USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Ringel05]

My ghost peppers are coming in!
I'm ecstatic that I was able to protect them from being drowned in the relentless rain we've had for two weeks -- that's why I grow in pots around here. We get more rain than Seattle.

From the stem end an orange washes over that evolves into a fiery red. They told me when I bought the seedlings they would be "very hot" but I didn't really appreciate how hot until I looked up some video of people actually eating one whole.... this is one million Scoville units baby.

View attachment 85781 View attachment 85782
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Can I interest anybody in a nice.... salad?

Why do they call them ghost peppers? Are they more potent than habaneros?

Comparing habaneros to ghost peppers is like comparing a 747 to a Cessna two seater single prop.........

 

[gallantwarrior]

I tried to make some homemade wine once. I followed the recipe I thought. I started with a heavy glass five gallon container and added the grape juice, sugar, yeast etc. and placed a huge rubber balloon over the opening. Hombre painted a smiley face on the balloon just before it was installed. We set the container in a corner of the dining room to 'cook'. The process was that the balloon would blow up and when it went down in about two weeks, the wine would be ready. Well it did blow up so we had this huge yellow smiley face in the dining room for one week, two weeks, three weeks. . .the balloon never deflated. Finally we took the balloon off and sampled the 'wine'. I swear that stuff was 200 proof or more if alcohol can be more than that. And it tasted terrible. Absolutely undrinkable. So I poured it out. I'm sure it scoured out the drain and pipes really well.

Yeah, I know folks who have tried that, it most often fails to produce a decent beverage. But, if you want some high-test, kick-ass, head breaking hootch, that'll do just fine. Most of my meads aren't really ready for 12-18 months, including at least six months aged in the bottle. I keep pretty detailed notes so that any failures are not repeated and successes can be done again. There are loads of variables that come into play, though.

My father made his own wine for years. He cut a barrel in half and put the two halves behind the couch in the living room. He made many gallons over the years. Unfortunately he discovered too late that his heart was allergic to alcohol and it sent him to an early grave.

That's an interesting approach. Did he have some way to seal the barrels while the wine fermented?

 

[Ringel05]

My ghost peppers are coming in!
I'm ecstatic that I was able to protect them from being drowned in the relentless rain we've had for two weeks -- that's why I grow in pots around here. We get more rain than Seattle.

From the stem end an orange washes over that evolves into a fiery red. They told me when I bought the seedlings they would be "very hot" but I didn't really appreciate how hot until I looked up some video of people actually eating one whole.... this is one million Scoville units baby.

View attachment 85781 View attachment 85782
​

Can I interest anybody in a nice.... salad?

Why do they call them ghost peppers? Are they more potent than habaneros?

Comparing habaneros to ghost peppers is like comparing a 747 to a Cessna two seater single prop.........

I forgot to add, ghost peppers are the 747........

 

[Dajjal]

I tried to make some homemade wine once. I followed the recipe I thought. I started with a heavy glass five gallon container and added the grape juice, sugar, yeast etc. and placed a huge rubber balloon over the opening. Hombre painted a smiley face on the balloon just before it was installed. We set the container in a corner of the dining room to 'cook'. The process was that the balloon would blow up and when it went down in about two weeks, the wine would be ready. Well it did blow up so we had this huge yellow smiley face in the dining room for one week, two weeks, three weeks. . .the balloon never deflated. Finally we took the balloon off and sampled the 'wine'. I swear that stuff was 200 proof or more if alcohol can be more than that. And it tasted terrible. Absolutely undrinkable. So I poured it out. I'm sure it scoured out the drain and pipes really well.

Yeah, I know folks who have tried that, it most often fails to produce a decent beverage. But, if you want some high-test, kick-ass, head breaking hootch, that'll do just fine. Most of my meads aren't really ready for 12-18 months, including at least six months aged in the bottle. I keep pretty detailed notes so that any failures are not repeated and successes can be done again. There are loads of variables that come into play, though.

My father made his own wine for years. He cut a barrel in half and put the two halves behind the couch in the living room. He made many gallons over the years. Unfortunately he discovered too late that his heart was allergic to alcohol and it sent him to an early grave.

That's an interesting approach. Did he have some way to seal the barrels while the wine fermented?

Not as far as I recall. I think he just put muslin over them to keep out the flies.

 

[Dajjal]

There's definitely and empty spot around here and one of my cats is in deep mourning, missing her little buddy.

