Here at the farm we love making our own hot sauce that we bottle and can for all through the year. Generally, I do the growing and garden planning and my super smart but very busy academic life mate does the canning and smoking. These are New Mexico heirloom chili peppers and sometimes we char, sweat in a paper bag, peel, and seal and freeze. Or we dry then smoke then grind into delish smoky paprika. Either way, every year we try about three or four different types but these are going to be part of the permanent rotation. Oh, and the chili crisp that makes everything soooo amazing- yeah we do that too. Who wants to learn to Make Chili crisp- let me know we will do a video and a live stream.

I look out and my eyes are met with the golden leaves from the Lombardy Poplars I planted as little sticks now 40 plus feet tall. The ancient poplar ( maybe a populous nigra ) or even one of the varieties that traveled with western movement from the East. It's a monster and every wind storm the huge branches come crashing down. While American arborists would have it cut down because of some of the branches showing fungus. While traveling in Japan and seeing ancient ancient ancient prunus ( flowering cherry trees) hit by typhoons, fungal growth in the branches, even a few where it seemed unreal they were alive because of the hollowing out way into the deepest part of the pith- they don't cut out their trees! The prune hard, they wrap in burlap, and the treasure the 100s of years some of these trees have existed. This big ol' sentinel has created some new sapling s around its base and I'm going to cut, root out, and continue this gorgeous gift from Mother Nature. I'm pretty sure my owls are happy we aren't into cutting out these glorious giants too!