2025 Updates Posted on 30 Aug 13:59 , 0 comments
We did our last River Walk Market Fair for the season. We love being down at bridge square in Northfield,MN, It's September now and our peppers are starting to turn in color. I am the official pepper picker, Tom is color blind and can't tell the difference between green and red.
We've had a bumper crop this year, all because we added another fur baby to the family. What does that have to do with a bumper crop you ask? We fenced in our backyard because we now have 2 dogs running around, this has kept the deer out of our yard and from eating the tops of our pepper plants. The deer like the delicate flowers, which produce the pepper.
This year Tom and I were both sick with the summer flu when the peach truck came up from Georgia, so unfortunately we didn't get a chance to make our smoked peach habanero jam. Next year I promise.
Our next big show is the Minnesota Maker Fair at the Nicollet county Fairgrounds St.Peter, MN. This is a juried show and has thousands of people show up. All products are handmade, so it's quite interesting of a show, something for everyone. The date is October 11th, 2025.
Then we are on to the holiday kickoff season at the Rosemount High School on Nov 1st.
The saturday after Thanksgiving, we do a sip and shop at 10,000 drops distillery in Faribault,MN. This is Tom's favorite show....can you guess why? He likes their white russian cocktail.
A little about our new rescue, his name is Watson, and he is a beagle. We got him from AHeinz57 rescue organization located in Iowa. I have a friend who volunteers for them, she talked us into it, thanks Steph!
Watson loves his big sister Zoe our 10 year old beagle rescue from Last Hope, located in Farmington, MN. Yes, we are beagle and rescue people.
Your all amazing customers!
Trudi and Tom
One of my customers has called me out recently on keeping my website updated. I agree I am not very good at having regular updates.
Our Smoked peach habanero was again a big hit this year and we have sold out on the website. We made 118 jars this year and they went pretty fast, due to our repeat customers,
We do our last River Walk Market fair on August 31st. We took September and October off this year. We've gotten a little more busy around here due to our added addition to our family. We rescued another beagle, so Zoe (our other recue beagle) now has a sibling. We have forgotten what it's like to have a puppy in the house. Watson is a rescue from AHeinz57 rescue out of Iowa. I have a good friend who fosters for them and she kept showing me pictures of beagles. Thanks Steph!
We are gearing up for our next 2 biggest craft fairs. October 12th, we do the Maker Fair Minnesota it is all handcrafted artisans, held at the Nicollet County Fairgrounds in St.Peter,MN 9-4
Then we have the Rosemount High School in Rosemount MN on Nov 2nd. 9-3
It's been a wet rainy summer in Minnesota, which is not exactly pepper weather, we have peppers, but not as good as last year. The deer are killing us this year! We've tried pepper spray, deer spray and chicken wire over the tops of our beds. We are seriously considering fencing in our backyard for next year.
Spread the love of ghost pepper sauce.
Trudi and Tom-the pepper people.
What a great day it was at MN maker fair, down in St .Peter, MN . We had such a great turn out. I sampled over 900 customers. We look forward to this show every year. It's very well organized and has nice wide aisles for everyone. What I love about this show is that all products have to be handmade by the vendor! See you next October. Ps, we have been in building B for the last few years, same spot.
Love Coffee? Posted on 26 Jan 10:31 , 0 comments
Tim and Sarah are the owners of a fabulous coffee shop called BlueNose located in Farmington, MN. They got in touch with me to collaborate their love of my ghost pepper sauce and their love of coffee.
I came up with a coffee jam, that they use exclusively in their coffee shop. It's called Java Jam. If you love my ghost pepper sauce you will love this jam. It's based of my recipe with a few tweaks and features a hint of coffee flavor. It's only sold and used in the BlueNose coffee shop.
They feature java jam blended into some of their specialty coffee's and its also used on top of their breakfast items.
For many years I have used a material with peppers printed on it, back in the day I cut out little squares of this material and topped my ghost pepper jars with it as a cute decoration. Many of our customers remember this. I no longer do this as it became really hard to cut out enough squares to keep up with sales....and to tell you the truth my hands couldn't take all that cutting, cutting, cutting!
I have aprons made out of that same material and many of you comment how cute I look and you like my theme. I have decided to build on that theme and have had custom hats made for me and for friends by https://stacyspinkmartiniboutique.com
Many of you call me "that pepper lady" so I am gradually adding the words ~the pepper people to my products, and down the road want to drop the Treats by T name altogether.
My new website will be called Gopepperpeople.com. I think this will be a little easier to remember when searching for my products.
Pictured are a couple of my high school friends, modeling the new swag. Thanks John and Paul.
I've got a new jar supplier and new lid supplier, I have switched to a straight sided jar and a gold cap with no brand on it. However when you do something like this you have to buy in bulk, can you say 4,560 jars and 6,000 lids. I had to clean out the garage so my friends and I could stack all those cases in there.
My ghost pepper sauce has traveled to Wabasha,MN and is now featured in the W at the Turning Waters B&B in Wabasha, MN.
I've been added to our local convenience store called Ziggy's, where they will pump your gas for you, this is a mom and pop shop and they like to promote local.
Like Coffee and Ice Cream? Ghost pepper sauce is now in the Cannon Belle's Coffee and Ice Cream shop(they gave me nice shelf space) in Cannon Falls,MN . These gals also make fabulous cheese and I grow the carolina reaper for their hot pepper cheese.
And lastly I have made it into Loon Liquors Distillery here in Northfield,MN, they use my ghost pepper sauce on their Charcuterie Board(meat and cheese tray).
Last day of May Posted on 31 May 07:33 , 0 comments
It's the last day of May, the pepper plants have been planted, according to last years notes we are only 6 days behind in planting. That's the thing with mother nature, you have to wait till she's ready.
This year I am growing a new pepper plant for the cooking salts I make called the Carolina Reaper. It is suppose to be hotter than the Scorpion pepper I am currently using.
It's a cool 50 degree Minnesota Morning. If calculation are right we should be picking our first red ghost pepper towards the end of August.
Aaahhh...spring in Minnesota. It's snowing here today and I am ordering ghost pepper plants. I believe in shopping local so I order my plants from Jeni at Eco-gardens in Northfield,MN. She always has good quality plants. Yes it's only March, but one has to start thinking about this years crop and pre plan. Because we had such a good crop last year, we are still able to make ghost pepper jam, through out the year. I won't have to turn away customers like years past, because we we're out of ghost peppers. There is always something to do around the house relating to the the business, cut out squares of material, order labels, watch the ads to see if jars or pectin goes on sale, make more Bogie Bites. (Bogie keeps eating up the supply...lol). Happy Spring everyone.
Trudi
Ready? Go! Posted on 16 Aug 11:42 , 0 comments
I have my first red pepper as of August 12th, they are turning a few weeks earlier than last year thanks to the beautiful weather we have had this year. Yesterday was a scorcher at 91 degrees, everyone else is miserable, but I am smiling and thinking good pepper weather. Now I just need a little patience and let a few more of the peppers turn a deep red, so I can make my first batch of the year. It won't be long now.
I have my first red pepper as of August 12th, they are turning a few weeks earlier than last year thanks to the beautiful weather we have had this year. Yesterday was a scorcher at 91 degrees, everyone else is miserable, but I am smiling and thinking good pepper weather. Now I just need a little patience and let a few more of the peppers turn a deep red, so I can make my first batch of the year. It won't be long now.