.

961

:

Making a bolognese?

962

:

Throw in some chilies make it taste

nice and spicy or chili con carne.

963

:

It's always good

964

:

Carmen: Well, a quick little interjection

there if you're chomping them.

965

:

So do you have any remedies for the burn?

966

:

Shaun ChilliChump: Yeah gloves no,

So again, I'm processing chilies,

967

:

especially when it gets to around August,

September, October, I am processing

968

:

chilies daily and I use latex gloves,

but I'm still burning because some of

969

:

the hotter stuff that I use, even when

it aerates and if I'm sweating and

970

:

it happens to stick to my skin, I'll

feel that burn for the next few hours.

971

:

There's no way around it really.

972

:

So you just kind of get used to it.

973

:

Enjoy the tingle.

974

:

But yeah, I mean, there's obviously some

remedies if you are eating some hot stuff.

975

:

If you're going to eat a hot chili and

you want to try and cool that down.

976

:

Milk, fine, but there's

better things than milk.

977

:

Milk you'll end up just drinking

way too much and make yourself sick.

978

:

A bit of ice cream will solve

it if it's a really hot one.

979

:

Anything that's kind of greasy, try

and eat that before, because it's not

980

:

the burn initially that's the problem,

because that normally goes away after

981

:

about 10 minutes, the burn in your mouth.

982

:

The problem is when it gets into your

stomach, and it's not I'm not going to get

983

:

too graphic here, but it's not about what

comes out of the other end, it's actually

984

:

the process of your body digesting it.

985

:

It can give you such serious cramps.

986

:

That's my biggest problem because

I eat these super hot chilies to

987

:

figure out the flavors and how

I'm going to use them in sauces.

988

:

My biggest problem is not

the heat in the mouth.

989

:

I can get through that.

990

:

It's the next two, three hours while

it's going in your digestion system.

991

:

Your body is detecting that capsaicin,

the hot stuff that's in the chili,

992

:

and you get such severe cramps.

993

:

So anything you can do to avoid

that, that's hugely beneficial.

994

:

That's normally where I'll drink something

like a milkshake before or something

995

:

like that, just so it lays your stomach.

996

:

But in terms of your

hands, yeah, wear gloves.

997

:

That's the only real way.

998

:

There's no other way to do it.

999

:

And if you do happen to get it on

your hands, be careful of where

:

00:55:35,131 --> 00:55:36,321

else you're going to put your hands.

:

00:55:39,361 --> 00:55:42,271

Carmen: So the capsaicin

is fat soluble, right?

:

00:55:42,691 --> 00:55:44,131

So that's why no water.

:

00:55:44,131 --> 00:55:47,801

Shaun ChilliChump: Water is going to

do the same as milk really, it cools

:

00:55:47,871 --> 00:55:51,203

your mouth down while it's in your

mouth, but then it's going to feel even

:

00:55:51,213 --> 00:55:53,453

hotter once you've swallowed the water.

:

00:55:54,293 --> 00:55:55,743

So that's why milk kind of helps.

:

00:55:55,743 --> 00:55:59,723

It will kind of break it down a little

bit, but it doesn't matter when you're

:

00:55:59,743 --> 00:56:01,843

going to some of the more extreme chilies.

:

00:56:02,338 --> 00:56:03,898

It doesn't matter what

you put in your mouth.

:

00:56:03,908 --> 00:56:04,798

It's gonna hurt.

:

00:56:06,208 --> 00:56:09,938

But yeah, if you're doing things like

the Peri Peris, then just eat something.

:

00:56:09,938 --> 00:56:10,798

Eat some cheese.

:

00:56:10,848 --> 00:56:11,778

That's a good one.

:

00:56:11,828 --> 00:56:14,705

Some cream cheese or some cottage cheese.

:

00:56:15,695 --> 00:56:18,565

Anything like that to just cool

your mouth down for a while.

:

00:56:19,255 --> 00:56:19,945

Yogurt's good.

:

00:56:20,015 --> 00:56:20,285

Yeah.

:

00:56:20,486 --> 00:56:24,591

Carmen: So you mentioned that some

of them require a longer season.

