Hey there,

It feels good to be writing this newsletter from a coffee shop with the spring rain coming down. In the last couple weeks, I’ve noticed that my curated online feed has been filled with spring foraging.

In 2016, I interviewed Tim Paulman ofPaulman Acre on our podcast who talked about foraging morel mushrooms that he used in a special limited edition hot sauce. So naturally whenever I learn about new foods I think:how would this ingredient work in a hot sauce?

In April of 2020, I bought fiddleheads from a local farmer, cooked them up, and the flavor bursting out of these furled fronds of young ferns was incredible! When I asked the farmer when the fiddleheads would be coming in this year, he said it’s really hard to tell when they’ll be ready, and sometimes they can only be harvested for a few days per year. 

With a food this elusive, I thought making a fiddlehead hot sauce would be a creative culinary challenge and a good way to preserve the seasonal flavor of fiddleheads. Then last week I learned about another spring herb with a short harvesting season: ramp. Yup, ramp. 

Ramp is a type of wild leek that exudes a garlic smell and can take 7 years to mature. The ramp hype is real, and I bet there's a whole community like this one dedicated to ramp and responsible harvesting.

Now that I was foraging ramp, I went all into foraging mode! I harvested stinging nettle, daylilies, and sought out the most local quality honey and mint I could find. I just finalized the recipe for this local foraged hot sauce which consists of 15 ingredients, 11 of which I have never cooked with before. 

Once I finish the sauce, I'll post the recipe on our website. I'm hoping for a unique, earthy, fresh flavor that will be loaded with natural antioxidants. Stay tuned!

With days getting warmer, salads coming into season, and people getting their grills out, I foraged some hot sauces and stories for you too!

The Craft Hot Sauce Subscription Box

We love helping people find their flavor. We'll start you off with a box of mild to medium heat sauces, get your feedback and then customize your next hot sauces. 

Cool Label Artwork

I've tasted all these hot sauces and can attest to the quality, but cool labels are the cherry on top! Check out thesehot sauces with cool labels. 

Brian's Picks

It may not be Gene's Picks (Seinfeld reference anyone?), but these are hot sauces that are in my rotation and fridge as we speak. Try some of these out for yourself!

Thanks for tuning in this month! Have a great weekend!

Cheers,

Brian