Chili and Tabasco, dripping on my shirt....I couldn't breath...I couldn't see...I had to call a smog alert...

Our last stop in Louisiana was Avery Island and a tour through the Tabasco plant. www.tabasco.com

Ruthie and I pose outside the factory entrance.

The boys pose in the lobby, before starting the tour.

The history of this famous sauce is very interesting, as well as surprising. Interesting because it only has three ingredients in it and surprising, the process. For complete info, refer to the link above.

Inside the small plant, watching the process. This particular batch was being sent to the UK....enjoy Weezie!!

After the peppers are ground, they are placed inside these barrels which are obtained from the Jack Daniels factory (washed out really well) for a period of 3 years. The peppers have salt added and then each barrel is packed with salt on the top to keep impurities out as the peppers are fermenting. The salt, also comes from Avery island since the island is just a big ole salt mine.

Little cutsie samples they passed out to each of us. Salt and I bought some of the green pepper sauce, as that is one of our favorites.

The country store just outside the factory is FULL of gifts of every sort.... There were all kinds of samples to try, the most interesting, Tabasco ice cream and Tabasco soda pop.

We wanted to buy some Christmas presents, but there is so much to choose from, I opted to bring home a catalog and order from there when I can "study" the order.

Tomorrow on to Corpus Christi and a visit to the USS Lexington.