:

00:56:24,611 --> 00:56:27,611

I have heard of people

overwintering their plants.

:

00:56:27,941 --> 00:56:29,971

Is that something that can help?

:

00:56:30,791 --> 00:56:31,321

Shaun ChilliChump: Absolutely.

:

00:56:31,401 --> 00:56:35,091

You get a nice early start, but it

can also present its own challenges.

:

00:56:35,091 --> 00:56:37,161

So I've done some experiments

with overwintering.

:

00:56:37,231 --> 00:56:43,191

I think certain species, certain varieties

are more adept to being overwintered.

:

00:56:43,921 --> 00:56:47,321

I tried overwintering my jalapeno

plants because I wanted some nice

:

00:56:47,391 --> 00:56:49,301

early jalapeno poppers on the barbecue.

:

00:56:50,101 --> 00:56:54,461

And I did, I got some early

fruit, but they had no heat.

:

00:56:54,781 --> 00:56:58,591

So even though it's the same plant the

second year of growing and the third

:

00:56:58,591 --> 00:57:03,355

year of growing, I found that it

changed the heat level of these chilies.

:

00:57:03,475 --> 00:57:04,885

So that didn't really work out too well.

:

00:57:05,375 --> 00:57:09,365

With some of the super hots, Capsicum

chinense varieties, they seem to

:

00:57:09,385 --> 00:57:13,495

do quite well especially because

of the fact that they take such

:

00:57:13,495 --> 00:57:15,372

a long time anyway to set fruit.

:

00:57:15,722 --> 00:57:18,972

So if you are someone that has started

at one of the super hots or something

:

00:57:18,972 --> 00:57:22,502

like a habanero for example, and

you started that in April, May you

:

00:57:22,502 --> 00:57:23,862

might not have fruit that first year.

:

00:57:23,912 --> 00:57:26,042

That's not a problem

you can overwinter it.

:

00:57:26,352 --> 00:57:29,425

So trim it right back, get

rid of a lot of the leaves.

:

00:57:29,435 --> 00:57:30,835

So there's only a few leaves on there.

:

00:57:31,465 --> 00:57:35,820

Clean out the soil and clean off

the roots, put in some fresh soil,

:

00:57:35,870 --> 00:57:37,720

and keep it indoors, somewhere warm.

:

00:57:38,080 --> 00:57:40,530

You don't necessarily need any

light or anything like that,

:

00:57:40,560 --> 00:57:41,720

because you want it to go dormant.

:

00:57:42,140 --> 00:57:45,180

And then just lightly water it,

maybe once every two weeks or so.

:

00:57:45,460 --> 00:57:50,050

And when it comes to the next April,

and you're ready to take it outside,

:

00:57:50,050 --> 00:57:51,260

you're going to get an early head start.

:

00:57:51,270 --> 00:57:53,160

So that's what overwintering really is.

:

00:57:53,710 --> 00:57:57,320

But it is important not to overwater,

because that's what a lot of people do.

:

00:57:57,320 --> 00:57:59,500

They think, well, it's growing,

I need to give it water, right?

:

00:57:59,500 --> 00:58:00,210

It looks dry.

:

00:58:01,420 --> 00:58:04,110

But yeah, all that's going to

do is just sit in there with wet

:

00:58:04,110 --> 00:58:06,730

roots because it's not actively

going to be sucking up that water.

:

00:58:07,580 --> 00:58:10,890

So yeah overwintering does

work with some varieties but I

:

00:58:11,020 --> 00:58:12,830

don't do it myself too much.

:

00:58:13,130 --> 00:58:16,510

Number one, I really enjoy growing

from seed I love that whole process

:

00:58:16,510 --> 00:58:20,380

starting off from seed and seeing

them grow and you know If you time

:

00:58:20,380 --> 00:58:21,850

it all right, then you're fine.

:

00:58:21,850 --> 00:58:24,185

I get good harvest, so it's all good.

:

00:58:24,575 --> 00:58:28,215

And the second reason is, some

varieties, I just don't get the quality

:

00:58:28,305 --> 00:58:32,765

of the chilies that I'm expecting

or wanting when we get to, you

:

00:58:32,765 --> 00:58:34,105

know, the second year, third year.

