The times they are a changin' through hot sauce

So, as I just previously blogged, I just spent some time in Northern California. As a child, my parents and I would travel to our rustic cabin on our property in the Anderson Valley. Back then, it was a few apple orchards, feed stores and one funky country store - Jack's - where I would regularly purchase a fudgesicle.

Well, the times they are a changin'. With the hailing of red wine as an antioxidant and destroyer of heart disease, wineries are popping up everywhere and now Anderson Valley is the new Napa Valley. There's a delicious winery just ten minutes from our country place: Brutacao Cellars. We stopped in on our trip back from being off the grid and tasted a variety of succulent wines, topping it off with a pepper chocolate (my new favorite thing in the world) and a taste of their yummy, light port.

The wineries has meant that the small, country stores now stock high-end mustards and condiments. They don't just boast French's mustard, but a variety of dijons and relishes and chutneys to satiate the foodie masses as they retreat from the city. I feel very strange acknowledging that I enjoy the new additions to the store; very Bourgeois.

And with the new wineries comes an influx of Mexican workers to pick the grapes which has also changed how the local stores stock foods -- now there's a lot more hot sauce. In fact, a foodie friend, John, who's been ordered by his doctor to stay away from hot sauce because he has three ulcers, introduced me to a new hot sauce being sold for $1 a jar. John was contemplating buying a case of the sauce he liked it so much, as did I. It was hot, but had a good balance of vinegar to not make it too vicious. It was sort of like a Tabasco on steroids.

I'm experimenting with new technology and posting a picture of the bottle:



As you can see, I need to work on my food photography skills. And on this bottle of hot sauce; I haven't even opened it yet.

Picante!

Condiment Grrl