The Toad & The Butterfly, a Blog

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."

Most folks buy a jar with one idea in mind. Then they discover three or four more before the jar is empty.

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.

I was positive that I'd figured out the best possible ice cream sandwich.

Turns out I hadn't bought a caramel company yet.

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.

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 perfect. I know that. You know that. The people standing in line at the farmers market know that. But...

Sticky fingers. Toasted marshmallows. Melted chocolate. And a drizzle of caramel before the closing graham cracker.

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.

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.

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.

It starts with a spoon and a jar. Maybe you tell yourself you are just checking the texture. Just making sure it is still as smooth as you remember.

When I made my first hot sauce back in 2010 with my now husband, I definitely didn’t picture 13+ million people watching the biggest band in the world take on the hottest sauce I’ve ever made. But here we are.

If you’re putting together your own picnic condiment kit, this sauce pulls it all together.