Homestead Pantry

 
I never planned on growing habanero peppers.  They just 
happened.  My kids think they like hot peppers.  They do,...
well two of them really like jalapenos, so this year when I 
happened across some habanero plants somewhere, I included 
two or three in my basket.  I can't remember where they 
were but the kids had three of them. The 'college man' and 
'Little Miss Muffet' are the family hot pepper eaters.  She 
always has to outdo her biggest brother.  Little Miss Muffet
has been tenderly caring for her little habanero plant all 
summer.  For it's own protection from marauding, shape-shifting
goats she kept it inside.  In our garden window.  Finally, 
yesterday morning just after breakfast she picked her first
pepper.  She was so proud.  

She had a right to be very proud of that pepper.  It was a 
lovely thing to look at, I have to admit.  Bright yellow-
orange little ball ...she was so excited to finally have 
her first pepper off her very own plant,...her first hot 
pepper plant.

She prepared to fry it in the skillet.  In slicing and 
removing the seeds, some of the pepper juice got into a 
teensy, tiny, little scratch on her finger.  That burned, 
so she just naturally popped that burning finger into her
mouth. Then naturally, that burned.  She was in agonies.  
Her face was mottled, her lips cherry red. 

I warned her to keep her fingers far away from her eyes. I
then gave her a spoon full of raw sugar.  That didn't help.
So then I gave her a tablespoon full of yellow plum sauce 
(we were having waffles for breakfast).  That didn't help.  
Finally I told her to quick take a sip off my jamocha shake,
(made with our own goat's milk and hazelnut coffee well 
blended with ice) and even that didn't really help much. 
Then I advised her to have a glass of milk.  (goats' milk, 
what else is there??) That and perhaps all of the above be-
gan to help a tiny bit, but not much.  Poor kid. She has 
sworn off habaneros.  She has stated emphatically that she
is never growing those hot things again. 

I sighed and took a sip of my jamocha.
And set my own lips afire.

Lesson #1 from the Homestead:  Never grow habaneros.  Just 
write that at the top of your list of things not to grow on
your homestead.  Do it right now.  Trust me.  

I lived through the experience but my lips burned most of 
the day.  Just now, more than 24 hours later, I absentmindedly
ran my tongue over my back gums, thinking I'd brush my teeth
after just having had lunch.  Pulling my tongue back in it's 
normal place, then again absentmindedly licking my lips,...
my whole mouth burns yet again.  I had brushed my teeth at 
least three times since taking that sip from that silly
habanero-contaminated straw!

Habaneros.  The tiny little hot pepper that just keeps on 
giving with a long-lasting, ever-burning flame. Little Miss
Muffet's pepper plants are loaded with ripe habaneros...
bright yellow ping pong balls of unending, never-dying fire.
She has sworn off habaneros.  Me, too.  She thinks they may 
make a good compress to burn infection out of a small cut or 
scratch.  I don't want to know about it.  I have created a 
CSA page and I can tell you they are the first things going
into our 'CSA shopping baskets' if someone with a death-wish
subscribes to our brand-new CSA these little wonders will 
surely fill the bill.

Habaneros, anyone?  We have a very lovely plant potted up all
ready to go home with you!