MORE ABOUT PISTACIOS

tinto, i read your post and feel you should difinitely bring the pistacios to colombia and share the wealth and for a reversal...addict some of them to something.

for years, i was amazed that there were no pistacios in colombia. i had often considered the posibility of starting a bosque. but....

in 1997, i finally brought the first pistacio seeds to colombia--to my knowledge--and gave them to a chemist friend of mine with a finca in barbosa.

my friend is a lithuanian citizen that came to colombia in the early forties as a refugee. he has lived and taught in colombia since.

anyway, i gave the seeds to him and after we left to return back to the u.s. in 2000, i lost contact with dr. klemas as he moved and changed his ISP. well, he's growing pistacios in barbosa and in a few years, colombia should see it's first modest harvest. ojolla.

FYI piatacios are one of the nut trees that grow from a seed and not from the nuts. seeds are VERY hard to come by and, tiny as they are, cost a fortune...relatively speaking. they're a bit smaller than a sesame (ajonjoli) seed.

for those of you who don't know, barbosa is about 40 + miles north of medellin along the cartegena railroad tracks, parts of which are still in use. it's a warm, dry area and they should do well.

barbosa is also the site of many old spanish gold mines. i had the fortune to visit one on the finca of a friend and go down the shafts and extract ore myself. it's a high grade ore, but nowdays, mines don't pay unless by open-pit extraction. foreign investors have been disinclined to advance these mines because of the guerilla problems in colombia. after you go above barbosa along the river (name unknown) you'll see folks panning in the river. they're REAL protective so i wouldn't suggest taking a pan and trying it yourself. however, it is permitted.

peace,

dwm

By dwmte on Dec 14, 2004, 11:43 in Friendly Talkzone.

Lionheart says on Dec 14, 2004, 22:26:

now I am curious we have several threads now mentioning missing nuts, not just possible ones to be removed.

I have gardened a lot on rare herbs/spices ... grew 64 different kinds of chilis, German horseradish, Oriental mustard, Japanese wasabi roots, and more. I made large amounts of sauces, mild to inferno, used a lot myself and sold much more to local restaurants.

The climate around Cali seems to be perfect for growing these plants. Has anybody seen a herb/spice/hotsauce store in in Cali, or knows of places with a decent selection?

I see it as a hobby, but chiliheads in the USA will buy anything unique in this area and pay big bucks to add anything to their collection. I have never seen anything offered from Colombia.

I am open to any ideas etc ... this is a new idea to me ... selling a box set of Colombian sauces and spices ...

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jpagm says on Jan 18, 2005, 18:13:

PISTACHIOS I JUST LOVE THEM,EAT THEM ALL THE TIME IN THE STATES, HOPE SOMEHOW WE COULD GET THEM DOWN THERE

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ACBlessing says on Jan 18, 2005, 22:58:

Fellow chilihead Lionheart, I love anything hot and have been trying to grow some small ajis I smuggled back from Sylvania (before Melgar). They are smaller than pequins but hot as habaneros. Any tips for growing peppers? I can't get enough. I'm so bad, even the kitchen staff at my Thai restaurant came out to see me eat their peppers since I sent my phad thai back twice to make it hotter. Glad to see I'm alone in my quest for fire. I'm just misunderstood here.

Alex Blessing, Spokane, WA USA
alex at acblessing.com
www.acblessing.com

Just plain poor

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Lionheart says on Jan 18, 2005, 23:41:

Best book on growing chilis "The Pepper Garden" by Dave DeWitt & Paul W. Bosland
ISBN 0-89815-554-1 - Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA

Dave DeWitt has written many books on chili peppers, I bought 5 of his books at Amazon.com, at that time they offerned very good prices for budling his books into one order. He is also the editor of the Fiery Foods Magazine.

Paul W. Bosland is one of the foremost chile pepper breeders in the USA and is associate professor of horticulture at the New Mexico State University, where the most prominent research on chili peppers is performed.

I noticed the 3 most important issues when growing chili peppers:

1. Do not plant in soil outside until the ground temperature stays above 60°F day and night. They grow just as well in a greenhouse or wintergarden if the climate is an issue. Lots of sun is good, but too much isn't good either, heat is more important.

2. Keep different kinds of chili plants well separated while in bloom to avoid cross-pollination and creating hybrids, they are often milder than the original.

3. Keep the plants on the dry side and avoid over-watering, wet roots are no good. Dry plants have a good panic reaction, growing the peppers faster as they fear a dry season. But be patient with picking, wait till they fall off from the touch alone, then they are the hottest.

Good luck, in general chili peppers are easy to grow.

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Gomezman5 says on Jan 18, 2005, 23:49:

"missing nuts" Some of these nuts that are missing end up right here. They have their screws loose too!

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Miamigo says on Mar 1, 2005, 12:15:

This is a myth You can very easily get pistachios in Colombia. I bought some recently at Carulla at 85 con 15. Go to the soda aisle, look at the Coca-Cola Light, then turn around and look at the other side of the aisle. You see those cans that say "PISTACHOS"? Guess what they are?

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utopiacowboy says on Mar 1, 2005, 13:47:

Of course you can buy almost anything in Colombia - the real issue is how much it costs. The pistachios were so expensive that no one would buy them on a normal basis. My gang is still eating them like crazy, a year after they've been here.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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