The outcome of the sauce

The Asian Plum sauce was an interesting success in canning.. well sort of.

After combining the materials for this sauce and bringing it to a boil before adding the plums the sauce had to cook in an non reactive pot. I had guessed right that a 6 quart pot would be just the thing.

The jalapanos (2) had a real kick to them. I had forgotten the the fresher they are the more powerful they could be. I cut into them without the precautions of gloves and blistering the skins. I knew that the hottest part of the chili was in the seeds and the veins. In removing them I choked I coughed and I forgot the most important thing.. don't touch any of the your soft tissues around your mouth or your nose. My nose started to run so I touched it.. I fet the burn for more than two hours.

As it cooked down for two hours at a simmer, the house filled with the smell of onions, garlic and especially 5 spice powder. By the time it was ready to get into the jars, it had boiled down to fill only 5 half pint containers. The sauce is tasty and has that piquant sweet and sour combination that is so hard to get without such steps.

Overall it was worth it. I think that remembering good pepper safety would have made the experience more comfortable.

Pat