Chillies

[Cockney_si]

Assuming my chilli plants give me plenty of chillies soon how long can I keep the chillies?

If I put them in a vacuum sealed jar would they keep longer?

I've heard you can dry them out, how do I do this?

[heathfield]

All peppers freeze wonderfully. And with chillies, they're easier to chop up still frozen that when they're defrosted. Keep for years in the freezer. In a jar they'll just go mouldy, vacuum or no vacuum.

[nickmo]

Dry them in a warm oven on a baking sheet - takes all day at the lowest oven setting - you are not coooking them!

They are ready are ready when they are brittle and 'break' when rubbed. If they have a lot of moisture in them it will take longer than a naturaly dry chili to start with...

Make a 'ristra' with them when they are dry - this is a string of peppers hung up, tied at the stalk like a string of onions. Reconstitute the dry chili in warm water or use as a dried ingredient as you wish..you can also dry ust hte seeds to use on their own as an alternative.

[andrea81]

I've tried drying them, but can't get it right, I tend to chop them up and them freeze them in little batches i.e. tablespoon. So when I need some I just take out a little batch!

[BBWCHATT]

http://www.texmextogo.com/chilipeppersfacts.ht m

To Dry Your Own Chile peppers

Tie the stems onto a sturdy piece of twine, placing chilies close together and making the strand as long as you wish. Hang in dry area with the air circulating freely around the strand. In several weeks, chilies lose their brilliant hue, changing to a deep, glistening red; they will feel smooth and dry.



http://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/chilliin fo.html

You can dry your own chillies by hanging them either in the sun if the air is dry or in an airing cupboard. For something more serious try a foil lined box with a light bulb in it, which should do the trick in a day or two.


BBWCHATT
The old lady in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

[amonty1144]

I dried them in the oven, a low heat until they are dry. Then store them in vegetable oil, I then just use the oil as it's quite fiery.
However I agree with the others, freezing is best.

[river]

Chillies dont go off that quick though just keep them in the fridge and they should be fine. I LOVE CHILLIES!!!

[society]

I also keep all my fresh chilies and habanero in the freezer. They last forever and always taste fresh.

[whiffey]

I love chillies too. Unashamedly I am not really directly answering your question, but they freeze so well. I have Jamaican Hot Chocolate Habaneros in the freezer from last year and they are still excellent. I have 4 chilli plants in the conservatory bedecked with fruits, and I put at least 4 into every weekend curry. If there are any left over (unlikely) I will just put them straight into the freezer, no need to wash or anything like that. Chillis, there is nothing quite like them.

[WendyS]

When I've dried them in the past I done so by keeping them in a brown paper bag in the airing cupboard for a couple of weeks until they've completely dried out, and I've then stored them in a glass jar with a tight lid. I still have some that I prepared in this way from 2 years ago. But they also freeze beautifully, and this is how I normally store them now. They won't store ina vacuum sealed jar until they've been completely dried, otherwise the moisture in them will cause them to rot.