Homegrown Hot Sauce

by Judith Yisrael November 4, 2022

After a consistent flow of delicious spicy peppers all summer long, this good thing has come to an end. Late October, marks a time when we turn over the last of our garden beds and pull up the late blooming pepper plants that have begun to wither in the chill of cold October mornings. Our last pepper harvest did not disappoint as we ended up with about 50 lbs of seven or eight different varieties. With this many peppers on hand, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and make Homegrown Hot Sauce!

This recipe for hot sauce is basic, quick and best of all - so good! I've got this down to a science now and can now make about 5 to 6 bottles of hot sauce in literally less than 30 minutes. Maybe add on a few additional minutes to snap a few photos for IG because this is definitely one you'll want to show off.

This sauce came out ridiculously hot this year and I'm in love! Plus it makes a nice sized batch - the perfect amount to gift a few bottles for friends and family or to take along as a hostess gift.

Some of the peppers used this season include scotch bonnets, padron, yellow peru, habanero, jimmy nardello and of course jalapenos! You can use any variety of peppers you can get your hands on and while many of my peppers pack some heat, feel free to use a balance of both sweet and spicy peppers to suit your taste.

Let's get into the recipe....

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Step 1 - Select Your Peppers

We already discussed this. If you aren't growing your own, stop by your nearby farmer's market or a gardener neighbor or friend who may have more than they know what to do with. I like to start with 40 peppers of various size, colors and levels of heat. Be sure to wash them thoroughly and compost any peppers that show broken skin or signs of deterioration.

Step 2 - Slice and Dice

I recommend wearing gloves for this step especially if you are using a good amount of spicy peppers. Be sure to remove all stems and tops from your peppers and slice them lengthwise. If the peppers are small, I generally do not bother slicing them. I prefer not to remove the seeds as this is where alot of the pepper's heat is concentrated. You will also want to dice about 6 to 7 tsp of fresh garlic.

Step 3 - Boil then Simmer

Place sliced peppers, diced garlic in saucepan along with 2 cups of Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer until peppers are soft (about 7 or 8 minutes).

Step 4 - Blend

Place all ingredients from saucepan into a blender and blend. If you don't have a blender, give it a go with an immersion blender or your food processor. Be sure to blend well until all seeds and peppers are blended well. Taste. Here is where you can perfect your sauce. If you need more heat, throw in another scotch bonnet or so and blend again.

Step 5 - Skim, Bottle and/or Freeze

Okay, maybe this is three steps. I like to skim the bubbly froth off my sauce before bottling. This sauce will thicken as it stands so my favorite way to bottle is to place in a good old fashion canning jar. This hot sauce stores well in the fridge for up to two weeks. If you are making more than what you can consume in two weeks, you may store it in a freezer friendly container and freeze until needed.

So there you have it. My simple and easy hot sauce recipe in less than 30 minutes. This recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce. From here, we like to flip our hot sauce into a buffalo sauce. Its so easy. Just take 1 1/2 cups of hot sauce, 1 stick of butter, and 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce and you will have the most delicious sauce that is perfect to slather on almost anything!

Enjoy making your own sauce and comment below what you think! Have fun, take photos and be sure to give a tag on Instagram @yisraelfamilyfarm.

Enjoy!