Happy Thanksgiving all. We got our order in for bottles today and we are going to be offering two types. One will be our normal 5 oz. sauce bottle and the other will be a 12 oz. sauce bottle.

The 5 oz. will be the normal Habanero Sauce and our new Last Breath Sauce, a special blend of Habanero and Ghost Chilies.

The 12 oz. will be a new product suitable for wing sauce or a barbecue sauce, again featuring all ingredients grown right here in Troy, NY.

As you all know we currently do not sell any product and it is still all in a testing phase, but I know many have offered to pay for the product. What we ask for you to do is instead of giving us the money we are asking that you donate to the Wounded Warrior Project by clicking here.

For all of you who read the blog here is a special announcement:  We are looking to open a Kick Start to raise money to get our certification from Cornell Cooperative Extension so that we can actually get our product to market.  With your donation we will be able to take it to the next level.  This is a very important step and without it we can not get the product to restaurant and small local grocer who can not sell or use our products.  The average cost is about $1000 so the investment is minimal.  But with it we will get a space to bottle, get the certification, UPC code and ingredient listing for the bottles as required by law.  If we were in say Vermont we could already of had this done and have been selling at farmers markets.  New York is not business friendly and especially for food crafters.

So keep your eyes and taste buds open for a link to Kick Start to help get Zombie Jac over the hurdles and on to your tables!

Again thank you for all your support and have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Hot pepper mash (courtesy of ehowwiki)

Steps

1.See the tips and warnings. If you ignore them, you might regret it.

2.Select a glass jar or a pottery crock that holds at least a gallon. You will not want to get it more than 1/2 to 3/4 full of mash because fermentation bubbles will make the mash rise up and overflow the jar.

One pound of peppers will produce a little less than a pint of pepper mash. So you will need 5 pounds to fill your gallon jar half full. If you don't process the peppers immediately, refrigerate them.

3.Select the largest, plumpest fully ripe peppers from the garden or market. Red or orange habanero peppers which have ripened fully on the bush will start rotting within a couple of days after picking them, so use them immediately. Fully ripe peppers have a delicious sweetness to them, in spite of any heat. If you bite into one, you will feel a rush of sweetness, then the heat will hit you and you might regret taking such a big bite. The sugars that give the peppers a sweet taste will help fermentation.

4.Choose whether to leave the seeds in or remove them. Contrary to popular opinion, the seeds don't contribute much to the heat of the peppers. The real heat comes from the connecting veins that attach the seeds inside the peppers to the pepper walls. You can always use the seeds for planting more peppers.

5.If you intend to save the seeds for planting, DON'T SAVE the seeds from puny, stunted peppers. Save those from the biggest fattest peppers for planting. That way you will have more fat peppers in your harvest.

6.Wash the peppers and dry them with a towel or paper towel before processing them. DO NOT wash them before refrigerating them. Water makes them decompose faster.

7.If you plan to save the seeds, use a sharp paring knife to slice into each pepper and pry it open with your fingers, then scrape the seeds out, one pepper at a time. Try to leave the veins in the peppers. Set the seeds aside in a small bowl so you can lay them out on a paper towel to dry when you finish.

8.Remove and discard the stems.

9.You may, instead of using a blender below, push the peppers, with or without seeds, through a juice extractor. This will extract the seeds and a goodly amount of the pulp. Cycle it through the juicer several times to get out as much pulp as possible. Use the output of the juicer in the fermentation process. You may also juice the other vegetables discussed below.

10.If you use a juice extractor, it might ruin any seeds so you cannot use them for planting. But, you may spread the pulp on paper towels and dry it in a food dryer or in the oven with the light on and door ajar (110 degrees F) for a day or two. You may then pulverize it in your blender at high speed (Vitamix will do this nicely), and put the resulting dust in a salt or pepper shaker. With this you can dust pizza, salads, and other foods, or even candies. Since it has no salt in it, it will not adversely affect the taste (except for the heat).

