Saucy

Yesterday we picked a peck (or more) of beautiful hot peppers--orange habaneros, red cherry bombs and chilis, tiny yellow Thai peppers, and others I can't immediately identify--for our Annual Assembling of the Hot Pepper Sauce. My husband donned gloves to gut the peppers while I chopped onions and garlic and got the whole mess cooking in a pot that released a scent demanding that we open windows and turn on fans. Afterward I washed the dishes in dishwater turned dangerous thanks to the presence of peppery knives and pots: my nose ran, my eyes watered, my hands turned red, and I could taste the peppers without ever taking a bite. This morning our house still smells piquant, promising delightful flavors to come.

I'll take a handful of habaneros to campus today to share with some adventuresome colleagues, but I won't be tasting them myself until I'm through with cancer-treatment side effects. The more orange they get, the more fruity they taste, producing a heat suffused by a hint of sweetness. Right now, though, I'll have to content myself with looking at them. Aren't they lovely? I can taste them with my eyes....and now you can too!