:

00:58:34,795 --> 00:58:36,985

And also some varieties, they

don't do very well in terms

:

00:58:36,985 --> 00:58:39,865

of overwintering too many times.

:

00:58:40,165 --> 00:58:43,605

So the first three years

typically is when the plant is

:

00:58:43,605 --> 00:58:45,185

going to be producing the best.

:

00:58:45,845 --> 00:58:48,285

After that it's not

going to produce as much.

:

00:58:49,205 --> 00:58:52,695

I found that to be pretty much

most varieties are like that.

:

00:58:52,949 --> 00:58:55,309

Carmen: Just one last

thing is seed saving.

:

00:58:55,319 --> 00:58:57,189

So you mentioned you

like growing from seed.

:

00:58:57,879 --> 00:59:03,499

If somebody wants to save their own

seeds, they're only growing one variety.

:

00:59:04,909 --> 00:59:06,419

They are self fertile.

:

00:59:06,419 --> 00:59:08,319

I guess that would mean you

wouldn't have to bag them.

:

00:59:09,184 --> 00:59:11,694

I guess if they have two

varieties, they might need to bag.

:

00:59:11,694 --> 00:59:13,954

Like, what would you suggest

to be good seed saving

:

00:59:13,954 --> 00:59:16,074

practices, if it's not a hybrid?

:

00:59:16,739 --> 00:59:18,459

Shaun ChilliChump: So if it's not a

hybrid, if it's an heirloom, or if

:

00:59:18,459 --> 00:59:22,539

it's something that is considered

stable, some of the less exotic type

:

00:59:22,539 --> 00:59:25,719

of chilies, you know, like a jalapeno

or cayenne, if you're growing something

:

00:59:25,719 --> 00:59:28,479

like that, or scotch bonnet, and you

happen to know that it's good seed

:

00:59:28,499 --> 00:59:33,462

stock, good seed source that you've

started with, then take a chance.

:

00:59:33,462 --> 00:59:34,362

It's not going to be a problem.

:

00:59:34,372 --> 00:59:37,710

Save the seeds from your healthiest

pods and grow them on the next year.

:

00:59:37,780 --> 00:59:42,220

If you want to be very, specific about

what's going to come through and be

:

00:59:42,220 --> 00:59:46,660

very certain of making sure that it's

exactly the right variety, it's the

:

00:59:46,660 --> 00:59:49,330

same as what I've grown this year,

then you're going to need to isolate.

:

00:59:49,910 --> 00:59:54,000

So A flower, chili flower

can pollinate itself.

:

00:59:54,000 --> 00:59:57,110

So it's not just the plant

pollinating itself it's the actual

:

00:59:57,110 --> 00:59:58,590

flower can pollinate itself.

:

00:59:58,590 --> 01:00:01,770

So the pollen that's produced by

that individual flower can then

:

01:00:01,820 --> 01:00:05,320

pollinate itself, which is why

we use things like favor bags.

:

01:00:05,330 --> 01:00:07,860

There's something called

organza favor bags.

:

01:00:07,860 --> 01:00:11,010

They're like little mesh bags that

you can buy quite cheap on ebay.

:

01:00:11,760 --> 01:00:17,430

Cover over the flower before it opens up

and that'll stop bees and other insects

:

01:00:17,430 --> 01:00:21,660

coming along and pollinating it with

potentially pollen from another plant.

:

01:00:22,070 --> 01:00:24,550

Which then means you could have

some sort of hybrid growing.

:

01:00:25,230 --> 01:00:27,690

So that's only if you

want to be very specific.

:

01:00:27,750 --> 01:00:31,010

Like I want to make sure that I get

this exact scotch bonnet next year.

:

01:00:31,010 --> 01:00:33,470

I want it to be that color, I

want it to be that flavor, I want

:

01:00:33,470 --> 01:00:34,940

it to be the same type of plant.

:

01:00:35,370 --> 01:00:36,630

You're gonna need to isolate.

:

01:00:36,920 --> 01:00:40,000

Otherwise you're just taking

a little bit of a risk.