11.Weigh your peppers. If you started with 5 pounds, you should have 4.5 or more pounds (a little over 2 kilograms) remaining.

12.Calculate 3.3% of that weight. To simplify, add 1 Tablespoon of salt per pint of mash. If you have 2.1 kilograms, multiply times .033 and you get 69.3 grams, the weight of the salt you will need. a Tablespoon of salt weighs 15 grams and a teaspoon 5 grams. 69.3/15 = 4.62 Tablespoons. So, you need four and a half Tablespoons of salt for 2100 grams of mash. Note that some people use far more salt than this - 6% to 10% by weight. Use a level to slightly rounded tablespoon of salt per pound of mash.

13.Process the peppers in a blender two pounds at a time. Pour one Tablespoon sea salt per pound of peppers in a blender and process them on high speed till they become puree (mash), no more than a minute at the absolute most, typically only 15 to 30 seconds in a VitaMix, my favorite blender. DO NOT OVER-PROCESS. You don't want to produce so much heat that you kill the bacteria you need for fermentation, naturally in the peppers.


14.You may add other vegetables, herbs, and spices into the blender and puree it along with the peppers mash, so long as you maintain the salt ratio to weight of vegetable matter. These will dramatically affect the taste of the finished product, so a purist pepper sauce lover should consider making the pepper mash first, and then with a portion of it, blend in other vegetable matter for further fermentation. Examples of additional veggies: carrot (sweet and maintains color), onion, garlic, horseradish, ginger, Chinese cabbage, apple.

15.Pour the mash into the fermentation jar or crock, ideally no more than 5/8 full (a little over half) to allow for rising of the mash during fermentation. When you finish the blending and pouring into the jar, put a lid on the jar loosely.

16.Set the jar out of direct sunlight and away from freezing temperatures and heat that will elevate the temperature above 110 degrees F. Wait for it to ferment.

17.In one week, the pepper mash will start bubbling vigorously as a result of fermentation in which the bacteria will produce acetic acid and any sugars will produce alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. The gas bubbles will cause the pulp in the mash to rise, leaving the liquid and some solids on the bottom. Once the bubbling starts, stir the mash down with a clean spoon every day. If it seems about to overflow, pour part in another glass jar till bubbling subsides, then mix them back together.

18.In another week or two, the fermentation should stop producing bubbles. Bacteria still lives in the mash.

19.Screw the lid down tightly onto the jar after one month of total time since making the mash, and put the jar in a refrigerator. Keeping it cold and sealed will prevent any mold from growing in it.

20.DO NOT COOK the mash. It lives because of the bacteria in it, and it can become starter for other ferments, such as a new batch of peppers or sourdough bread.

21.You may use the mash as soon as fermentation has finished. Spoon it sparingly (because of the heat) onto your food, add a tablespoon to a batch of bread dough to create a delicate pepper aroma and a lovely heat to sandwiches and toast, make a tantalizingly piquant fudge with it, add it to sour mash for brewing beer, or make pepper sauce with it.

22.Don't cook the mash.

23.When making pepper sauce, add 3 ounces of mash with two ounces cider vinegar for a delicious, pure, and hot sauce in a standard 5 ounce hot sauce bottle. Vary the proportions to suit your taste. With the vinegar in it, you do not need to refrigerate it. You need no other ingredients.

Tips

Habanero peppers constitute one of the hottest peppers in the world. They have a delicious flavor if you can take the heat. Exercise caution when handling and when eating them or pepper mash.

You could consider aging the pepper mash in a bourbon cask the way the Avery (Tabasco) pepper folks do. I have not tried this.

Measurements and conversions. 1 teaspoon = 5 grams; 1 Tablespoon = 15 grams; 1 pound = 454 grams; 1 pound of peppers will make 1 pint of mash; use 1 Tablespoon of Salt per pound of processed peppers (mashed or whole).

You may keep your fermentation jar in the refrigerator indefinitely. I have had some aging in my refrigerator for 4 years. It tastes mellow, delicious, and hot as the fire of hell.

