Chilies

[Mattchewone]

Not sure where this might go, I've been growing green hot chillis this year and was wondering what is the best way to store them for the winter. Drying them out or something? Not really to sure how either.

Any help is much appreciated.
Thanks

 

[CWS4322]

They freeze well. You can also dry them or store them in olive oil (keep in the fridge).

 

[Mattchewone]

How do I dry them if I wished to do that?

If I was to freeze them should I put them in to freeze them?

 

[CWS4322]

I dehydrate mine--but if you don't have a dehydrator, I think you can hang them to dry. Someone else who might get up later might know--I'd have to do an Internet search.I just put mine in a ziplock bag in the freezer.

 

[Timothy]

How do I dry them if I wished to do that?

If I was to freeze them should I put them in to freeze them?

You could roast them on a BBQ if you like. Just long enough to make them have black spots. Then *sweat* them in a paper bag for 30 minutes and slip the skins off.

They freeze very well after roasting.

Or, make a relish of them and then freeze.

 

[Mattchewone]

How about a chilli sauce? What would I need to make a sauce lol I've never made a sauce.

Chilli BBQ sauce would be great!

 

[Timothy]

How about a chilli sauce? What would I need to make a sauce lol I've never made a sauce.

Chilli BBQ sauce would be great!

Sure, I have a ton of sauce recipes. I'll look for a "Chili BBQ" and post it for you.

 

[buckytom]

if the peppers are thin walled (not like a thicker bell pepper) and if you have a place in your house that's relatively warm with low humidity, simply string them up by running a thread and needle through the stem of the pepper to make a sort of stringer. they'll dry out in no time, then you can hang the stringer in your pantry or kitchen for quick use. some people even use them as a decoration.

 

[Timothy]

Here's one I think you'll like:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f76/bbq-finishing-hot-sauce-75026.html#post1053372



.

 

[Steve Kroll]

You can also make them into a condiment. Every fall I make several types of hot sauce, both fresh and fermented, and all different levels of heat. Depending on how you bottle and store it, they will easily last until the following year.

Cayenne can simply be dried and ground in a coffee mill (ideally one that's not used for coffee).

 

[buckytom]

lol steve. yeah, i bought dw a fancy coffee grinder a few years back that didn't get used much. then i used it for peppers.

it's all mine now...

 

[Steve Kroll]

Lol... I'm the proud owner of three of those grinders. One for coffee, one for flaxseeds and nuts, and one for most everything else, including chiles.

 

[Dawgluver]

Ditto for stringing. I kept a lot of Thai Hots like that. Also freeze lots of peppers.

I had two grinders, now down to one. But it's OK since my coffee maker has a built in grinder. Tried hot pepper-spice flavored coffee ONCE, and learned quickly that single purpose grinders are much better.

 

[jennyema]

Wash them. Dry them. Put them in a ziplock and freeze them.

 

[sparrowgrass]

A couple things:

Stringing them works nicely. I use a needle and dental floss (not minty!). Dental floss is really strong and won't break halfway thru the process. Watch out--the floss does pick up some heat from the peppers, so be careful about touching it.

Freezing--if you usually seed them before use, seed them before freezing. I like jalapeno poppers, and I froze some whole jalapenos. I seeded them just before I used them and they were too hot for me--the heat seemed to migrate into the flesh from the seeds and membranes with freezing. If you don't seed your peppers before use, they can be frozen very easily, no blanching needed, just toss them into a ziplock. Works for bell peppers, too.