The Toad & The Butterfly, a Blog
10 years on and better than ever
Ten years in, we're still putting up with this ridiculous fermentation process because the end result is just THAT good.
My family loves these new microbatch hot sauces
Whether you're team Midwest Spicy, team Sweet & Punchy or team Verde, we've got you covered.
Some ingredients are easy. Others are coffee.
My love of black coffee means that I just CAN'T with scorched coffee. There was no way I was going to make a coffee hot sauce that risked scorching those delicate, delicious coffee oils.
Full Sized Bottles of the Pride Pack Hot Sauces
When we bottled up the Pride Pack 🌈 Sauces we had a little bit leftover of 4 of the hot sauces. I didn't tell anyone about it because I wanted to give the Pride Pack 🌈 it's time to shine.
Corn needs hot sauce
Growing up, I always associated corn with the East Coast. I grew up in California, which has an abundance of great produce, but you can’t get corn picked just hours ago when you live in the "big city."
How many uses can you get from one jar?
Most folks buy a jar with one idea in mind. Then they discover three or four more before the jar is empty.
The Onions Are Almost Ready
Walking those fields last week reminded me that every bottle starts long before we light the smoker or pour the sauce. It starts with choosing the right varieties, healthy soil, and months of tending a crop that we'll eventually turn into hot sauce.
The farmers market mistake I never minded making
I was positive that I'd figured out the best possible ice cream sandwich.
Turns out I hadn't bought a caramel company yet.
Three new hot sauces walk into a kitchen...
My favorite thing about making new micros every month is that we're pushed to be creative on demand. Sometimes creativity comes in a flash of insight, but there is a special earned feeling to creativity that you have to build as a skill.
Your taste in caramel probably changed
These days, I still love caramel (I mean, why else would I buy a whole caramel company?). But what I want out of my caramel has changed.
Peak Season Strawberries Are Perfection
Peak season strawberries are perfect. I know that. You know that. The people standing in line at the farmers market know that. But...
The Sweet Summer Evening
Sticky fingers. Toasted marshmallows. Melted chocolate. And a drizzle of caramel before the closing graham cracker.
The most unusual microbatch hot sauce drop yet!
This month we went into the freezer and pulled out some peppers that don't always get the spotlight. Boldog Hungarian peppers. Velociraptors. Beautiful, classic cayennes.
🌈 The Best Pride Sauce Yet 🌈
When we sat down to decide what we wanted to do for Pride this year, I knew I wanted to do something different. One person suggested that we simplify things. Then another suggested we make it more complicated.
Join the hottest club
Today we're officially launching Pepper Patrons, which means you can now join the farms, peppers, experiments, and flavor obsession behind this year’s sauces.