Hot Pepper Extract

Ever wonder how to make an extract.  These simple steps work with not just hot peppers, but garlic other peppers or even your favorite herbs.  This method in particular is for extracting the oils from hot peppers.


Prepare first and get supplies
• Rubber gloves
• Two glass jars with tight-fitting lids
• Grain alcohol (ethanol), plain vodka or other organic solvent


Instructions

1.Wear rubber gloves and remove stems from peppers. Wash and dry them.

2.Grind peppers coarsely. A food mill or grinder is helpful.

3.Place ground peppers in a glass jar. Add enough alcohol to cover.   Adjust lid tightly and shake.

4.Refrigerate jar of peppers. Leave in the refrigerator for three or four days. Shake jar occasionally.

5.Position a funnel over the second glass jar. Line funnel with a coffee filter. Pour the pepper mixture from the refrigerated jar into the funnel. Let liquid drain completely.

6.Remove drained pepper mixture from funnel and return to first jar. Pour alcohol over mixture until covered. Replace lid, shake and return jar to refrigerator.
Cap the second jar with the extract in it and store in the refrigerator. (You now have two jars in the fridge.)

7.Leave the jar of pepper mixture in the refrigerator for another three to four days, shaking occasionally.

8.Repeat Step 5, adding the liquid to the second jar of extract.

9.Give the extract a taste test by dipping a toothpick in the liquid, shaking it off and touching it gently to the tongue. Wait a few seconds to see how hot it is. If it is hot enough for you, proceed.

10.Strain the liquid into a glass dish. Cover the dish with cheesecloth and set in a dark place for a few days so that the alcohol can evaporate.

11.Discard pepper mash carefully. Throw jar, lid and filter away.

Growing season underway

Little update:  Started cleaning out the Aquaponics grow bed.  Was going to try to transplant the cherry tomatoes to the dirt garden but that may be more difficult that thought.  The plants are so big and all three are intertwined that I may not be able to pull them without damaging them.  Going to try though.  Nice thing I pulled out the broccoli and the root ball was filled with red worms.  Just after I thought they were all dead or became fish food.

If your wondering why we have worms in the grow bed, well they are an important part of the "natural" process.  They are responsible for converting the fish waste to organic material that is usable for the plants.  We use Red Worms since they are the best composter of waste of all the worms plus they can spend far more time in water than any other worm.

We now have 10 habanero plants in the ground, that is 10 more than last years terrible growing season.  We also planted some Jalapeno's and some New Mexico Chilies, basically a larger hotter cyan pepper.  We also got the Romas going for out Zombie Jac Salsas.  Some new additions we have in the soil are potatoes, broccoli, several varieties of leaf lettuce, radishes (they are already sprouted) beans, peas, cumin, basil, cilantro and a few other herbs.  In the green house we have Thai Chilies, Chard, and more about 20 more habaneros we are still waiting to sprout.

We got out gravel last night for the floor in the greenhouse and hopefully we can get that in and get the floor screwed down soon so I can get some sealer on the floor to protect it from water.  Lucky enough we have had some rain so that will really help.

Some items we are looking for are (if you are looking to get rid of some stuff):
1. Rain Barrel
2. Net pots (3 or 4 in)
3. 2x4 scraps over 30"
4. EPDM liners
5.  Any size untreated lumber for a composting bin

We have a lot of projects on the burner and I really need to start thinking about what we need to do to add Aquaponics in to the greenhouse.

We are still here!

It has been awhile since our last post on the blog but we have been keeping all informed on Facebook.  If you have a chance jump over and like us on FB and keep up to date or even follow us on Twitter.

Over the past few weeks we have had some set back or should I say learning experiences, while I have been swamped at my paying job I have been busy daily with our Aquaponics adventure to achieve HOT PEPPER success.  First we have had problems with our tomatoes.  They are growing great vegetative wise but all of our blossom continue to drop.  Lettuce is going nuts and the habaneros are there and growing but very slowly, mostly due to lighting.

