Fire In The Kitchen Datil Pepper Sauce

Yep, I made me a mess o' datil pepper sauce!  Uh huh, my fingers burned for two days cuz I thought wearing gloves was sissy.  This paper plate is holding about 1/3 of the peppers I used.  I grew these datil peppers from a plant I got at last spring's family reunion in St. Augustine.  I have some seeds from my cousin Chris that I am going to start after Christmas.

First, I wanted to keep some of the seeds, so I took the seeds out of about half of them.  I didn't want to chop up ALL the seeds, as they add too much heat to the sauce.
I mixed in all kinds of secret ingredients that I am sworn to secrecy to keep the SECRET, but have to admit, I cannot follow another person's recipe, no matter how secret it is. I have to make it my own!!  So I added this and that, and oh my my my my my, this is one batch of hot goodness!  Mark and I had a sampling of the sauce the night I cooked it on some fried fish - on my goodness gracious, meow meow, and holy toledo too!  It's some good stuff!!

Canning is new to me and I learned today after talking to my sister and searching online.  It was a breeze and I'm glad a bought a jar grabber when I bought the jars.  I used my own pots, but think if I plan to ever can again, which I am sure I will, because it was vastly enjoyable, that I MUST have a canning pot with the jar holder/lifter insert thingy.  I worried that my jars were too close to each other, the sides of the pot, and whatever.  Also, I didn't have anything to keep the jars from the bottom of the pot, so I opened up a metal vegetable steamer thing and used that.  Hey, ya do what ya gotta do!  I was pleased to fill 11-1/2 half pint jars.  It was very satisfying to hear the jar lids suck tight as they cooled, little kisses.  I got some of the cooked sauce on my fingers and am burning all over again.  Whew!  That's some hot stuff!