Chillies - The Finale

The first day of 2013 saw me planting my large collection of chilli seeds, and over the summer I have kept you up to date with the progress of both the chilli trial plants and the various others I was growing. 

Even if I say so myself, they have been brilliant. Only three of the chilli trial plants made it , all Chiltepin, but they are huge and healthy. 

I have done my best to preserve as many as possible in the last few weeks but I began to realise that growing 12 plants was probably a bit of an overkill. Especially as chatting to an artisan chilli sauce producer, I discovered he used only 2 plants to make his entire years products.

So what on earth was I going to do with them all. Especially the Dorset naga. I had managed to grow three very healthy plants each with about 50 or more ripe chillies, waiting to be picked. If you like a hot chilli, This is the one for you. I love them, but even this one is a little off the scale for me. 

And not forgetting the rude chilli, they have caused me  much entertainment over the summer .

So I stood at the greenhouse door and suddenly it came to me. I use twitter as a way of keeping in touch with other gardeners and getting help with things. I had met a lady online and then subsequently in the flesh, who runs a very successful local company making chutney's and sauces. The Hampshire Chutney Co seemed to be the best place for my chillies to go. 

A few emails and conversations later, I was ready to pick the fruits. 

The Chiltepin were first

Followed by the smaller rude chilli's. For some reason this plant grew long skinny Peters and the other two are fatter, but as yet have not ripened. 

And then the Dorset Naga

This is what I picked 

So it was off to Chutney HQ in the depths of the Hampshire countryside. A short drive and I was with Shelley in her chutney kitchen watching the daily batch of products being made. The smell was wonderful. I think she was pleased with the chillies and  in exchange for them, I came away with three wonderful jars.

We have had the spicy pear before, its delicious with cheese, the other two are new to me so am looking forward to trying them. 

Shelley was planning on making a batch of her rocking roasted red pepper & red chilli sauce and her chillirific chutney. Thats is where my chillies were destined to go. 

So if you want to try some wonderful sauces and chutneys, and get a taste of one of the chillies I have been writing about all summer, go to her website by clicking the logo below, you will not be disappointed. 

With the chillies almost gone, the greenhouse was looking very tatty. There are only a few tomatoes left, so it was time to start clearing. This is always a sad time, as it really means that the Summer is over. 

But as I was clearing, I noticed that my cucumber has started to grow again. 

I shall give it a bit of a chance and see if I get anymore. I had left one on the plant to try and collect some seeds, so I finally cut it. 

and managed to pick out quite a few seeds. 

And finally, it was time to cut the strawberries back, they have been throwing runners all over the place, I have saved some, but now they were just messy. 

I was amazed to find they were also still trying to grow fruits, but with cold weather due this week, they didnt get a reprieve like the cucumber. 

And finally, the oak trees all around my garden are now dropping leaves and acorns everywhere, so it was time to get the blower out. Gibson loves the blower, so he was having a wonderful time, while Jim was trying to clear up. I made a short film so if you want to see it click here 

Have a great week .