Anyone here dehydrate their hot peppers ?

[Durgan]

I pick the hot peppers in the Fall and put them in the shed away from moisture. They dehydrate in about six weeks. When bone dry they are blended into a powder seeds and all. I have half a litre full from four years ago and they are so hot they are almost impossible to use. It appears my batch will keep forever. I don't grow them every year.

[Noreaster]

OKAY.......here's a followup.

Walmart delivered via Fed Express in 48 hours the Nesco FD-80, and it is AWESOME !!!

First result is better than ever expected. Dehydrated for 20 hours, at 135 degrees, 25-30 habaneros. Ground it up in our Ninja small blender, and it's about 1-2 ounces ! That's it !! Bone dry, dusty, and likely hot as HELL. Just rinsing the blender got to me. Will be VERY cautious about how much to use in our cooking !!!!

Thinking about just putting in small double ziplock bags. Should last 3-6 months at room temperature ? Anybody know ?

Now have about 15 Trinidad Scorpion Moruga going, along with banana pieces (tried one banana piece and it was TASTY !). But ran into a HUGE problem.

Opening up the Trinidads and putting into the dehydrator. After 15 minutes, had to put the dehydrator out the door on deck. OMG in heaven, could not breathe well in the kitchen. Dehydrating out there, it's likely keeping any wildlife a half-mile away.
They were OK to look at until I opened 'em, then didn't wanna look no more.
Hope they don't blow up the new appliance.

p.s. Have plenty more hot peppers to dehydrate.....anyone ever zip-lock and FREEZE ???

[Kazfam]

Yes, first time this year. My fam bought me a dehydrator for my b-day and I have dried peppers, herbs and made beef jerky (delish, btw)

I dried Malegueta peppers and on a whim (because I had so many) I dried pepperoncini (both Greek and Italian). The Malegueta peppers were small and dried fairly quickly, the pepperoncini took about twice as long. I ground them using a coffee grinder. Took the stems off but left the seeds in.

Got the dehydrator at Bed Bath & Beyond with 20% discount coupon.
Here is a picture of it - NESCO brand - wonderful machine:

[austinnhanasmom]

I bought the costco dehydrator a few weeks ago and am returning that one - motor is bad.

I ordered the excalibur 9 tray and love it. I've dried many peppers, leeks and garlic. The garlic has lost NONE of it's spice.

I smoked a bunch of peppers - sliced the bigger ones - and now am drying them. Smells amazing.

[livinonfaith]

Noreaster, I'm so glad you like the Nesco! I always feel a little funny recommending a product that I haven't had for long or compared to others. But I felt the same way you did when I first used it.

It's great, isn't it?

Now, are you going to be adventurous and try the beef jerky? My son loves the stuff, so I really should. It would certainly save money! But I just haven't had the time or inclination to add that little project to my (ever expanding and all encompassing) list. If you do and it works out, let us know!

[Noreaster]

Originally Posted by livinonfaith

Now, are you going to be adventurous and try the beef jerky? My son loves the stuff, so I really should. It would certainly save money! But I just haven't had the time or inclination to add that little project to my (ever expanding and all encompassing) list. If you do and it works out, let us know!

Well, livon.......thinkin' about it. But will have to check with my dentist FIRST !!!!!

Weather here expected to be dry through tomorrow. Have 5 pepper varieties being dehydrated OUTSIDE at moment. Will be doing tomatoes inside for maybe 6 days after that. That's a smell we can take. Will try to live with the included 4 trays.

Never figured how much fun this could be as the season ends. And to think that this Nesco product in MADE in the old USA makes me happy, too !

[DAC596]

I have a Nesco and have used it for about 5 years now, LOVE IT ! I use it for peppers and making jerky. After totally drying them I put them in Freezer double zip lock bags and just store them in my kitchen cabinet until I grind them. I've stored for up to two years in those bags. My fave is the Lemon Drop. I use a coffee grinder as well to grind them.

[Noreaster]

That's good to know......won't go bad at room temp.

Noticed that after a couple days, crisp dehydrated tomatoes in freezer bag got slightly moist and bendable.

Is there a way to keep 'em fully dry ?

[FarmerShawn]

I have a food saver vacuum sealer with an attachment that lets me vacuum seal canning jars. My dried stuff keeps nice and crisp in those. But I keep the dried tomatoes in the freezer.


There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

[Kazfam]

Yes! Nesco dehydrator with great success. Malaguetta peppers and Pepperoncini's (made a wonderful, aromatic spice I use for chili).

Highly recommend...gonna get me some paprika plants this year just for that reason.

[Noreaster]

Great ! Still can't get over how easy and useful this Dehydrator is to use.

Brought smiles from family at Christmas with LOTS of dehydrated apples and papaya. Dried with ground cinnamon, about 16 hours at 135 degrees.

AWESOME ! And a Healthy Snack. Still have plenty of dehydrated heirloom tomatoes and various hot pepper powder. Life is good !

[livinonfaith]

Just a little update on how the dehydrator has helped me lately.

At Thanksgiving, the goal was to use a bunch of figs and hot peppers I had dried this Fall. I decided to make a hot spicy jam to go over cream cheese and crackers. It also had orange peel, ginger and sugar. Turned out pretty good, sweet and spicy with a nice kick!

Then last week, after making stuffed mushrooms, there were a bunch of left over stems and mushrooms that were too small to stuff. So I sliced them up and dried them. No more wasted mushroom bits! Now I can buy mushrooms on sale and easily save them for when they are needed.

Wish I had this dehydrator years ago!

[ScottinAtlanta]

Hey, Faith, how did you un-dehydrate the figs and peppers for the jam?

[tnpeppers]

It's my trusty 9-tray Excalibur for drying my trinidad scorpion moruga, peach bhut jolokia and other hotties...works like a charm! Best to run the dehydrator outside (sheltered porch or open garage is best), and don't forget the food service gloves.

[livinonfaith]

Scott, I just put the figs in a pot with some water and boiled them until they were soft.

I did take them out once they were soft and chop them into a better consistency for preserves. (They were way too hard to chop when they were dried) As I pulled out the figs to chop them, I used a slotted spoon to drain the juice back into the pot. Didn't want to lose that good juice!

Then, once I had the chopped figs back in the juice, I added all of the other ingredients, including my dehydrated peppers, which had been ground up pretty fine. (I also added about a tablespoon of semi-finely chopped fresh red peppers, (just slightly hot) just so that there would be some pretty red bits floating around for color.)

Honestly, I was surprised how much flavor the figs retained. If you didn't know they had been dried, I don't think you would notice the difference from preserves made with fresh ones. (although I'm sure there must be some difference)

You do have to dip figs in boiling water for a brief time before you dry them because they have something on the skin that has to be broken down in order to dry well. Fortunately, I actually read the instructions for a change and saw that before I just stuck them in!