Birdsonghill
Crowing
The Habenero are too hot, with too little flavor in return, for me. I smoke my own chipotles from the traditional open pollinated Jalapenos and can some in adobo sauce and dry many for later or grinding into powder. I make many hot sauces, some fermented and some not. My mainstays are a few heirloom Long red Italian cayenne sauces combined with garlic and salt and some with a bit of vinegar or other ingredients and some with none. I make some with fresh chiles and some with dried chiles. I use a lot of dried chiles powdered and blended into rub mixes or chile blends that can be used to season in the kitchen. I routinely grow and make paprika powders, Ancho powder, cayenne, jalapeno, guajillo powders, smoked and plain . I also dehydrate chopped bell peppers and other sweet peppers for a soup/salad blend that is ornamental with the various colors when mixed into a display bin or used in a recipe. Finally, I roast and peel and can some peppers fresh flesh for recipes and sandwiches. The pepper/chile plants are a large part of my garden efforts and make my kitchen a place of both traditional and exotic flavors. Some may be a bit hotter than I want to use or the flavor contribution is not enough for me to warrant the intense heat, but I like hot and spicey to a point! Hot on the inside, cool on the outside is what a friend once said to me. I think good health is encouraged by eating chiles, spicy hot or not!