Yea ! It hurts loosing a pet. It took me months to get over my bird. I gave her a good funeral though. I buried her in the garden in a cardboard easter egg that was just the right size. Mind you I worried I had buried her alive for some time, but that was because I could not believe she had died. I know she was dead because I kept her in a plastic box for a day before I buried her. But I loved her so much I could not believe she was gone.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Good morning!
Finally caught up here. I thought I'd steal some time to just "visit" and see what y'all were up to.
If I could beg a moment of your time and patience while I was maudlin?
As I mentioned, my long-time fur-kid, Uschi went to wait at the Rainbow Bridge Saturday. I conferred with my daughter and we determined that she (Uschi) was about 18 yrs old, not bad for a puppydog. We figured this out because I bought Uschi as a gift for my daughter the year she turned 17 (the daughter). My daughter turns 35 this year , so the math works out to 18.

Now, we first encountered Uschi in a now long-defunct pet store. Of course my daughter fell instantly in love with the tiny black-and-tan mite. It being sometime between a birthday and Christmas, it was decided to gift said miniature pooch to a hard-working child. When acquired, Uschi weighed 1.6 lbs, 1 lb being her ears, hence the name "Uschi" (Russian for "ears"). She never got to weight more than 10 lbs in her entire life. So, Uschi came home and became besties with my Bullmastiff, Aja. Nobody ever explained to Uschi that she was not a big dog, she wouldn't have believed it anyhow.

I believe Uschi had a good life, overall, by our standards. Her low points included when my daughter left home, ditching both Uschi and me. At least we had each other and we made it through the empty nest period. Her second dark time was when Aja died. I had to take poor, despondent Uschi to my partner's every night when I went to work so she would have company. Eventually, she bonded with a couple of the cats and could be left at home with her new "besties". It was always so cute, watching the cats cleaning that little dog and making a fur pile with her.

The last few months have been like watching a clock wind down in slow motion. Up until the beginning of August, though, she had a good appetite, although she lost weight and moved much more slowly. She never seemed to be in pain, but did want to be held and wanted to spend as much time outside as possible.

R.I.P. sweet Uschi. You were a good companion and are missed.

Thanks, CS gang, for putting up with my whiny, wet eulogy.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I tried to make some homemade wine once. I followed the recipe I thought. I started with a heavy glass five gallon container and added the grape juice, sugar, yeast etc. and placed a huge rubber balloon over the opening. Hombre painted a smiley face on the balloon just before it was installed. We set the container in a corner of the dining room to 'cook'. The process was that the balloon would blow up and when it went down in about two weeks, the wine would be ready. Well it did blow up so we had this huge yellow smiley face in the dining room for one week, two weeks, three weeks. . .the balloon never deflated. Finally we took the balloon off and sampled the 'wine'. I swear that stuff was 200 proof or more if alcohol can be more than that. And it tasted terrible. Absolutely undrinkable. So I poured it out. I'm sure it scoured out the drain and pipes really well.

Yeah, I know folks who have tried that, it most often fails to produce a decent beverage. But, if you want some high-test, kick-ass, head breaking hootch, that'll do just fine. Most of my meads aren't really ready for 12-18 months, including at least six months aged in the bottle. I keep pretty detailed notes so that any failures are not repeated and successes can be done again. There are loads of variables that come into play, though.

My father made his own wine for years. He cut a barrel in half and put the two halves behind the couch in the living room. He made many gallons over the years. Unfortunately he discovered too late that his heart was allergic to alcohol and it sent him to an early grave.

That's an interesting approach. Did he have some way to seal the barrels while the wine fermented?

Not as far as I recall. I think he just put muslin over them to keep out the flies.

In the hot season, I'll get fruit flies in my fermentation traps (let air out, but nothing in), requiring frequent rinsing and replacement.

 

[gallantwarrior]

There's definitely and empty spot around here and one of my cats is in deep mourning, missing her little buddy.

Yea ! It hurts loosing a pet. It took me months to get over my bird. I gave her a good funeral though. I buried her in the garden in a cardboard easter egg that was just the right size. Mind you I worried I had buried her alive for some time, but that was because I could not believe she had died. I know she was dead because I kept her in a plastic box for a day before I buried her. But I loved her so much I could not believe she was gone.

It's amazing how attached you can become to your fur- (or feather-) friends. I've know pet birds with more personality than a lot of people. I've always had cats and birds would not have fit into the mix very well. It would have been a constant threat on the poor bird's life, or, depending on the type of bird, the cats would have been in danger.
Sorry for your loss.