I believe we have identified why the blossoms are dropping and are trying to correct but now we are at the door step to moving plants outside as spring progresses.  It seem the excess Nitrate is the problem, what keyed me in on this was the fish.

This leads us to the next problem and that of the three remaining fish two have died and it seems to be from Nitrate poisoning.  After a little research I found that excess Nitrate is great for green but terrible for flowers and fruits, hence the blossom drops.  We are still trying to find a way to fix that but the last fish, after spending a few weeks in a different tank has pretty much recovered.

We are also now in the process of getting the garden space ready to start planting and that includes the addition of a greenhouse.  We were originally going to build a greenhouse from recycled windows but as it turns out the roof is going to cost almost $300 raising the total cost to over $700.  We did locate a greenhouse from Home Depot for the same price and it is only 16 sq. ft. difference.  I have been discussing with my CFO about the financing.

We are also looking at possibly applying for a loan to purchase a farm and small start-up from the USDA and Farm Bureau.  This would allow us to really just dive in but also give us the flexibility to get a few dairy goats and chickens to really give some versatility to our products and increase our self sufficiency, because not only do we want to bring you the best Zombie Jac has to offer but sustain our own family with a smaller more efficient footprint.  Who says you can't be green and be a capitalist!

So a lot has happened and a lot more is to come.  Keep you eyes to Facebook and Twitter and follow us as we develop and grow and hopefully with your help and support bring the best hot peppers have to offer to your mouth!

Zombie Jac on Facebook
Zombie Jac on Twitter

Sriracha Mayo - Great Sauce for everything!

While on a little foodie trip a few weeks ago my wife and I stopped and Corey's Catchup and Mustard Burger Bar in Manchester, CT and I had this awesome burger.  Everything about it was great but the one thing that tickled my taste buds was the Sriracha Mayo that was on the burger.  So I have been playing with making my own and here it is. I used Zombie Jac's Chili Sauce but that is not available and is only a test product.  Hope you enjoy!


Sriracha Mayo

3 Tablespoons mayo
1 Tablespoon homemade Sriracha style chili sauce, Tabasco or any chili hot sauce.
1 teaspoon lemon/lime juice
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)

directions:
1. In bowl, combine ingredients until smooth.

2. Use as dip or spread for your favorite dishes.

Refrigerate any left overs in an airtight container.  Will last for about a week, if you have any left for that long!

Happy Hots!

Here is my second favorite Sriracha Sauce

Urban farming and the rest us....

One of the biggest things that irritates me is Urban farming. Not talking about the practice of urban farming but of the lean that urban farming in New York State is just in NYC.  It is bothersome that NYC is all that folks think of when they thing of NY State, personally the are biggest social economical baggage that the state has and the state would be better off without it.  That being said, just do some research on Urban Farming in NY State.  Even Cornell University focuses in on the city in their guide "Guide to Urban Farming in NYS-Revised 1.24.13".  What about the rest of us aspiring to be urban farmers, to be self sufficient on what little lots we own.  To make the most of the space and help make our communities a little better, maybe even to have a small cottage industry farm.  I think for the 99% of us not in the city it comes down to how our local governments be able to tax us over it, fee us to death and pretend in this collapsing economy that they, the pinky out officials, that have been elected are there for us.  How can we as the urban farmer convince city hall to back off and let us pursue our growing desires?

5 Slow Cook Breakfast recipes from Mother Nature Network

•  Slow Cooker Banana Walnut Oatmeal – Slow cooker oatmeal is perfect for a quick morning meal, and the combination of whole grains, bananas and walnuts will keep bellies full until the lunch bell rings.
•  Breakfast Burrito Filling – Lean pork, eggs, vegetables and spices cook overnight and are ready to fill a tortilla for a fast breakfast that can be eaten on the walk to school if necessary.
• Slow Cooker Baked Apples – Raisins, honey and cinnamon simmer all night with green apples to make a sweet, healthy breakfast that kids will run to the kitchen for.
•  Crockpot Whole Grain Breakfast Cereal – So different from cold, pre-packaged cereal, this cereal mix uses six different whole grains that cook overnight. In the morning, add natural sweeteners, fresh or dried fruits, or nuts to customize this fiber-rich, natural hot cereal.
•  Crockpot Breakfast Risotto – Apples, brown sugar and spices get mixed with Arborio rice and slow cooked overnight for a creamy morning nourishing breakfast.

