If you can't take the heat...

Today was another drizzly sort of day where it it seems as if you should stay indoors. I tried. If I hang around inside too long, I get stir-crazy and there is nothing worse than an antsy Bayou Lady. I did all kinds of "busy" chores as I tried to get my mind off of trekking around the hillside. I know with the nearing of the holidays, I should cleaning and decorating the house but that wasn't happening. Instead, I cooked more pumpkin, dried some rose blooms for tea and tackled the ton or so of Habanero Peppers. Son had picked another pailful and those things were not going to take care of themselves. I am beginning to wish that I had never had the bright idea to plant hot peppers! These things just do not quit making! I have pickled so many peppers that I might just have to change my name to Peter Piper! This bunch however..I was going to dry! I would dehydrate all of those little orange pieces of fire! Later, I could drop them in the pot of chili or make a really potent sore throat remedy! I thought dehydrating the peppers would be easier than standing at the stove canning them. Hmmmm..yep, so I thought!

Some of the hot peppers growing in the garden.

Years ago, my oldest son, Mark, and I tried our hands at making hot sauce with an assortment of hot peppers that he had grown. We started out cooking this in a large pot on the stove. After about thirty minutes into the process, we were both almost in tears from the steam rising from the pot. Time for Plan B! Plan B..dump the entire contents of the pot into the large slowcooker and move this out on the porch! This worked quite well even though we smelled up the entire neighborhood! My brothers thought we were cooking a pot of gumbo and were most likely expecting a nice bowlful! The hot sauce turned out well! We canned some but kept some out to use. It was hot...HOT..like FIRE SAUCE hot!!! Still to this day, my slowcooker has the distinct flavor of Habanero Peppers!!! I have not been able to use it for anything other than chili!

One of thirty Habanero Pepper plants..this is what there is today after picking yesterday!

Today, however, the dehydrator came into use! The peppers were washed and placed onto the racks of the dehydrator unit. What could be easier?? All started out well and then...the fumes started. My eyes watered each time I entered the kitchen! This was not going to work! Since it was raining, there was no way that I could move it to the porch..electricity and rain do not mix! So I moved the entire unit into the entryway. Keep in mind that this entryway is an eight foot by eight foot room...well, you get the idea..no one had better enter the entryway! With all of that spicy heat concentrated into that small room, it was like someone had thrown teargas in there! I have a feeling that my dehydrator will never be the same again!

Bucketful of Habanero Peppers..they even look hot! Fire!

Back to the hot sauce that Mark and I made...there is a story attached to that memory other than the spicy pot! There was a birdfeeder in the backyard that the squirrels were ruling. They would relentlessly chase any bird from this feeder and then would fight among themselves for eating rights. I had read where some birdseed was blended with hot sauce as a squirrel deterrent. Ahhh..out came our hot sauce! I blended some with the seeds and dumped the whole "fiery dinner" on to the feeder! Some of the sauce dribbled down the two inch pipe that held the feeder. Well..I might as well paint the entire pole..perhaps that would even keep the ants at bay! No sooner had I gone back inside than a squirrel decided it was mealtime! He scurried up that pole and started munching away on the sauce-coated seeds! Now either squirrels are not the smartest of creatures or this little dummy really liked spicy meals! The kids and I watched through the window, wondering if the squirrel would suddenly realize that he was getting spiced out! All of a sudden, the little rodent dove off the feeder and raced to the fishpond! He splashed right into the middle of it and just paddled around! I had never seen a squirrel like swimming so much! Did this end the raiding of the birdfeeder? Nope...as soon as he cooled off, this little rascal climbed right back up that pole and repeated the whole process! I knew he was not too smart!

The Habanero laden dehydrator...also called MISTAKE!

Then, again, perhaps I am a bit like that squirrel. I should have learned my lesson about those hot peppers! I reckon my dehydrator is going to be quite spicy hot for a while to come and may not be able to be used for fruit for a while..or maybe I will just have to get a few new racks! Anybody want some dried Habanero Peppers? Anybody want a hot pepper infused room? Hey..if you come to the Little Bayou House, you might want to use the back door!...just saying....