I’m not going to give you a hokey story about my pepper jelly being a guarded family secret passed down by generations dating back to the 1700s  – heck who knows what my great great Granny got up to on her coal stove!  Nor am I going to tell you that this is a family affair because it’s not.  My husband is still fast asleep when I roll out of bed at 5 a.m to get the first pot off to a rolling boil.  This is no cozy Mother/daughter deal either.  Granted my daughter did get the ball rolling on this webpage but that’s about all the bonding Pepper Patch has produced.  This is a one-woman weekend operation and that person is ME.

My story is pretty simple really and only dates back to 2007.  It’s kind of a sad story of sorts but won’t have you reaching for the Kleenex.  My pepper jelly business sprang from a hobby and developed out of bereavement.  In 2005 I started to experiment with various “Google search” pepper jelly recipes as I could not find one to buy off the shelf that suited my taste.   I tweaked hundreds of recipes till I finally perfected one that I liked.  Then in 2007 my Mummy suddenly died and that threw me for a loop.  They say when life gives you lemons you make lemonade – Well I made pepper jelly instead!

In order to keep busy and take my mind off my grief, I was making pepper jelly morning noon and night.  I’d wake at 3 a.m unable to sleep and I’d make another batch of pepper jelly.  Literally every nook and cranny of my home was stacked with pots of jelly – tables, chairs, under beds, … you name it.  I eventually gave it all away to friends and family and to my surprise they came back and demanded more.  This time they were willing to pay “any price” for it – they just “had to have it. “

That was my ‘ah-ha’ moment when I realized that I wasn’t the only one that craved spicy pepper jelly and that mass- produced store bought ones just didn’t cut it for most Caribbean palates.

I went full throttle into production; ordering 2,000 jars and labels and securing outlets that would take my product.  Then six months later local peppers went to almost CI$10 a pound and that threw me into another mode; that of a farmer.  I now have about 45 peppers bushes of varying species. I suppose you could call it farm to table but that would be stretching it!

Every weekend and all my holidays are spent tending to my backyard pepper patch and making the jelly.   It is a tedious time consuming process which is not without its unique dangers.  When crushing the peppers I have resorted to wearing a mask and snorkel so the pepper fumes don’t knock me out.  Because I do it in my kitchen the house stinks of scotch bonnet peppers all the time.  I could not begin to tell you how many times I’ve turned my back for one second and the whole pot bubbled over on the stove.   I have ruined two cook-tops in three years –very costly and messy mistakes.  It’s taken me four years of trial and error (and several divorce threats!) to get the simmer just right.

Although the cooking process can be overwhelming and the fumes from the peppers literally knock me out, I still consider it a labour of love.  I would never consider mass production.  I want people to love and enjoy it.  This is a one-woman band – one pot, one spoon.  If it was to be mass-produced it would lose that unbeatable home-made taste.   There’s pepper jelly and then there’s Pepper Patch Pepper Jelly – the difference between a Timex and a Rolex!

I have no plans on expanding or introducing new product lines right how.  I think that’s often a big mistake cottage industry people make.  Stick with one or two things you’re really good at and stop trying to be all things to all people.  Some people have suggested I add fruit or twirl processed cheese into the jelly jar… among other great ideas.  Thanks for the tips fans, but more advanced things make me a little twitchy.  I make an excellent gourmet pepper jelly – that’s it.

Some people consider the price of my jelly a tad steep but once they’ve tried it I’ve usually won a customer for life.  Or as I like to say, “I don’t have fans, I have addicts!”

Judge for yourselves….

A peek into Pepper Patch’s kitchen

Although it’s not been around long enough to be passed down from generation to generation, the creator of Pepper Patch Pepper Jelly is not forthcoming as to the process or ingredients; “Secret family recipes have to start somewhere after all,’” laughs Carol.

Carol’s kitchen kicks into high gear around 6 p.m. every Friday night.  For two hours she crushes, grinds, beats,whips and blends five locally grown peppers.  A dab of this, a pinch of that, a scoop of something else.  Masses of home grown Scotch Bonnet and Seasoning Peppers, Jamaican pimento, nutmeg, cloves, garlic, onions and other locally grown species of West Indian peppers and sweet peppers join the list of items used in this peppery obsession that is Pepper Patch’s Gourmet pepper jelly.

From there the pot is brought to a rolling boil and left to steep overnight.

Before the cock crows Carol rises to check the consistency of the pot and return it to a boil.  For five hours she hovers over the peppery delight – stirring and skimming every 15 minutes.   Consistency is the key and Carol knows just how to fine tune each batch to ensure that it earns the right to bear the Pepper Patch label.

The pectin is added at the last minute and carefully watched and agitated by hand to ensure the correct gel set. This takes another 45 minutes.

By 11 a.m the jelly is poured into cooling jugs and left to sit until a crust begins to form on the surface.  Constant stirring is then required to ensure that the peppers and seasoning are evenly distributed in the mix.  The jelly is then painstakingly poured by hand into sanitized jars and left to cool overnight.  It is now 6 p.m. Saturday and 48 large jars and 96 small jars rule the kitchen counter tops in the Hay household.

On Sunday morning Carol rises early to begin the tedious task of lidding, stickering, tagging and boxing the jelly.  Between other weekend household chores she finishes this process around 8 p.m. and the boxes are loaded into her car for Monday’s delivery.

Carol claims it’s rare to find a product you never knew you always needed!  This uniquely Caymanian product has done just that.

For more on Cayman Pepper Patch go to: http://www.caymanpepperpatch.com/index2.php#!/HOME