Good morning! Did you know that the very first bottle of Tabasco sauce ever produced was in 1868? But the bottle shape that we all recognize wasn't introduced until 1927. The way that Tabasco is produced is actually quite fascinating. For example, the little peppers are all hand-picked on Avery Island, Louisiana, sent to Latin America where they further ripen, are ground into a mash and then sent back to Avery Island to ferment for three years in white oak barrels. These sealed barrels are topped off with a thick layer of salt which, ironically, is also produced on Avery Island since it is actually a salt dome. Only after those three years have expired are the barrels opened, the fermented mash mixed with vinegar and other ingredients and then bottled for export all over the world. By the way, one single barrel of pepper mash makes over 10,000 of the smal bottles of Tabasco sauce! Why are we telling you this? Because we have a brand new kind of Tabasco! McIlhenny Co. Tabasco Sweet and Spicy Sauce is "made for dipping, our mildest sauce is also one of the most versatile. A blend of Asian spices and Southern Louisiana peppers, SWEET & Spicy is perfect for salad dressings, glazing meats, and dipping fried shrimp or chicken."
With the holidays fast approaching, we'd like to let you know our modified store hours:
- Tuesday, December 24th - 7am-4:30pm
- Christmas Day - CLOSED
- Boxing Day - CLOSED
- December 27th-30th - 7am-6pm
- Tuesday, December 31st (NYE) - 7am-6pm
- New Year's Day - CLOSED
The Fishery Seafood market was founded in 1992 on Salt Spring Island and now operates out of Duncan, BC, as The Fishery Seafoods, Ltd. The company bills itself as "purveyors of elite gourmet seafood" and their canned seafood is only wild, never farmed. Pepper's offers a large selection of The Fishery seafood products but the latest to hit our shelves is The Fishery Wild Pacific Smoked Mussels! A rich delicacy made from fresh Pacific Salt Spring Island mussels, they have a firm flesh and a mild smoked flavour. Just in time for your holiday entertaining!
Another great item for your holiday snack table is Balderson Heritage Premium Aged 5 Year Cheddar! As per the website:
- Age: 60 months.
- Taste: Fully matured sharpness and flavour with a dry but rich, crumbly texture. Will exhibit salt granules and crystals. Sharp aroma.
- Usage: Entertaining, cheese plates, adult snacking. Ideal with full bodied red wines, port, sherry and dark beer. Best served at close to room temperature.
People drink a lot of wine. In fact, in 2018, 246 million hectolitres of wine was consumered globally. One hectolitre equals 100 litres. Between 50 and 60 million hectolitres (7-8 billion bottles) of that wine is produced in France. So yeah, it's kind of popular. All that wine means that lots of grapes are used. And one of the by-products of wine making is grapeseeds. No, we can't sell you any wine. But we can sell you something made with a by-product of all that winemaking: grapeseed oil. It's one of the healthier oils on the market, too. La Tourangelle Grapeseed Spray Oil has a light flavour and a high level of polyunsaturated fat and it can also be heated up to 450°F, so it won't smoke nearly as easily as some other oils. And because it comes in an atomizer-spray can, you can better utilize the quantity of oil for your cooking!
Last week there was MALK. This week we have Mylk. What's next, Moolk? Seriously, we have an incredible new, organic almond milk called NutMeg Mylks and it's currently available at Pepper's in Original (called The Signature) and Lavender Honey (called The Provence). Hailing from Vancouver, these beverages are hand-crafted, organic, plant-based and are not only super tasty but super nutritious. But because they're so fresh, the shelf life is relatively short, approximately 10 days. So in order to ensure that you get the longest date possible, we encourage our shopers to call our Dairy Manager, Sam, and place your orderr with him. That way, you'll get the freshest mylk possible!
If you're looking for something a little more festive then Bolthouse Farms Holiday Nog might just do the trick. It has the creamy taste of traditional egg nog, but with no artificial flavours, 55% fewer calories, and 80% less fat than the leading egg nog brand. It's only around for the holidays so make sure you get it before it's gone. Available in our Produce Department.
We're always trying our best to expand the choices of our vegan shoppers. That's why we've added new Big Mountain Foods Original Veggie Patty and Big Mountain Foods Mighty Mushroom Bites! Both are free of common allergens, gluten, soy and dairy and both are selling well! That's because they're made with a fresh medley of vegetables, herbs and spices. These products are also from Vancouver and are located in the tofu section!
You always hear about vegan mozza or vegan cheddar but what if you want to make a vegan greek salad? You need feta for that. Well, guess what? We have it! New Violife Vegan Feta is 100% vegan and plant-based made primarily with coconut oil. But a one ounce serving contains only 90 calories so you can really heap it on whatever you're using it on!
And bringing up the rear of this week's newsletter is Caboo Bamboo Bath Tissue 12 Roll. We already carry several of these tree-free, panda friendly products but now you can purchase a better value, larger pack of toilet tissue! It's a sustainable alternative to trees that's 100% biodegradable!
That's all there is for this week and that's all there is for this year! You'll have to wait until 2020 to get the next newsletter so until then enjoy yourselves, stay safe, celebrate responsibly and have a Happy New Year! From all of us at Pepper's Foods we wish you and you family the happiest of holidays!