Wednesday 18 August 2010

My tabasco connection

I have to admit it. I have a special relationship with tabasco chiles.

Fifteen years ago, I was in Louisiana together with some friends. We "happened" to pass Avery Island and the Tabasco factory. Here we are, outside the Tabasco factory. This happy guy on the picture here, that's me :-)

We had had a busy day driving around, and we were just a little late. So unfortunately this was the sign that met us.


Traveling almost across half the globe, and the factory is closed. That is really bad!
We had a busy schedule for the evening and next day, so we did not bother to return to Avery Island. But I know that I one day will visit the factory, and I will make sure that I arrive in time. :-)

A couple of years ago - 2004 to be more precise. Hmmm, that's more than a couple of years... I did my best to teach two-year old Carl how to handle the heat of the chiles. Here he is, eating the mild jalapeño tabasco.

A little later, he started to experiment with the hotter one. The habanero tabasco.


Eating it on crisp bread...

Yum!

I just had to send these pictures to tabasco. And, thanks to Tabasco, Carl got Tabasco shorts, t-shirt and cap, and I got a nice shirt :-)

Anyway. That is the reason why I feel a close relation to my tabasco peppers.

I think this picture is nice. Immature pods, and one stubborn flower.
And here is a wild bunch of tabasco peppers.

More tabasco pictures here: http://petterssononline.com/habanero/peppers.php?action=variety&id=144

9 comments:

  1. Ciao Mats,

    very nice story,but you were really unlucky of finding the close door,in front of the factory..

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  2. Ciao Marco!

    Actually that bad timing was something that followed us through most of that vacation. Restaurants and bars closed the day we visited, and so on. But we had a great time anyway :-)

    Ciao,
    Mats

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  3. 6 years ago I got some Tabasco seeds frome you Mats. I planted them and one of the plants I gave to a friend of mine. In the autum he got aphids on the plant so I he put it outside his greenhouse. He forgot the plant so it was outdoor all winter with minus degrees and snow. In the spring he found it still alive. I got it back and planted it in my greenhouse and I harvested a lot.

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  4. Hi David! That's a great story! It's amazing that it survived!

    Reminds me of a colleague. I gave her some seeds, she planted them, the plants grew a little wild, so she put them in a distant corner of her garden. Later that year, she wondered what bushes she had there in the corner of the garden. She had forgotten about the chiles. But they were full of fruits :-)

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  5. maybe chiles dont like us humans :)
    if u want to u can visit my blogg www.postannelund.bloggsida.se. Sometimes Im writing about chiles ;)

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  6. Hi David! I'm following your blog now :-) I didn't know that you grow so many different onions, garlic and so.

    My biggest surprise this year was when I put a fresh piece of turmeric in soil. It turned out to be a really interesting plant.

    It's a fantastic world!

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  7. Hi,

    As a transplanted American living in Sweden I was SO happy to find Tabasco habanero sauce. I used to use Nell's Hell Hot sauce, which is nearly identical but they took it off the market here in Sweden. I recently found a place in Stockholm that makes real corn tortillas and these, combined with the habanero sauce make me very happy.

    My wife Maria is related to your cousin Yvonne :). She tells me that we will be meeting in the near future. I look forward to it.

    Mvh

    Roger

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  8. Hi Roger!

    The tortilla place, is it that one on Barnhusgatan? I have forgotten the name. But they are great :-)

    It will be great to meet you! I think we will be able to sample some really good fresh chiles when we meet! I have loads of habaneros. They are starting to turn red. Heating up in other words :-)

    Have a nice weekend!

    Regards,
    Mats

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  9. Hi, Mats,

    Yes, it is on Barnhusgatan and is called La Neta.

    See you,

    Roger

    ReplyDelete