Peppers don't feel right

[Starlight]

This year I decided to try and dry some of the sweet peppers. It is way too hot and humid to try and turn on an oven even on low heat for hours and hours.

This is my first time trying the sweets. I de-seeded them and put them on baking rakes and put out to sun dry. It's been a couple of weeks and they still are not dry like the way the hot ones dry up.

When you feel them they remind me of how it feels to try and squish a gummy bear. Is that normal or did I do something wrong and need to try again a different way.

I had read somewhere where bells could be sun dried, so I thought I would give it a try to make a powder instead of just freezing them. Is that not true? Also some look like they getting small black patches on them. Thought that might be mold so out in trash they went.

[heirloomtomaguy]

Bells are to thick for sun drying in weather with any type of humidity. Last year i tried to sun dry Carolina Reapers with the same moldy results. I freeze all the peppers i save now to use in sauce later.

[JamesL]

Have the same problem here in August.
Freeze most of them too.
You can get away with partially sun drying, but you need to cut it short and finish them in the oven.

[Father'sDaughter]

I gave up all hope of ever being able to sun dry anything around here given the humidity. I finally invested in a dehydrator a couple of years ago and now use it for so much more than just peppers.

[drew51]

Yeah dehydrators are awesome, even thick walled peppers can be dried. I would not completely dry any peppers out leave some moisture in. Mine have not become moldy. With thin hot peppers, if they look dry, but still are a little flexible, and do not snap in half, that is perfect!

[Starlight]

Thanks! I didn't think about them being thicker and the humidity. Read your posts and tossed them all in the trash. Oh well, I tried. I have more starting to ripen so those I'll freeze or maybe talk my friend in to dehydrating them for me.

Just out of curiosity is there any extra health benefits or better taste from sun dried foods. I keep seeing sun-dried on all types of packages now a days.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Thanks! I didn't think about them being thicker and the humidity. Read your posts and tossed them all in the trash. Oh well, I tried. I have more starting to ripen so those I'll freeze or maybe talk my friend in to dehydrating them for me.

Just out of curiosity is there any extra health benefits or better taste from sun dried foods. I keep seeing sun-dried on all types of packages now a days.

Sun dried is a bunch of hype and a new fad, I'm sorry I dont want to come off negative but it is.
The Italians dry the tomatoes on the plant upside down under a roof like a porch.
Some of the best peppers I have dried have been in the shade on the front porch or in the house with the AC on.
The best humidity to dry food is 60% or below.
I think 40% to 50% is about the best.
Too little humidity and drying to fast can cause what they call case hardening.
This dries out the outer layer and wont let the rest of the food dry as it traps the moisture in the food.
A properly dried thick walled pepper should feel like leather.
Sunlight can cause a decrease in Vitamin C .
I have had many many years of experience drying fruits and vegetables without and thing but the environment to do it.
You dont need to live in the desert to do it.
Air flow and pre-treatment of the product helps.
Here is a good link to help you in drying food.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...jGq7VjBiMSsnqQ

Sorry about the random statements but I felt it wast the best way to get my point across.
Most of the time people blame the environment for the failure but in reality it is the method.

I have dried okra in a box in complete darkness in the house.
The pods were still as green as the day they were picked and as hard as a rock.

Worth

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

We wait until November to dry ours. I turn them into chili powder. In years past, I tried drying them in July-October and always ended up tossing them out due to mold. There's just too much humidity here.

A couple years ago, I started using a toaster oven on cold days in November, and then grinding them in a coffee grinder. We store the powders in Kerr pint jars. It lasts a long time. The smell of the peppers slowly roasting/drying on a cold November day is wonderful.

My humidity is probably equal or more than yours. Maybe I'll try doing some right before frost comes. I have a toaster oven. Think it is one of the first toaster ovens Black and Decker ever made, but it still works.