Hot Stuff and Aquaponics

It has been a while since I blogged anything but I think it is necessary to give all of you an update.  I have been focusing a lot on Facebook with photos and quick post and it dawned on me that we are only covering our growing test and our Aquaponics, where is the HOT STUFF?  After last season bad habanero production it became apparent being a hot pepper grower and product creator was not going to be easy, good growing years, bad years, bugs and disease all can be uncontrollable.  We need a way to be able to produce our own stock either all year or a way to start our own seedling earlier and cheaper.

Buying raw materials is expensive.  If we look at our Zombie Jac's Habanero Hot Sauce, we would need a 10 lb. bag of powdered habanero's to produce.  That powder does not give the same taste and consistency that we want in our products and the cost of $80 per 10 lb. bag  Add in the other ingredients that would mean we would have to charge almost $9.00 a bottle just to cover materials.  So what does this have to do with Aquaponics?  Simple, in a effort to be sustainable, self-sufficient and produce a high quality, all natural hot peppers products we turned to Aquaponics.

Aquaponics is the combination of Aquaculture and Hydroponics.  While many growers use hydroponics there is an inherent problem with the waste water.  Many metal salts are used to get nutrients to the plants to grow and by law that water can not be dumped down the drain as it is toxic it that state.  Not for the plants but for people and animals.  Aquaculture on the other hand has it's problems as well, waste. For centuries man has raised fish for eating and, well fish do what fish do, eat and poo.  Fish farmers often turn to other traditional farmers to sell the waste to for fertilizer, but the processing of that waste is costly.  Aquaculture blends the two by using the natural waste and bacteria to feed the plants in a closed system and returns the water clean to the fish.

Plants also have show to be healthier, disease free and insect resistant than those grown in the ground as well as they grow up to 30% faster and are typically ready for harvest in half the time .  On the flip side water usage is 90% less than traditional growing, requiring nothing more than weekly top offs and most Aquapons use rain water stored in barrels.  We typically use 1 gallon a week to top off our fish tank.

Back to topic we have been offered some land to plant peppers but we also would like to get a greenhouse built to do this Aquaponics outside on a larger scale, while eventually replacing the goldfish we are using now to fertilize the beds with Tilapia or Trout for sale or for our consumption at home.  We also hope to take our best habanero, jalapeno, carrot, tomatoes and other key items we use and grow all of them ourselves, that way we can control the source of the vegetables as well as cut cost since to buy a habanero seedling cost $4.00 a plant and one habanero pepper can produce 100 plants from seed, the savings is pretty easy to see. Hence in the end all of you will get better, cheaper, higher quality HOT STUFF from Zombie Jac!

5 Mediterranean Comfort Foods

Chicken With Orzo Pasta
Here's a hearty soup for cold afternoons. The longer it simmers, the better it tastes.


Chicken With Orzo Pasta
Ingredients
1 pound new winter potatoes, sliced
3 carrots, chopped
1 white onion, sliced
2 pieces celery, cut lengthwise and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Half rotisserie chicken, white and dark meat
1 quart water
1 quart vegetable stock
8 ounces orzo
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon red pepper powder
2 tablespoons cooking sherry
Time estimates
Prep time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Directions
Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed cooking pot. Sauté onions and celery. Stir until onions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add dried oregano and parsley. Continue stirring until fragrant, about one minute.
Add white wine, broth and water. Toss potatoes and carrots into pot. Bring contents to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add pasta. Cook contents for about 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Reduce heat.
Place chicken, cooking sherry and mushrooms into pot. Add salt and red pepper. Simmer until ready to serve.
Serves four

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BBQ Chicken Polenta
Stack shredded barbecued chicken on top of flying saucers of golden polenta to create a crowd-pleasing appetizer.


