From House To Home

We didn’t need all four habañero pepper plants, but that’s the way they came: in a little, pre-planted flat of four. Still, my husband happily popped them in our garden last summer, never suspecting how they’d thrive—no, take over—in our upper-Midwest plot of other well-behaved fruits and vegetables—strawberries, Italian frying peppers, cherry tomatoes, and various herbs.

When mid-July rolled around, I was thrilled that the peppers were doing so well. Soon though, it became clear that they were doing too well: we had loads and loads of habañero peppers. I gave them to neighbors and friends as fast as I could pick them and still had pails and bucketfuls. I offered our director of new media several pounds, which he gladly took, but still they were growing, so still I harvested more and more.

Our production manager here at From House To Home wisely suggested we make salsa. I love Mexican food—what a fun, yet sensible, solution. We rounded up jars, lids, and tomatoes and started early one fresh and cool Saturday morning…and found ourselves still peeling tomatoes and canning salsa the following Sunday morning at 3 a.m., wiping the steam from our tired faces. I found myself wondering why I had ever decided to plant habañero peppers.

It wasn’t until I arrived at work one morning weeks later, well on into the autumn, to find a summery, pale-pink jar of incredible habañero jelly from our director of new media that I realized why I had planted them in the first place: I could share them. In fact, I could share lots of them! And often, the fun of sharing lasted a long time and came back in delicious ways.

And that’s the secret, I think, of stretching summertime. Get outside, plant a garden, enjoy the sunshine, and try new things. Take your pick: we’ve got great ideas for “green” lawns, we’ve cooked up a hot, grilled-kabob party, and we’ve selected some “adult” soda pairings that are sure to slake your summer thirst. Share your summer with friends and family…it’ll last so much longer.

And when life gives you lots of lemons (or habañeros), make lemonade (or salsa).

From our home to yours,

Kim Malakowsky
Editor-in-Chief

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