What to do with Cayenne Peppers

hardwaterbob · October 26, 2012

I have lots of them and I really don't know what to do with them. Ideas welcome Please ? I planted four plants and have a lot of them.

HWB

hardwaterbob · October 26, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by hardwaterbob

I have lots of them and I really don't know what to do with them. Ideas welcome Please ? I planted four plants and have around a hundred peppers. Sorry about the double post.

HWB

RayR · October 26, 2012

Make ristra's, hang them up and dry them to use later.

Redbaron · October 26, 2012

do you have a dehydrator?

KarenO · October 26, 2012

Hi there, I chop hot peppers very fine and mix with some good olive oil. freeze in a reclosable container, jar or even ziplock freezer bags. the oil doesn't freeze solid and you can scoop them out with a spoon as little or as much as you need to use in recipes just like fresh chopped hot peppers any time you like.

RayR · October 26, 2012

Nope, Cayenne's dry out pretty good just hanging them in the kitchen.

rockhound · October 27, 2012

Agreed! Dry them. Even here in middle Tennessee we string them up and since the skin is so thin they dry out just fine inside. Sewing needle with doubled thread is all you need. If the peppers are freshly picked you can pierce the cap just above the pepper, if they've been picked even a few days the stem will be drying out so put the needle thru just under the stem in the top of the pepper.

zeroma · October 27, 2012

Using Dental Floss works really well too, doesn't tangle and is suppppper easy to thread a large eyed needle, which is much easier to handle too.

I like the idea offreezing in oil too.

Worth1 · October 27, 2012

Do NOT dry in the sun, dry inside or outside in full shade or better yet in a dark place. This will preserve the color of the pepper.
Air circulation is good to have, a small fan works wonders and speeds up drying time dramatically.
If your house is air conditioned like mine it is a dehydrator too.
The humidity is much lower and you could put vents in a closet with a small fan.
Some of the larger computer fans work great they use very little electricity and are quiet.
And they already have mounting holes.
You would then put another vent in it for air to come in or out.
Since moisture laden air is heavier the outtake should be on the bottom and the intake on the top.
The upper intake vent can have a small hepa filter that would filter out much of the mold spores that would be undesirable in the closet.

After they are crispy dry, put them in a mason jar and store in dark cool place.
Or put in a blinder and chop up for flakes.
I buy peppers already dried here and make my own flakes, they are much brighter and redder than the store bought flakes.

But like others have said nothing adds that South West Flair to the house like a string of peppers for all to see.

Worth

October 26, 2012	#1
hardwaterbob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Elgin, Illinois Posts: 108	What to do with Cayenne Peppers I have lots of them and I really don't know what to do with them. Ideas welcome Please ? I planted four plants and have a lot of them. HWB

October 26, 2012	#4
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	do you have a dehydrator? __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

October 26, 2012	#3
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,474	Make ristra's, hang them up and dry them to use later.

October 26, 2012	#5
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,933	Hi there, I chop hot peppers very fine and mix with some good olive oil. freeze in a reclosable container, jar or even ziplock freezer bags. the oil doesn't freeze solid and you can scoop them out with a spoon as little or as much as you need to use in recipes just like fresh chopped hot peppers any time you like.

October 27, 2012	#7
rockhound Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Tennessee Posts: 285	Agreed! Dry them. Even here in middle Tennessee we string them up and since the skin is so thin they dry out just fine inside. Sewing needle with doubled thread is all you need. If the peppers are freshly picked you can pierce the cap just above the pepper, if they've been picked even a few days the stem will be drying out so put the needle thru just under the stem in the top of the pepper.

October 27, 2012	#8
zeroma Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 637	Using Dental Floss works really well too, doesn't tangle and is suppppper easy to thread a large eyed needle, which is much easier to handle too. I like the idea offreezing in oil too.

October 27, 2012	#9
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Do NOT dry in the sun, dry inside or outside in full shade or better yet in a dark place. This will preserve the color of the pepper. Air circulation is good to have, a small fan works wonders and speeds up drying time dramatically. If your house is air conditioned like mine it is a dehydrator too. The humidity is much lower and you could put vents in a closet with a small fan. Some of the larger computer fans work great they use very little electricity and are quiet. And they already have mounting holes. You would then put another vent in it for air to come in or out. Since moisture laden air is heavier the outtake should be on the bottom and the intake on the top. The upper intake vent can have a small hepa filter that would filter out much of the mold spores that would be undesirable in the closet. After they are crispy dry, put them in a mason jar and store in dark cool place. Or put in a blinder and chop up for flakes. I buy peppers already dried here and make my own flakes, they are much brighter and redder than the store bought flakes. But like others have said nothing adds that South West Flair to the house like a string of peppers for all to see. Worth