Patience is a virtue and the best things are worth waiting for.
Julia Spira
To warm things up we detoured to Avery Island Louisiana to the McIlhenny Co. TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce Factory. The original Hot Sauce since 1868. We were on two minds about spending the $13.75/each for a self guided tour however we were pleasantly surprised at the value of the experience. It was extremely well done. All the staff were fabulous!
We (yes) even Jo tried the hot sauces, the BBQ sauces and the hot sauce spiked ice cream. Now some trivia for Y’all. They use honey to calm the spiciness down. Speaking from personal experience it works well!
Did you know that it takes sometimes up to 3 years or more to make a bottle of Tabasco Sauce? The Pepper mash (Peppers & Salt) is stored in large White Oak Barrels, then covered with salt and stored for up to 3 years. Then they start the rest of the process. On one of there signs their motto is “Patience is not just a virtue; it’s a job requirement.” Now I understand the motto.
We even had lunch at their restaurant and tried a shrimp Po’boy Sandwich (MASSIVE!) The Condiments are all Tabasco sauces. Jo liked their Chipotle Smoked sauce while Steve’s favorite was the Sweet and Spicy.
Included in the price of admission was the Jungle Gardens. A beautiful Botanical gardens that displayed the wonderful massive old oak trees and the flowing Spanish moss that was covering the branches. I especially liked the unique bamboo that clicked in the wind like wood chimes. Even though there were no flowers because of the season it was still very impressive place to visit.
OOPS over 3 hours later…. change of plans with no Rutherford Beach tonight. We reached to our trusty Harvest Hoss App and found Wildcat Brothers Distillery. Rum was their speciality. We tried 7 types of Rum UGH! (Jo prefers Moonshine). A Bloody Mary and a Daiquiri/Martini. This has been our favorite Harvest Host ever! Oh boy, $60 to camp for the night (a little high) but hey they threw in a bottle of rum (Steve’s Rational) 😊