Our Apparently Indigent Cousin

After I read Barbara’s account of Jon’s being mistaken for a homeless man (see the last post), I had two questions for him.

First, why did the neighbor, who is probably an undocumented alien, think he was homeless? He answered:

 We've been 'owned' by Trudy for 10 1/2 years. Four mornings each week I walk her, and through a couple of years ago, she and I have walked several miles in one of three directions (of her choice). Before Barbara found some more suitable 'walking' clothes (at the thrift shop), I was wearing 40 year old sweat pants (1st tour in D.C.), and a windbreaker of Dad's (which Pat & Dean had bought for him) and which had been used for many clam digging trips by many people. It may be that the Hispanics (with the chickens) thought I was homeless, because one morning the lady came out and offered me some peanut butter (two jars, actually); I took one and told her I'd get the other one later. :-)

Second, what’s the recipe for the hot pepper relish that Jon delivered to the neighbors, together with payment for their murdered chicken. Here it is:

Hot Pepper Relish:

18 red chili peppers

18 green chili peppers

15 onions

1 tblsp salt

2 1/2 cups vinegar

2 1/2 cups sugar

Put peppers & onions thru food chopper (I use mom's old meat grinder - the pepper juice which drips off the bottom I save in the fridge as a separate 'hot sauce').

Add salt, vinegar, & sugar

Bring to a boil & simmer 20 minutes

Ladle into hot, sterilized jars; seal at once

Makes 6 pints

Jon tells me that he uses whatever peppers are available, including Habaneros, Jalapenos, or Serranos. Barbara’s favorite was made with sweet banana peppers and strong yellow onions. Jon pulls the stems off, but uses the pepper seeds and all.  I have to warn that this recipe sounds like it would be hotter than blazes, and I would warn anybody handling that many peppers to wear food-handlers’ gloves during processing.  I can tell you from miserable experience that even if peppers have never bothered you before, they can burn you this time, and there is no remedy, not one of the half dozen or so that you can find on the internet, that will take away the burn, for hours, until it burns itself out.