 

[Dajjal]

I tried to make some homemade wine once. I followed the recipe I thought. I started with a heavy glass five gallon container and added the grape juice, sugar, yeast etc. and placed a huge rubber balloon over the opening. Hombre painted a smiley face on the balloon just before it was installed. We set the container in a corner of the dining room to 'cook'. The process was that the balloon would blow up and when it went down in about two weeks, the wine would be ready. Well it did blow up so we had this huge yellow smiley face in the dining room for one week, two weeks, three weeks. . .the balloon never deflated. Finally we took the balloon off and sampled the 'wine'. I swear that stuff was 200 proof or more if alcohol can be more than that. And it tasted terrible. Absolutely undrinkable. So I poured it out. I'm sure it scoured out the drain and pipes really well.

Yeah, I know folks who have tried that, it most often fails to produce a decent beverage. But, if you want some high-test, kick-ass, head breaking hootch, that'll do just fine. Most of my meads aren't really ready for 12-18 months, including at least six months aged in the bottle. I keep pretty detailed notes so that any failures are not repeated and successes can be done again. There are loads of variables that come into play, though.

My father made his own wine for years. He cut a barrel in half and put the two halves behind the couch in the living room. He made many gallons over the years. Unfortunately he discovered too late that his heart was allergic to alcohol and it sent him to an early grave.

That's an interesting approach. Did he have some way to seal the barrels while the wine fermented?

Not as far as I recall. I think he just put muslin over them to keep out the flies.

In the hot season, I'll get fruit flies in my fermentation traps (let air out, but nothing in), requiring frequent rinsing and replacement.

Yea ! I remember the flies. There was a little cloud of them flitting around over the wine.

 

[Pogo]

Greetings, Everwon!
It's been a while, hasn't it. Too many pages to read to catch up, sorry.
We've started our rainy season here. I am accustomed to slogging through ankle-deep mud to feed, water, and milk the goats. They still object to the mud. Goats do not like the wet, that's certain.
I've been working at both places, Birchwood and Willow, getting lots done. In Willow, I've been clearing "slash" (branches and leaves, etc. left over from felling trees) and cutting/splitting firewood. My plan to build the barn and move up to Willow this summer were put on hold after the partner shattered his ankle, but I still need to keep cleaning and clearing. That fire here last year, and the many devastating fires in the Lower 48 make it clear that one should take every precaution possible to "fireproof" one's homestead. I've also decided to terrace the slope on the south side of the house for my garden.
Since my last visit here, the Solstice has come...and gone. The nights grow darker, longer. The turning of the year progresses apace.
Hopefully all are doing well.

Nice to here from you again. We sure did have fun visiting you. Any chance I could get you to ship us some of that mead for Christmas? I'll send a check.

Is it legal to ship that I wonder?

It's not illegal to ship as a gift but shipping companies typically have private regulations baring the shipping of alcohol. What most people do is lie if asked and claim it's only glassware.

That'll work until they drop the box.

Heavy duty cardboard and tons of bubble wrap, they'd have to find a way to completely crush the box.

UPS will do dat for free.

 

[Dajjal]

There's definitely and empty spot around here and one of my cats is in deep mourning, missing her little buddy.

Yea ! It hurts loosing a pet. It took me months to get over my bird. I gave her a good funeral though. I buried her in the garden in a cardboard easter egg that was just the right size. Mind you I worried I had buried her alive for some time, but that was because I could not believe she had died. I know she was dead because I kept her in a plastic box for a day before I buried her. But I loved her so much I could not believe she was gone.

It's amazing how attached you can become to your fur- (or feather-) friends. I've know pet birds with more personality than a lot of people. I've always had cats and birds would not have fit into the mix very well. It would have been a constant threat on the poor bird's life, or, depending on the type of bird, the cats would have been in danger.
Sorry for your loss.

Yea ! my birdy got involved with me in every was she was capable of. That's her swinging on my glasses frame in my avatar. She used to play ball games with me and flick the ball back over her head. I wanted to do a video of it but never had the technology at the time. She also used to sit on my shoulder, and when I was typing she would climb down my arm and tap on the keys with her beak.

 

[Pogo]

Just got back from a road trip up to Silver City then the Gila Cliff Dwellings (which we didn't hike up to). I'm exhausted. One thing is the trip up to the Cliff Dwellings from Silver City is a gorgeous albeit slow drive. The section of Rte 15 from Silver City is mostly winding, twisty road barely big enough for two cars to pass each other, the section after Rte 35 is much better and it's all mountain driving.