:

01:00:40,540 --> 01:00:43,850

Most of the time you'll be perfectly

fine especially if it is something

:

01:00:43,850 --> 01:00:48,340

that is a fairly stable variety

because the genes are gonna dominate

:

01:00:48,380 --> 01:00:50,070

and it's going to take over.

:

01:00:50,100 --> 01:00:53,770

So if something else has tried

to pollinate with it then it

:

01:00:53,770 --> 01:00:54,690

doesn't really matter too much.

:

01:00:54,690 --> 01:00:57,820

You might get something a little

bit different, but by F2 it's

:

01:00:57,820 --> 01:00:59,640

gonna be back to what it was before

:

01:01:00,115 --> 01:01:01,795

Carmen: And is there

anything for seed storage?

:

01:01:02,208 --> 01:01:04,918

Shaun ChilliChump: You've got to dry

it first properly, and yeah, it's

:

01:01:04,918 --> 01:01:06,478

the same as with most seed storage.

:

01:01:06,478 --> 01:01:10,378

Just make sure you're drying it properly,

not drying it at too high a heat.

:

01:01:10,808 --> 01:01:14,778

So obviously for my seed store

I dry things very slowly.

:

01:01:15,188 --> 01:01:21,193

I simulate drying in the sun, so

I won't exceed 30 degrees Celsius.

:

01:01:21,843 --> 01:01:25,153

And I will then do that for quite a while.

:

01:01:25,193 --> 01:01:28,793

And I'll make sure that my humidity levels

are set to a specific humidity level.

:

01:01:29,493 --> 01:01:31,333

At that point, you can

then seal it in a bag.

:

01:01:31,943 --> 01:01:35,443

Now, if you don't dry it properly and you

seal it in a bag, you're going to end up

:

01:01:35,443 --> 01:01:39,553

getting fungus or some sort of growth on

there and it's going to kill your seed.

:

01:01:39,923 --> 01:01:40,713

So that's not good.

:

01:01:40,973 --> 01:01:43,693

The other thing is, as well,

anything that I want to keep beyond

:

01:01:43,693 --> 01:01:45,273

a year, I'll store it in the fridge.

:

01:01:45,773 --> 01:01:49,753

You can't do that if the seeds

haven't dried sufficiently.

:

01:01:50,473 --> 01:01:54,728

Because you can also store them in

a freezer and again, if you do that,

:

01:01:54,798 --> 01:01:58,028

and they aren't dried sufficiently,

you're just going to break the seed.

:

01:01:58,438 --> 01:02:02,988

So, you could store it as you would

any other seed, just in the dark, in

:

01:02:02,988 --> 01:02:06,958

a space that's going to be fairly

dry, and you'll be perfectly fine,

:

01:02:06,958 --> 01:02:09,948

but just make sure that you prepared

them right in the first place.

:

01:02:10,358 --> 01:02:10,628

Right?

:

01:02:11,023 --> 01:02:14,083

Carmen: So just quickly, would you

mind running through some of the

:

01:02:14,123 --> 01:02:20,078

connections where people can find your

YouTube channel, your all your stuff.

:

01:02:21,098 --> 01:02:22,438

What's the name of your book?

:

01:02:22,488 --> 01:02:23,128

That kind of thing.

:

01:02:23,908 --> 01:02:27,138

Shaun ChilliChump: So I have a little

bit of a tagline at the end of my videos

:

01:02:27,148 --> 01:02:31,648

which I say "stay spicy" and that's

what I named my first recipe book.

:

01:02:31,648 --> 01:02:36,068

So Stay Spicy the recipe book, but that

you can only buy really on my website.

:

01:02:37,055 --> 01:02:37,235

ChilliChump.

:

01:02:37,265 --> 01:02:37,535

com.

:

01:02:37,535 --> 01:02:40,795

So C H I L L I C H U M P dot com.

:

01:02:41,385 --> 01:02:43,975

I also have my seed store,

which is ChilliChumpSeeds.

:

01:02:43,995 --> 01:02:46,985

com, but you can get that

link from my main website.