Originally Posted by Worth1

Sun dried is a bunch of hype and a new fad, I'm sorry I dont want to come off negative but it is.
The Italians dry the tomatoes on the plant upside down under a roof like a porch.
Some of the best peppers I have dried have been in the shade on the front porch or in the house with the AC on.
The best humidity to dry food is 60% or below.
I think 40% to 50% is about the best.
Too little humidity and drying to fast can cause what they call case hardening.
This dries out the outer layer and wont let the rest of the food dry as it traps the moisture in the food.
A properly dried thick walled pepper should feel like leather.
Sunlight can cause a decrease in Vitamin C .
I have had many many years of experience drying fruits and vegetables without and thing but the environment to do it.
You dont need to live in the desert to do it.
Air flow and pre-treatment of the product helps.
Here is a good link to help you in drying food.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...jGq7VjBiMSsnqQ

Sorry about the random statements but I felt it wast the best way to get my point across.
Most of the time people blame the environment for the failure but in reality it is the method.

I have dried okra in a box in complete darkness in the house.
The pods were still as green as the day they were picked and as hard as a rock.

Worth

No problem with the random statements at all. I follow along just fine. Don't matter how thoughts come, the important thing is the learning lessons in them. Thanks for the link too.

Yep, generally if something goes wrong for me, it is my fault. Eventually I'll learn. Trial and error. Would be nice if I didn't have so many errors though.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Starlight

My humidity is probably equal or more than yours. Maybe I'll try doing some right before frost comes. I have a toaster oven. Think it is one of the first toaster ovens Black and Decker ever made, but it still works.



No problem with the random statements at all. I follow along just fine. Don't matter how thoughts come, the important thing is the learning lessons in them. Thanks for the link too.

Yep, generally if something goes wrong for me, it is my fault. Eventually I'll learn. Trial and error. Would be nice if I didn't have so many errors though.

It is human nature to talk about and show success and not talk about failure.
All we ever see is a great artists accomplishments and have no idea how many paintings they tossed out.
How can we learn from that?
This July and August where I live was hot and arid hear so why would it be that something drying would go bad?
The complete and total lack of air movement.
All failure is a success because you can find out what went wrong and learn not to do it again.
Wind helps evaporation you can put a fan on the peppers and get better results.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Worth1

It is human nature to talk about and show success and not talk about failure.
All we ever see is a great artists accomplishments and have no idea how many paintings they tossed out.
How can we learn from that?
This July and August where I live was hot and arid hear so why would it be that something drying would go bad?
The complete and total lack of air movement.
All failure is a success because you can find out what went wrong and learn not to do it again.
Wind helps evaporation you can put a fan on the peppers and get better results.

Worth

I agree Worth.

To show success is a proud moment. When you really know how to do something - the need to show it is not so important anymore. There's something about learning how - that makes us feel good inside.

There are so many things to learn about growing a garden - I'm glad I am newbie. I will be for the rest of my life.

[AlittleSalt]

We wait until November to dry ours. I turn them into chili powder. In years past, I tried drying them in July-October and always ended up tossing them out due to mold. There's just too much humidity here.

A couple years ago, I started using a toaster oven on cold days in November, and then grinding them in a coffee grinder. We store the powders in Kerr pint jars. It lasts a long time. The smell of the peppers slowly roasting/drying on a cold November day is wonderful.

[CelticFarmer]

You definitely need air movement to keep mold at bay. Also a light salt bath before drying will help pull the moisture out as well act as a preservative.

[Worth1]

I never could dry anything on the coast without using the oven.
What a horrible muggy place.

Worth

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I never could dry anything on the coast without using the oven.
What a horrible muggy place.

Worth

I'm 90 miles off the coast but the humidity most of this month has been near 100% every morning. This morning it was 99% when I went out and did a little work. The mosquitoes love it though. Back during the very dry weather we had in July and into the first two weeks of August it would get down near 70% most days which felt really dry for around here but the beans I tried to dry still molded and were leathery instead of hard and dry in spite of no rain while drying. I'll stick to buying bean seed.

Bill

[AlittleSalt]

Wow, 70% humidity feeling dry.

During the drought years (2007-2014) here in the DFW area of Texas, in August through mid September the humidity level would drop down into the teens. Of course there were burning bans and we wouldn't BBQ outside. All it would take is a spark to set the countryside ablaze. The mosquitos were very slow moving. They looked almost fuzzy instead of sleek and fast. You could effortlessly reach out and catch them in mid-flight.