habanero hot sauce

The garden veggies are about played out. There are a few tomatoes left on the vines, and a couple of stunted looking squash.
So, I was surprised when we got home from our trip saw this monster in the garden!

It's one of those Armenian cucumbers. I must have been overlooking it even before we left on the trip. Surely it didn't get that big in a week!

It was seedy in the middle but otherwise tasted fine.

The only other thing in the garden is a single habanero pepper plant that keeps producing. We really bought it by accident...we were meaning to get a jalapeno plant.

The habaneros are just too hot - hard to use in cooking  

I had to try to use them in something , so I made some hot sauce using this recipe...

Belizean Style Habanero Sauce

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

2 cups water

10 habaneros, seeded and chopped

3 T lime juice

3 T white vinegar

1 t.  salt

Simmer together the onion, garlic and carrots until tender.

Be sure to wear gloves when cleaning and chopping those habaneros!

In a blender, add habaneros, lime juice, vinegar and salt.

Pour in the cooked veggies, liquid and all. Blend until smooth.

Pour in clean jars, allow to cool and store in the fridge.

Definitely not our favorite hot sauce.  It's has heat but not much flavor.  I stirred a little into some mayonnaise and it was okay like that, and I could probably add a small amount in soups to amp them up a bit...but we'll probably never get through both jars.

And there are still lots of habaneros left.  I hate to waste them - so maybe I'll dehydrate some - or try that method of stringing them up to dry.

Or just pull up the whole plant and throw it over into the woods...peppers and all!