:

01:02:46,985 --> 01:02:49,185

So most of my links will be on

my main website, if you don't

:

01:02:49,185 --> 01:02:50,255

want to remember all of these.

:

01:02:50,795 --> 01:02:54,355

And YouTube, of course, just search

ChilliChump and you'll see , a big bearded

:

01:02:54,355 --> 01:02:56,555

man showing off his lovely chilli plants.

:

01:02:57,155 --> 01:02:57,785

But that's on YouTube.

:

01:02:57,785 --> 01:02:58,575

YouTube.

:

01:02:58,575 --> 01:03:01,285

com forward slash ChilliChump

and you'll find me there.

:

01:03:01,715 --> 01:03:06,378

But I release videos most weeks,

slow down a little bit at the moment

:

01:03:06,388 --> 01:03:10,976

because obviously running multiple

businesses and coding seedsio, that's

:

01:03:11,026 --> 01:03:12,536

taking a lot of time these days.

:

01:03:13,316 --> 01:03:15,906

But you'll see at least

a few videos every month.

:

01:03:16,256 --> 01:03:20,346

And then, also, hope to see you on the

next one, actually, my live stream.

:

01:03:20,346 --> 01:03:23,946

I do a live stream on the first

Sunday of every month at 5 p.

:

01:03:23,946 --> 01:03:24,126

m.

:

01:03:24,126 --> 01:03:24,376

GMT.

:

01:03:25,266 --> 01:03:26,156

And that's good fun.

:

01:03:26,206 --> 01:03:29,056

People get to ask questions, and if they

have any problems with their plants,

:

01:03:29,056 --> 01:03:32,906

or if they've got some problems making

their hot sauces, then they normally ask

:

01:03:32,906 --> 01:03:36,206

me questions there, and it's a good bit

of time I get to spend with my viewers.

:

01:03:36,880 --> 01:03:40,700

Carmen: Yeah, it seems that

chilis do have quite a community.

:

01:03:41,216 --> 01:03:42,006

Shaun ChilliChump: Yeah, it is.

:

01:03:42,066 --> 01:03:43,946

It's because there's

so many aspects to it.

:

01:03:44,296 --> 01:03:45,736

It is a massive community.

:

01:03:45,736 --> 01:03:48,436

When I first started out, it was

about, I mean, I've been growing

:

01:03:48,436 --> 01:03:50,526

chili since I was very, very young.

:

01:03:50,996 --> 01:03:53,351

But, Not on purpose, right?

:

01:03:53,361 --> 01:03:56,851

Back in South Africa, we had a few peri

peri plants, but it was just in the

:

01:03:56,851 --> 01:04:02,121

garden growing wild and didn't have to

do too much to make them do their thing.

:

01:04:02,321 --> 01:04:05,751

But when I came over to the UK,

obviously you have to do it on purpose

:

01:04:06,311 --> 01:04:07,641

if you're going to grow some chilies.

:

01:04:07,681 --> 01:04:11,091

And I think it was about:

when I started doing this.

:

01:04:11,551 --> 01:04:15,451

And even back then the community was

massive and it's very passionate.

:

01:04:16,113 --> 01:04:20,193

It used to be quite male

dominated, and these days less

:

01:04:20,193 --> 01:04:21,803

so, which is awesome to see.

:

01:04:22,143 --> 01:04:24,503

We have the Chili Queen,

the UK Chili Queen.

:

01:04:24,563 --> 01:04:25,323

She's amazing.

:

01:04:25,353 --> 01:04:29,803

She can eat some hot stuff that

I'll never ever replicate ever.

:

01:04:30,823 --> 01:04:33,013

But yeah, there's some awesome

people in the community.

:

01:04:33,013 --> 01:04:34,913

And there's so many different

areas of it, like I said, the

:

01:04:34,913 --> 01:04:36,533

sauce side, the growing side.

:

01:04:36,943 --> 01:04:41,263

We've got sub sections of it, like these

guys that are growing the wild chilies.

:

01:04:41,333 --> 01:04:42,123

It's good fun.

:

01:04:42,123 --> 01:04:46,083

And, I'd say 99 percent of the community

are just friendly wanting to help.