BBQ Chicken Polenta
Ingredients
2 ripe avocados, mashed
1 lime, juice and zest
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided equally
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons plus 4 ounces water, divided
Half red onion, diced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Half rotisserie chicken, shredded dark and white meat
1 cup barbecue sauce
18 ounce tube polenta, cut into ⅓-inch to ½-inch sections
Time estimates
Prep time: 40 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes

Directions
To make the avocado spread, combine avocados, lime, garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, sea salt and 2 teaspoons water in large bowl. Stir until the consistency is creamy, about two minutes. Set aside and chill.
To make the barbecued chicken, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in large skillet. Add onions, vinegar and sugar. Stir gently until onions turn brown, about 10 minutes. Add rotisserie chicken, 4 ounces water and barbecue sauce. Salt to taste. Simmer over low heat.
Brush each cut section of polenta with olive oil. Place sections on a contact grill and heat until rounds turn golden yellow, about 10 minutes. Remove from grill and allow polenta to cool.
Using a teaspoon, place a dab of avocado sauce and barbecued chicken on each polenta round. Serve warm.
Makes about 18 rounds

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Rosemary Oven Fries
Fries that are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle are a perfectly delicious way to warm cold fingers.


Rosemary Oven Fries
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 1/2 pounds new winter potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon sea salt
Time estimates
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
Peel, halve and quarter potatoes. Place in mixing bowl of cold water. Remove potatoes after about 10 minutes and pat dry with paper towels.
Remove water from mixing bowl. Combine potatoes with olive oil. Stir until potatoes are evenly coated.
Place potatoes on lightly coated baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and top with rosemary sprigs.
Place baking sheet on middle rack of oven, after 12 ten minutes turn baking sheet 180 degrees, from back to front. Flip fries with spatula. Cook for about 12 more minutes, or until edges of fries turn brown and the skins are crispy.
Serves 4 to 6

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Swiss Chard and Spinach Pasta
Instead of smothering pasta in heavy sauce, why not bring out the best in vegetables with olive oil and pine nuts?


Swiss Chard and Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
8 ounces fresh Swiss chard, chopped coarsely
8 ounces fresh spinach, chopped coarsely
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided evenly
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons golden raisins
8 ounces dry pasta
2 ounces Romano cheese, grated (garnish)
Time estimates
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Directions
Rinse vegetables and pat dry on paper towels. Cut off lower part of stems. With your fingers, roll leaves and chop into bite-sized sections.
Bring large pot of water to rapid boil. Toss pasta into pot. Add dash of salt and a few drops of olive oil. Cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Turn off heat. Drain contents and return pasta to pot.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large skillet. Sauté garlic over medium-high heat about two minutes.
Add remaining olive oil along with spinach and chard. Stir and reduce heat when leaves begin to wilt, two to three minutes.
Add pine nuts and raisins to frying pan. Stir gently about one minute and remove from heat.
Add contents of frying pan to pot of cooked pasta. Blend contents over low heat. Serve warm.
Serves 4

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White Beans With Sage
This is a quick-to-prepare soup, but the longer it simmers the better it tastes.

White Beans With Sage
Ingredients
2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini white beans, drained

1 28.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk
2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced
4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Half lemon, juice
2 sweet Italian sausages, cooked (Carnivores can add before serving.)
Time estimates
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes, plus 16 hours to cool

Directions
Heat olive oil in large heavy-bottomed cooking pot. Sautee carrots, onions and celery until onions turn soft, two to three minutes. Add sage and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
Add tomatoes and heat through allowing the surface to bubble, about 10 minutes.
Add beans, lemon juice and pine nuts. For best results refrigerate overnight.
Serves 4