tedln

I've been thinking about growing some heat-less habaneros next year. I was told they retain the flavor, but not the heat. I would add some jalapeno for a little heat. I love the hot stuff, but no one else in my family can handle the heat.

When I buy limes, I always go to one of the Mexican grocery stores. Their large limes are almost always priced ten for a dollar. I sometimes see the smaller key limes at twenty for a dollar. At Walmart and other grocery stores, the large limes are usually priced at three for a dollar. The pricing structure is usually the same for the large Jalapenos. I don't buy them when I have some growing in the garden, but if I want some in the winter for stuffing and baking, I will buy them. The Mexican grocery stores always have large piles of the largest jalapenos I've ever seen. I've tried to locate and grow the gigantic jalapenos in my garden, but I can't seem to even come close in size.

I've tried the bottled lemon juice in salsa instead of vinegar or fresh lime juice. I thought it was pretty good. Lime juice doesn't have quite the punch lemon juice has while vinegar always simply tastes like vinegar. I've acquired the habit of using fresh squeezed lime juice as a condiment on almost every meal we cook at home. It seems to brighten the flavors and add character to even flavorless vegetables and meats.

I watched a Latino lady in a good Mexican restaurant use lime slices in a unique way recently. Lime slices are usually served with authentic Mexican restaurant meals. She asked the server for a couple of extra slices. She then squeezed the juice over her hands and used it as a hand cleaner. I suppose it works.

Ted