Harvesting Cayenne Peppers

[GB]

When is the correct time to harvest Cayenne peppers? I have a bunch of them that are large and green. Do I let them turn red on the plant or do I pick them when they are green and then let them turn red after being picked?

I tasted a green one the other day and it was as hot as fire.

 

[GotGarlic]

Let them turn red on the plant. I harvested a couple yesterday

 

[GB]

Thanks GG. I am glad I did not pick them yet.

 

[Uncle Bob]

They are good both ways....I pick a lot of green cayennes to eat out of hand, as well as make pepper sauce...They are very good when ripe (red)...too. I pick mostly reds in the late fall to dry, and make red pepper flakes...The dried flakes are always nice to have on hand for soups, stews, gumbo, chili, etc.

Enjoy!

 

[GB]

Thanks UB. I just picked a green one to throw into the pickles I am making.

 

[JillBurgh]

Let them turn red on the plant. I harvested a couple yesterday

That's one hot dancing pepper

 

[GotGarlic]

They are good both ways....I pick a lot of green cayennes to eat out of hand, as well as make pepper sauce...They are very good when ripe (red)...too. I pick mostly reds in the late fall to dry, and make red pepper flakes...The dried flakes are always nice to have on hand for soups, stews, gumbo, chili, etc.

Enjoy!

Hey, UB, what's your method for making red pepper flakes?

 

[Uncle Bob]

Hey, UB, what's your method for making red pepper flakes?

Late summer, and early fall after I have havested all of the green peppers that I want to make pepper sauce, and to eat, I let them start to ripen/turn red....After I pick them I string them with a needle and thread, then hang them in my shop, where it is probably 120* during the heat of the day to dry. After they are dried, I unstring them, remove any stems, and run them through the blender/food processor, and place in small jars.
Voila! "Crushed' Red Pepper Flakes!

Enjoy!

 

[GotGarlic]

Late summer, and early fall after I have havested all of the green peppers that I want to make pepper sauce, and to eat, I let them start to ripen/turn red....After I pick them I string them with a needle and thread, then hang them in my shop, where it is probably 120* during the heat of the day to dry. After they are dried, I unstring them, remove any stems, and run them through the blender/food processor, and place in small jars.
Voila! "Crushed' Red Pepper Flakes!

Enjoy!

Excellent! My sunroom gets about that warm during the day. In fact, a few years ago, we had a bumper crop of jalapenos, many of which turned red. I strung them together and dried them in there, but didn't really know what to do after that Now I know Thanks.

 

[Claire]

I grow Super Cayennes. Because of inpatience, I do harvest them green. But once they get going, I harvest them when they are red all the way to the stem end, then I string some thread on a needle and start to dry them. When winter rears its ugly head, I throw them into a food processer and make my own pepper flakes that I use the year 'round. When I'm doing this, you cannot enter the kitchen without crying. I like super cayennes rather than regular cayennes because their size makes them easier to deal with. I live in Illinois, and mine haven't turned red yet! We do always wind up with a bumper crop.

 

[Jeekinz]

I think it was Buckytom who said to pick some while they are still green to "fool" the plant into thinking it wasn't producing. I've picked alot of them and only got one red one so far. The one red one turned color in 2-3 days.

 

[sattie]

Late summer, and early fall after I have havested all of the green peppers that I want to make pepper sauce, and to eat, I let them start to ripen/turn red....After I pick them I string them with a needle and thread, then hang them in my shop, where it is probably 120* during the heat of the day to dry. After they are dried, I unstring them, remove any stems, and run them through the blender/food processor, and place in small jars.
Voila! "Crushed' Red Pepper Flakes!

Enjoy!

That is exactly what I did with last years batch. All except it hung in my kitchen away from direct sunlight. I got a new needle and thread going and about a foot of peppers on it already!!! It makes excellent pepper flakes, so much more potent than that crud you get at the store! So go easy with it at first.

 

[GrillingFool]

My 2 cayenne plants in the window are producing... someone keeps eating the
peppers as they turn red.
I didn't know a pepper would give me hiccups!

 

[jennyema]

I have a few miny ristras of dry thai red peppers in my kitchen window.

I also made chili flakes out of some of them like Bob did. very hot.

 

[Claire]

I now have a string of the super cayennes in the kitchen. I don't think we'll get as many as last year; we had a late, cool spring and already the temps are barely reaching 70, autumn is definitely in the air. What happened to global warming? Another icy winter like last and I'll defenitely consider selling this house and moving into something that doesn't require a fight to get out in the worst months.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Thanks for reminding me Miss Clair....I was up there yesterday cutting okra, and saw lots of red showing on the cayenne plants...Gotta get them off, and string um up!!

 

[Claire]

Oh, dear, I have a southerner on my hands. No one else would call me miz Claire (hey, stick that "e" on there!) For an update, I just threaded my second needle. I now have about 6 feet of super cayennes on my first thread. I HAVE managed to turn this into husband's job. I thread the needle with five or six feet of strong thread. My husband threads them on. If we are lucky and have a dry autumn, in a month or so they'll be good to go. Into the food processor after being roughly chopped. But I swear, don't come anywhere near my house when that stage is in process.

 

[dragonbomber]

I didn't know a pepper would give me hiccups!

Oh, you think those hiccups are bad, you should have seen the hiccups I got from the rice vinegar, dill, garlic powder, sea salt, dorset naga morich sauce I made up to go with my dinner. I love these peppers so much though.

 

[dragonbomber]

Thank you everyone for mentioning the sewing trick. My buddy who showed me everything else pepper planting wise said to tie them together but sewing them up in a chain sounds great. I have so many cayennes to dry it isn't even funny.