Do The Jerk

Earlier this week I spent some time out in the garden getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and picking vegetables. Peppers are not something that we're short on.



Somehow we (i.e. - Stevie) neglected to plant any jalapenos or cayennes ergo any plans for making jelly or hot sauce from the fruits of the garden are lost. However, we do have a couple habenera plants and, despite the fact that they're drowning now, they did enjoy the hot temperatures earlier this month.



So what does one do with lots of habeneras? Make jerk paste, of course!



I cried and sniffled the whole way through. Chopping the onion with my shiny, new, and highly sharp knife got the waterworks going first. (And I managed to cut myself too!) Then I cleaned the chilies. With a lack of latex gloves and against my better judgment, I did so with bare hands. Even though the process took place under a stream of cold water, the toxic capsaicin vapors still penetrated my nasal cavity. Uff da! My hands burned well into the next day forcing me to use tissue paper for handling my tender parts when using the commode. I crushed the allspice berries with my mortar & pestle (thanks, grandma!) and added the result along with goodly doses of thyme, molasses, salt, freshly ground black pepper, etc. The result?



Some got thrown in the freezer while the jar is in the frig. I suspect this stuff can adequately substitute for paint stripper and, if Rachel Carson were still around, she'd no doubt inveigh against it. So it should be tasty.

I think tonight I'll plunder the garden a bit more, if I don't drown. We've got 80 tons of cherry tomatoes so they're not going to get canned. Perhaps I'll whip up a batch of pico de gallo of the gods. I am also keen on making some medieval apple fritters. The recipe isn't overly specific and calls for a batter just like any one would make "in fleyssche tyme", i.e. - on days when folks we're allowed to eat meat. I found some unpasteurized beer in the form of Viking's Weathertop Wheat which I think will do the trick. If my plan goes according to plan, I'll be changing employers soon and will attempt to use up my vacation time before I bail. I'd like to drag The Dulcinea up nort and visit the brewery, amongst other pleasures.