:

01:04:46,878 --> 01:04:48,258

Sharing the love of chilies.

:

01:04:48,708 --> 01:04:51,698

As always, you're going to get a

small percentage of people that have

:

01:04:51,708 --> 01:04:54,428

something to prove, but I think you're

going to get that in any community.

:

01:04:55,228 --> 01:04:58,368

I think the tomato community

is probably even bigger.

:

01:05:00,093 --> 01:05:03,213

I was quite amazed by that because

obviously I've never really been into

:

01:05:03,233 --> 01:05:06,393

that side of things but I do grow some

tomatoes because I use them in some of

:

01:05:06,413 --> 01:05:10,753

my sauces and when you start jumping onto

some of the forums and you look online

:

01:05:10,753 --> 01:05:14,253

at some of the YouTube channels, it's

like wow I think this community might

:

01:05:14,253 --> 01:05:15,693

be even bigger than the chili community!

:

01:05:16,523 --> 01:05:18,533

It's they've got, tons varieties.

:

01:05:18,623 --> 01:05:20,283

It's a bit different,

a little bit different.

:

01:05:20,383 --> 01:05:24,323

Yeah, less people trying to

kill themselves with heat

:

01:05:26,796 --> 01:05:28,366

Carmen: Well, thank you

very much for joining me.

:

01:05:28,366 --> 01:05:30,356

It was really great speaking to you.

:

01:05:30,566 --> 01:05:31,486

Shaun ChilliChump: No, it's my pleasure.

:

01:05:31,486 --> 01:05:32,386

I hope I didn't talk too much.

:

01:05:32,386 --> 01:05:35,476

I do go on a, on a bit of a tangent

when I talk about chilis, because

:

01:05:35,476 --> 01:05:36,696

there's just so much going on.

:

01:05:36,696 --> 01:05:39,476

And honestly, I'm so passionate about it.

:

01:05:39,476 --> 01:05:42,340

I love, I love everything

to do with chilis.

:

01:05:42,674 --> 01:05:45,183

Yeah, it's an exciting hobby and

it's awesome to see other people

:

01:05:45,183 --> 01:05:47,673

getting involved in it as well,

especially younger people.

:

01:05:47,793 --> 01:05:51,193

So if any of you that are listening

are wanting to get involved with chilis

:

01:05:51,193 --> 01:05:55,303

and you want some help you can send

me some messages on my youtube or

:

01:05:55,303 --> 01:05:57,256

on my website and i'm happy to help

:

01:05:57,798 --> 01:05:58,798

Carmen: Thanks for listening.

:

01:05:59,258 --> 01:06:01,618

As always, the links

are in the show notes.

:

01:06:02,148 --> 01:06:05,768

If you're enjoying the podcast,

please leave a five star review or

:

01:06:05,768 --> 01:06:07,728

share it with a fellow plant lover.

:

01:06:07,738 --> 01:06:11,218

I deeply appreciate your support

and love hearing from you.

:

01:06:11,598 --> 01:06:12,398

Happy gardening.

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About the Podcast

Song and Plants
Botanical musings and music
Learning the binomial nomenclature (scientific names) of biota is a fascinating way to glean insight into the natural world. Though daunting at first, they can become familiar and accessible with the help of melody and context. This podcast will present tunes where the scientific names of species comprise the lyrical content. Episodes will describe habitats, growing conditions, nutritional information, and locate species within their taxonomic hierarchy. Historical significance, interviews and anecdotal stories will also be presented. Each musical release will inspire eight weekly episodes. Come grow with me!

About your host

Profile picture for Carmen Porter

Carmen Porter

Growing up, my playground was the forest and orchard behind my house which were teeming with fascinating flora and fauna. I was the little girl singing to her extensive plant collection and pet caterpillars. After leaving home for too many years to pursue higher education and wander around the world, I returned to plant a garden. There are currently more than 500 cultivars of fruits and vegetables growing around my house.

'Song and Plants' came about when I started writing music to help me learn the binomial nomenclature (scientific names) of local biota. The podcast accompanies the tunes by providing information that extends beyond the lyrical content.