I've actually been there, done that and agree wholeheartedly. My biggest challenge was having a acrophobic aunt along for the ride. I finally put her in the camper with a dose of her nerve pills. She slept most of the way, thank goodness. The squeals, screams, and white-knuckle grip on the dash were...trying.

I've got severe acrophobia. Can't even go up more than a couple of steps on a ladder and even that is stressful. Yet I have no issue with mountain roads, cliffs, or flying in planes. I guess it all depends on whether or not you perceive a fear of falling.

 

[Foxfyre]

Greetings, Everwon!
It's been a while, hasn't it. Too many pages to read to catch up, sorry.
We've started our rainy season here. I am accustomed to slogging through ankle-deep mud to feed, water, and milk the goats. They still object to the mud. Goats do not like the wet, that's certain.
I've been working at both places, Birchwood and Willow, getting lots done. In Willow, I've been clearing "slash" (branches and leaves, etc. left over from felling trees) and cutting/splitting firewood. My plan to build the barn and move up to Willow this summer were put on hold after the partner shattered his ankle, but I still need to keep cleaning and clearing. That fire here last year, and the many devastating fires in the Lower 48 make it clear that one should take every precaution possible to "fireproof" one's homestead. I've also decided to terrace the slope on the south side of the house for my garden.
Since my last visit here, the Solstice has come...and gone. The nights grow darker, longer. The turning of the year progresses apace.
Hopefully all are doing well.

So happy you checked back in GW. When you are gone so long I worry about you even though I know how busy you are and how your schedule doesn't always allow for recreational computer time. And almost nobody reads every page when they check in here. But looks like your plans are progressing though it seems to me that commuting to Anchorage from Willow during the summer months is more practical than during the winter. But you live there and know what you can cope with. Anyhow happy you are well.

Thanks for the kind words, Foxy! No matter how much I want to make more time for friends, local and distant, things just pile up. I'm waiting for a batch of curds to set up so I can finish the yogurt I'm making. If I don't get on the milk while it's relatively fresh, I just end up throwing away a ruined batch of cheese, or whatever. One of my milk customers came by this afternoon and promised he'd bring some more containers to be filled. Even though he's an MIT-trained chemist, me makes his living making homemade, Alaskan wild berry jams and jellies. So right now is prime berry-picking time for him. Then he'll be prepping for the upcoming crafts fairs.
For all intent and purpose, it appears that my Doxie is prepping to go to the Rainbow Bridge. She's not eating, although she is

I hear you re life setting our priorities for us sometimes. So sorry about your Doxie. The pain of losing them is such a high price for all that unconditional love. But it's worth it.

[several days later] Well, Uschi passed on Saturday evening. I felt fortunate to have been able to hold her for her last bit of time on this Earth and be there when she breathed her last and her little heart slowly stilled. I took her to the homestead this weekend and buried her next to her big buddy, Aja (who passed on a few years ago). Sad work, and difficult to dig a decent grave in the forest. The dogs loved that place and even on her very last weekend there, she asked to go sit outside to enjoy being there. There's definitely and empty spot around here and one of my cats is in deep mourning, missing her little buddy.

So sorry GW. I have held two of my beloved fur friends as they crossed the rainbow bridge and hoped they could feel the love and could take it with them. Tough duty. I think pretty much all of us understand.

 

[Foxfyre]

Just got back from a road trip up to Silver City then the Gila Cliff Dwellings (which we didn't hike up to). I'm exhausted. One thing is the trip up to the Cliff Dwellings from Silver City is a gorgeous albeit slow drive. The section of Rte 15 from Silver City is mostly winding, twisty road barely big enough for two cars to pass each other, the section after Rte 35 is much better and it's all mountain driving.

I've actually been there, done that and agree wholeheartedly. My biggest challenge was having a acrophobic aunt along for the ride. I finally put her in the camper with a dose of her nerve pills. She slept most of the way, thank goodness. The squeals, screams, and white-knuckle grip on the dash were...trying.

Those type don't bother Hombre much. . .just the times they start jumping out the windows.

 

[Foxfyre]

Just got back from a road trip up to Silver City then the Gila Cliff Dwellings (which we didn't hike up to). I'm exhausted. One thing is the trip up to the Cliff Dwellings from Silver City is a gorgeous albeit slow drive. The section of Rte 15 from Silver City is mostly winding, twisty road barely big enough for two cars to pass each other, the section after Rte 35 is much better and it's all mountain driving.

I've actually been there, done that and agree wholeheartedly. My biggest challenge was having a acrophobic aunt along for the ride. I finally put her in the camper with a dose of her nerve pills. She slept most of the way, thank goodness. The squeals, screams, and white-knuckle grip on the dash were...trying.

