Bring The Heat

Morning walks in the garden

Early on Saturday mornings I like to walk through the garden while watering and see what I can harvest. Today it was hot peppers. I walked around the cucumber trellis and saw these little ornamental bushes full of little lime green peppers. They are really beautiful in the early shadows of a cool summer morning. One garlic, one onion, and six handfuls of peppers… A plan was already formulating in my head! I’ve always loved to bring the heat to the table no matter the recipe. There isn’t much I won’t put hot sauce on. Omelets, tacos, chips, sandwiches, ice cream (just kidding). But seriously, the heat is there, and a sweetness with tons of fresh flavor. In my opinion, every garden needs a dozen of these plants hanging around here and there. They love hot summer days and seem to produce well every year without fail.

Save the seeds

Capsicum annum is a Christmas pepper or Tabasco pepper. I grow them every year next to the rosemary and tomato. What to do with these hot little treats? Make hot sauce of course! First things first. Always take a few of the best peppers and save the seeds. Wash them in a clear jar and remove the floaters (bad seeds). Drain and set the seeds on a saucer in a sunny window to dry out. You’ll have seeds for next year if you put them in a paper envelope and label it. Heirloom seeds will work the best from year to year. I’ve found a good source for these at Baker Creek. www.rareseeds.com/pepper-hot-tabasco

Preserve

Preserve everything in the garden, nothing goes to waste or rot. What doesn’t make it into hot sauce gets dried out in the sun until brittle. Use a needle and thread and sew through the stems. These are then ground up in my spice grinder and added to a homemade Cajun seasoning mix. If you don’t have time for hot sauce or seasoning, freeze them for a later date. The acidic vinegar-based sauce lasts a long time in a jar on the shelf or in the fridge. I’ve never had one go bad, it gets eaten so quickly, the kids love it!

the recipe

Greg’s Homemade Hot Sauce

• Gather about a pound of peppers for this recipe. Wash them good and remove the tops. You’ll need a small onion and 3 cloves of fresh garlic.

• Start by heating a non-stick pan on the stove top and add a few tablespoons of oil.

• Throw in the peppers, roughly chopped onion and garlic. Cook until all are softened and even charred a little. Open the windows or you’ll be crying! Remove from the heat and get your blender ready.

• Put in one cup of apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sugar, a tablespoon of salt and then the cooked pepper mix. Blend on high until smooth.

  This sauce goes on just about everything in my house!