Heat of the Moment

For Harrison Long, it all started with a single plant.

“I was growing an habanero pepper plant in my backyard about six years ago,” he says. “When peppers started to grow, I made hot sauce with it, and I got positive feedback.”

Before long, Long was using the kitchen at Maggie’s Farm to turn out Huckle’s gourmet sauces. While there are lots of hot sauces on the market, Long says his “gives the pepper its due. Our motto is ‘flavor before fire.’ We roast the peppers and prep onions and garlic to pull those flavors out before hitting you with the heat.”

To date, Huckle’s is for sale at The Green Onion in Hamilton and Trohv in Hampden, retailing between $7 to $14 a bottle.

So why is hot sauce having a moment? Says Long, “The spiciness enhances the flavors, but it also brings in a fun element of danger.”

Paper Trail: The labels are made by artist Annie Howe of Annie Howe Paper Cuts, who hand-cuts the paper.