I've got severe acrophobia. Can't even go up more than a couple of steps on a ladder and even that is stressful. Yet I have no issue with mountain roads, cliffs, or flying in planes. I guess it all depends on whether or not you perceive a fear of falling.

I just claim I get a nosebleed three rungs up on a ladder to give me an excuse not to get on one. Agree that mountains and flying don't bother me, but I can't walk to the edge of a high cliff such as the Grand Canyon. And I can't walk out on a high suspension bridge--it's like an invisible source of some kind trying to drag me over the rail. Can't explain it. It is my only real phobia.

 

[Dajjal]

Hiya Foxy,its like a chat room here today with people typing in real time.

 

[Ringel05]

Just got back from a road trip up to Silver City then the Gila Cliff Dwellings (which we didn't hike up to). I'm exhausted. One thing is the trip up to the Cliff Dwellings from Silver City is a gorgeous albeit slow drive. The section of Rte 15 from Silver City is mostly winding, twisty road barely big enough for two cars to pass each other, the section after Rte 35 is much better and it's all mountain driving.

I've actually been there, done that and agree wholeheartedly. My biggest challenge was having a acrophobic aunt along for the ride. I finally put her in the camper with a dose of her nerve pills. She slept most of the way, thank goodness. The squeals, screams, and white-knuckle grip on the dash were...trying.

I've got severe acrophobia. Can't even go up more than a couple of steps on a ladder and even that is stressful. Yet I have no issue with mountain roads, cliffs, or flying in planes. I guess it all depends on whether or not you perceive a fear of falling.

I can climb (or used to be able to) a near shear rock wall but put me on the edge of a roof or on top of anything very high that's man made (ladders not included) and my heart starts racing.

 

[Foxfyre]

My ghost peppers are coming in!
I'm ecstatic that I was able to protect them from being drowned in the relentless rain we've had for two weeks -- that's why I grow in pots around here. We get more rain than Seattle.

From the stem end an orange washes over that evolves into a fiery red. They told me when I bought the seedlings they would be "very hot" but I didn't really appreciate how hot until I looked up some video of people actually eating one whole.... this is one million Scoville units baby.

View attachment 85781 View attachment 85782
​

Can I interest anybody in a nice.... salad?

Why do they call them ghost peppers? Are they more potent than habaneros?

Comparing habaneros to ghost peppers is like comparing a 747 to a Cessna two seater single prop.........

I forgot to add, ghost peppers are the 747........

Since I can't tolerate the heat in habaneros, I wouldn't try ghost peppers. But I have read that they can add 2 to 10 times as much heat as habaneros.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Just got back from a road trip up to Silver City then the Gila Cliff Dwellings (which we didn't hike up to). I'm exhausted. One thing is the trip up to the Cliff Dwellings from Silver City is a gorgeous albeit slow drive. The section of Rte 15 from Silver City is mostly winding, twisty road barely big enough for two cars to pass each other, the section after Rte 35 is much better and it's all mountain driving.

I've actually been there, done that and agree wholeheartedly. My biggest challenge was having a acrophobic aunt along for the ride. I finally put her in the camper with a dose of her nerve pills. She slept most of the way, thank goodness. The squeals, screams, and white-knuckle grip on the dash were...trying.

I've got severe acrophobia. Can't even go up more than a couple of steps on a ladder and even that is stressful. Yet I have no issue with mountain roads, cliffs, or flying in planes. I guess it all depends on whether or not you perceive a fear of falling.

I'm afflicted with somewhat mild acrophobia but have had to overcome that fear, as best I can, because my job requires me to often rise to 60' or better in small, open containers. Needless to say, I always wear my safety harness whenever possible.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Just got back from a road trip up to Silver City then the Gila Cliff Dwellings (which we didn't hike up to). I'm exhausted. One thing is the trip up to the Cliff Dwellings from Silver City is a gorgeous albeit slow drive. The section of Rte 15 from Silver City is mostly winding, twisty road barely big enough for two cars to pass each other, the section after Rte 35 is much better and it's all mountain driving.

I've actually been there, done that and agree wholeheartedly. My biggest challenge was having a acrophobic aunt along for the ride. I finally put her in the camper with a dose of her nerve pills. She slept most of the way, thank goodness. The squeals, screams, and white-knuckle grip on the dash were...trying.

Those type don't bother Hombre much. . .just the times they start jumping out the windows.

My aunt might have jumped out the window except it was too narrow and elevated. She wouldn't even let me open the window!