Some Like It Hot--And Some Don't!

When I was around five years of age my mother acquired a quantity of hot peppers. Growing up in an era when nothing was wasted, she used them to make hot pepper relish. I made the mistake of handling some of the peppers, and to this day I can recall how my hands burned. Some hardy souls (my husband included) actually eat and enjoy (with the perspiration streaming) hot peppers--on "torch pizza", in soups, and in salsa. I don't share this taste, but I am growing hot peppers this year as deterrents for wildlife! I plan to dry and crush the pods to make pepper dust for the following uses:

• Although we enjoy all the squirrels around our property, we prefer to entertain only the birds at the bird feeders. The solution to this dilemma is to mix some cayenne pepper in with the bird seed. It doesn't harm the birds, but it does repel the squirrels.

• Pulverized dried hot pepper pods also have a reputation as a raccoon repellant. This is especially useful if you raise small patches of sweet corn. Sprinkle the pepper dust on the corn silks to protect the corn from the varmints. This year I plan to try this method on our cantaloupe. There have been several occasions in the past when raccoons have visited our melons the night before we planned to harvest. This year we hope to surprise these raiding raccoons with a little pepper dust!-- More later on whether or not this actually works.