Traveling to The Gourmet Chili Pepper and Salsa Festival in Fredericksburg, Texas
I attended the Gourmet Chili Pepper and Salsa Festival on Saturday, at Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg, Texas. This is a small, mostly-vendor gathering, and it was hot! I mean the weather; it was 106 degrees F at two in the afternoon, with intense sun and no clouds.
Oh, the food, you ask? Lots of samples; more specifics in a bit. After you pay your $8 at the gate, you can mingle and graze as much as you want. There’s typical concession stand food for sale too, but at their prices (I thought the Alamodome was extortionate at DCI’s Southwestern Champtionships), it’s better to take your chances with the vendors.
The location for the gathering is an interesting one, and the crowd was good in spite of the heat. I’m sure it was better in the evening, especially once the stage band got going: Johnny D and the Rocket 88’s are a well-known cover band, and there’s a strong following for them here in Texas. Almost Patsy Cline played Friday night, and I hear they were really rocking the joint.
I didn’t go for the music, I went for the heat! The chile pepper heat, of course. And there was plenty to be found. Before I get to the details (in a following post), I want to mention a couple of side-tours we took first.
There are several wineries in this region of Texas; not quite like Napa Valley, say, but worth a visit in its own right. Becker Vineyards was our first stop. We have enjoyed their Port and Riesling for years, and wanted to see what else they had. We tasted several nice wines, and bought a Malbec, a Cabernet-Syrah, a dessert-quality, late-harvest Voigner called Clementine, and a 2004 Vintage Port. The people at the winery were very helpful and fun. Stop by sometime!
We also went to Das Peach House in town before going to the Festival. This is the original location of Fischer & Wieser, who make sauces, dressings, mustards and all sorts of other great condiments. We have a dozen varieties on our pantry shelf at home, and this trip we boosted our stock with several new ones: The Beverly Hillbillies brand Granny’s Peach ‘n’ Pepper Pouring’ Sauce, a bottle of Creamy Garlic & Chile Dressing, some Spicy Lime & Coriander Dressing, and a small bottle of Just Add Avocados Guacamole Starter. Plenty of zing, and we’re not even at the Festival yet!
Next Post: The actual Festival, and all the great vendors we visited . Until then,
Enjoy the (Central Texas) Heat!
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How about garlic????