How to make Pepper Spray.

We have a bounteous garden this year.  I'm getting SUCH satisfaction from harvesting and canning anything I can.  One of the wonderful items that has far exceeded our expectations is the three little jalapeno plants that almost died in the last frost.  Instead of dying though... they thrived.  This would be such an amazing thing if I could actually eat any.  Turns out (when nursing) hot flavors travel through your milk where they reek havoc on poor babies tummies... not to mention the funny flavor going down.  You should have seen Lenore gaging and spitting. Well, since I'm not touching the things, Ben's been left to his own accord to consume the lot.

So on Saturday the kids decide to have a potato bar, complete with all the fixings.  Ben thinks at this point "hey, I'm gunna fry me up some peppers".  He cuts out the seeds (because he discovered for the first time recently that these are the HOTest part lol...) and thinking he's avoided all evil, he plops his jalapenos into the very hot oil waiting in the pan.  Ever heard of dry roasting??  Ever heard of pepper spray?? well let's just say, one avoids the other.  Before long that pepper had aerosolized all over the house and we had a lovely dinner on the lawn.

It was really quite funny.  Ben started hacking in the kitchen... then Tanner comes down and starts coughing.... then Rylie....  when Jocelyn joined in I must admit I was getting irritated.  I thought they were all just copying him (as they sometimes do) and I was worried they would wake the baby who was sleeping near bye.  Well when I got up (from a near bye room that wasn't effected yet) to go give them all a piece of my mind, it hit me too.  It's hard to even describe... but I know all my less than law abiding friends out there know exactly what I'm talking about.  It's a blast of nasty strait to the throat that makes you cough somthin' fierce.

So... there you have it.  How to make pepper spray.... bottling the stuff for your late night inner city walks.... ???  you've got me.  That will be another post for another day.  I'm pretty sure you can't use a hot bath... maybe the sturdy pressure canner?  lol

Oh, I almost forgot.  A funny side note.  Ben put this small bowl outside on the grass while we were eating... you know so the house could air out and all.  Well, in the middle of dinner he tells the kiddos.. "be sure you put on some veggies".  No one notices as Jocelyn grabs the bowl off the grass and dumps a big spoonful on top of her potato.  Soon we hear shrieks of hot, hot, toooooo spicy!!!  Luckily we had a tub of yogurt on hand that did the trick.  Of course, this just made Rylie and Tanner want to try a bite, after all if Jocelyn could do it so could they.  Secretly I know they just wanted some yogurt though.