THE TRINITY

Three local hot sauces were discovered at the Tierra Vegetable booth at the Ferry Plaza market in San Francisco Ca. Tierra Vegetables has been an inspiration for Chilebrown's hot sauce obsession for a very long time. Lee and her 'shoeless' brother Wayne grow and smoke peppers in Santa Rosa California. They have a commercial kitchen were they have been turning out some fiery pepper jams and hot sauces. They recently have pickled cucumbers and various other veggies. When ever a new hot sauce comes out, I am first in line. These hot sauces are seasonal and are produced in a limited number.

The Trinity consists of three sauces, 'Strawberry Latern', Roasted Green Chile, No 1' and 'Roasted Farm Blend No 1.' Today we are going to try the Strawberry Latern. The ingredients listed are Strawberries, Chiles, Vinegar and Salt. I assume this is the Latern pepper which is similar to the habanero. The color is a brownish red. It is fairly thick and coarse. There are little flecks of red. I am not sure if this is from the strawberries or peppers. A faint strawberry smell will greet your nostrils at first whiff. Now for the taste. After initial contact with your tongue, strawberries and sweetness will prepare you for the rush of heat that catches the back of your throat. This heat is not over powering. It is quite pleasant. The combination of sweet hot is surprisingly great.

I was skeptical of a sweet hot sauce. The final verdict should be tried with some food. A quick trip to the Colonel to pick up some chicken. I had two choices of chicken. (The Original or the Extra Greasy.) I chose the latter and topped them off with some onion rings. The food was devoured with great pleasure. This sauce has a one-two punch. The sweet strawberry lulls you into a calm before the storm of heat. It complimented my food and brought it to a new level. This bottle will not last long.