Edible Ornamentals: The Tour Part 2

Shawn showed us around his chilli farm ran with his wife Joanna, rightly called Edible Ornamentals. After seeing the most public aspects of the chilli farm we moved on to polytunnels and glasshouses that were more for commercial use. Rows and rows of beautifully kept chilli plants such as Hercules (a popular type of chillies mainly found in supermarkets) were to be found in either polytunnels or glass greenhouses but also tomatillos which seem to be a real winner at the moment especially when sold to restaurants.

We then arrived at a big tank that is part of the ingenious irrigation system. Shawn and Joanna seem to have had a rough time when it comes to setting up an irrigation system that would free up their time and allow for a precise watering of the plants. Each chilli plant is linked to this clever irrigation system that is run by a computer and can even modify the PH of the water that runs through it. With so many chilli plants to look after we are not surprised that Shawn and Joanna went for such a high tech irrigation system albeit a costly one but definitely worth having especially in view of the scale of the chilli farm and its plans for expansion.

The commercial kitchen was definitely impressive. Although set in a container much like the ones you would see on construction sites, this kitchen is well lit, extremely clean and well laid out. Shawn explained to us what happens from the moment the chillies are picked to the moment they are washed, pureed, cooked and bottled up.

There is nothing average about Edible Ornamentals chilli sauces and preserves as we were about to find out by visiting the farm shop which is set up in a small chalet type house. Edible Ornamentals chilli products are of course available but also other items such as Italian pasta, oils and sauces from other brands. Shawn went on to make us try several types of chillies so people could notice the difference in taste and heat level between each type and the tour concluded with most people buying some of Edible Ornamentals’ chilli products or chilli plants.

Overall, it was a great way to spend a Sunday, talking to people that are passionate at what they do. We cannot wait to see Shawn at West Dean Chilli Fiesta in August. We tried to approach him last year but the stand was absolutely mobbed. We understand why now that we know a bit more about them!

Edible Ornamentals: The Tour Part 1

One of our friends offered us a tour of Edible Ornamentals chilli farm as a Christmas present so we were very excited to further our knowledge of chilli plants and discover some of Edible Ornamentals’ chilli sauces and preserves.

We arrived at Edible Ornamentals chilli farm last Sunday for the 11 am tour which was supposed to last one hour but ended up being three! We plagued Shawn, the owner and tour guide, with questions and he was great in answering all of them whilst managing the other people that had come to do the tour.

The farm is divided into several types of polytunnels. The main one is for the general public to come and view or buy chilli plants from Hungarian Hot Wax to Dorset Naga, Orange Habaneros, Serenade and many more. In the time that it took us to do the tour we saw many people just coming to the chilli farm out of the blue and buying chilli plants. They look so good and are so healthy that we do understand why Edible Ornamentals seems to be so popular with the locals.

Shawn took us to see the polytunnels called “Pick and Mix” which as you can imagine is the place where families can come and pick their own favourite chillies. This is still a work in progress although perfectly usable as it is but most chillies are still a bit too green to be picked. We can imagine how boisterous and amazing to see it must be at the height of the chilli picking season though!

The third polytunnels we saw was really impressive. Built with a special type of polyurethane that allows the heat to really stay in, we went from outside which was sunny albeit very windy to a wall of blistering heat upon entering the polytunnels. The chilli plants definitely seem to like it though and are very neatly kept!