Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi

Well, one of the successes for me this season has been cayenne chilli peppers grown in a hanging basket. They look fantastic and colourful in their bright red!

I have quite a few chilli's I'm not ready to use and am alittle confused about storage options.

So I'm wondering what's the best way to dry them at this time of year (they are still on the plant at the moment) I have read about hanging the peppers to dry in bundles and also using an oven to dry them out.

I've also read about freezing whole peppers, grinding them up into dried powder, this sounds like a good idea - but do you grind up seeds and all?
Also read that you can add water to a dried pepper to bring it back to life.

I'm new to cooking them too, so I really have no idea what to do. All advice is very welcome for storage or recipes!

I've just moved the chilli into a new pot and put it in my little unheated greenhouse, not sure whether it will overwinter but I thought I'd give it a fighting chance!

Thanks in advance.

Lots of people will tell you how to dry them.

However unless you actually want dried chillis for your cooking, a very easy method is to freeze them on open trays, then bag them up.

They're also very easy to use once frozen, as they chop up easily enough whilst still frozen and do so with less juice getting onto your fingers (then eyes etc!).


Colin

I agree with Colin. They're much handier frozen than dried. However, if you do want to dry them and whizz them up for chilli powder it is easily done. I use my blender and put the whole dried chillies in (minus the green stalky bit). Put a damp cloth over the hole at the top of your blender though, as the powder will come up and out and if you're doing lots it will get everywhere including in your eyes and mouth. Not nice!

In the past I've dried chillis in a brown paper bag in my airing cupboard over a couple of weeks but quite honestly, now find it less trouble to freeze them whole in bags. I've still got some in a jar I dried 3 years ago and they're OK but looking a little leathery now. I've read that you can dry them and then grind them up in a coffee grinder but apparently the dust can get everywhere, and if you don't thoroughly clean your grinder afterwards, your next morning coffee will give you mouth ulcers with bells on. However you store them, best not to use the seeds and thoroughly clean and dry your hands after handling. And certainly keep well away from your eyes. Rubbing an eyelid with hands which have just handled chopped chillis is not an experience easily forgotten.

and for the men,wash your hands before going to the loo!..S.T.

Yes,
I know someone who had an unfortunate experience when preparing a vindaloo!

I recall chopping up a Scotch Bonnet chilli and as I stuck the knife in, a small jet of chilli juice hit me in the eye. I was in agony for hours and couldn't see properly for days.

I think frozen or dried chillies are safer to use.

I love cayennes. I dry them in baskets on top of the radiator then grind them into powder (in a coffee grinder that has been given over to spices instead) as i find that is the most useful form for my use because you can add just as much as you need. Some of my cayennes are so hot i couldn't put a whole one in a dish. For chilli powder break off the top remove the seeds and grind the dried red pepper body. If you want a traditional cayenne powder i.e. hotter and paler grind the whole chilli seeds and all.

As your plant is already in a hanging basket why not grow it as a houseplant over winter and put it out again next spring. Capsicums are perennial I grow them all year round now and they do well so long as they don't get too cold.