Re: [CH] Inmates fire up sales of jail-produced hot sauce
Ted Wagner (trwagner1@yahoo.com)
Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:06:48 -0700 (PDT)
Definitely! Great stuff. Allen is a chilehead and part of a the group over at the Coast to Coast Pepper Forum.
Ted
----- Original Message ----
> From: Buffalo Sue <bflosue@earthlink.net>
> To: chile-heads@globalgarden.com
> Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 11:50:12 AM
> Subject: [CH] Inmates fire up sales of jail-produced hot sauce
>
> Anyone tried these?
>
> http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/14/florida.jailhouse.hot.sauce/index.html
>
>
> TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- Some Florida minimum-security inmates want to know: Can
> you handle the heat?
>
> Hot sauce heat, that is -- Jail House Fire Hot Sauce, cooked up by inmates at
> the Hillsborough County Jail and now offered for sale.
>
> The idea to make Jail House Fire Hot Sauce came from a Cuban former inmate who
> thought food in the big house was bland.
>
> Allen Boatman, the head of the jail's horticulture program, remembers what his
> former trusty said: "We're growing these peppers. Why don't we use them?"
>
> Peppers are grown as part of the jail's horticulture program, which is voluntary
> and offered only to minimum-security trusties. The inmates learn about growing
> plants, ornamentals, trees, herbs and vegetables -- including more than 1,200
> varieties of peppers.
>
> "I thought that was a great idea, so I started doing research on some of the
> recipes," says Boatman. The research led to a variety of hot sauces that can be
> bought for $7 a bottle at the jail in Tampa, Florida, or online at
> www.jailhousefire.org.
>
> There are three different sauces for sale:
>
> # "No Escape" -- This is the hottest of the hot, with a warning on the hot
> sauce's Web site: "It's not for the faint of stomach."
>
> # "Smoke" -- This is the sauce that inmate Marshall Deline recommends. "It's not
> as hot," Deline says, "it's more of a smoky flavor."
>
> # "Original" -- This is the favorite of customer Bill Bradley, who has used hot
> sauce on his foods for 49 years. "All three are distinctive," says Bradley, who
> considers himself somewha
ert. "The 'Smoke' is a chipotle
> type, the 'Original' has a good bite but has a little bit of a fruity taste.
> And, of course, the 'No Escape' is on fire."
>
> Coming soon is a fourth sauce: Misdemeanor.
>
> Orders for the Jail House Fire sauces have come in from as far away as Germany,
> England and even Australia.
>
> The inmates make no money from this product. The money goes back into an inmate
> fund that pays for things like the greenhouse where the peppers are grown.
>
> The horticulture program pays for itself, says Boatman, so no taxpayer money is
> used.
>
> Several times a year the program hosts a sale of its ornamentals, shrubs and
> trees, and the locals turn up to support the program. The money raised is used
> to purchase necessities like fertilizer and soil.
>
> A green thumb is not the only thing that inmate and program member Deline is
> developing, he says.
>
> "We learn a lot about professionalism, respect, teamwork, ya know -- all that
> helps," Deline says.
>
> And working in the fields is good for the inmates' self-worth, Boatman says.
>
> "They actually see something growing that they've been involved in. It gives
> them a lot of sense of pride and accomplishment," says Boatman. "Possibly
> that'll give them some momentum when they are released to go and get a job and
> start being a productive member of society."
>
> Boatman doesn't just wish his trusties a good future; he gives them an
> opportunity. When the inmates are released, they are given a certificate of
> completion in vocational horticulture. This certificate comes from the school
> board, with no mention of the program behind bars.
>
> Deline hopes this will work in his favor when he starts looking for a job.
>
> "Florida is full of a lot of landscaping [and] landscaping companies, a lot of
> nursery companies," Deline says. "Maybe I can use the experience to better
> myself in the future."