Tacking on the end of this... I have a couple of questions and a lot of chillies). Some of mine have started to wrinkle on the plant. (I know, I should have harvested weeks ago.) Does that matter if I am going to dry them? Secondly, (and apologies if I missed this in the above) has anyone used a dehydrator? Is there any reason not to do this, as opposed to air drying? The calabrese potatoes dish looks delicious.
Afternoon @REMF33 I find that they can start to rot if you leave them on the plant too long. Snip them off with a good stem on them. I use a large embroidery needle threaded with string and string them one after the other until you have a nice string of chillies.
I've never had to use a dehydrator as I dry them strung up in the shade of the olive tree (some sun) and lots of dry wind. @Newboy They don't need "storing" in a jar - hang them in the kitchen - looks nice.
If you are in doubt - you could make a puree and freeze it into tiny pottles and then use a tip of a teaspoon in your recipes. Gentle fry or grill to remove the skins, then deseed and de stalk and mash. Important !! Wear gloves and probably a mask and glasses!!
The ones in the photo are the Padron chilli peppers. 1 in 10 is fire material. I think to do the Calabrese dish with chillies would be inedible.
That's exactly how I used to dry mine @tui34. Now in the UK, I've had to resort to hanging in the AC ( good for ripening the last reluctant ones too ) but it is a long process. I've been meaning to look into a Dehydrator as there were several mentions of posters using them for drying various things some time ago.
@philippasmith2 A gardening friend of mine in Avignon has a dehydrator and swears by it. She sent me some photos of her padrons that she dried and then blitzed. Looks like powder which I think, defeats the purpose. The Italians here, deseed the dried peppers and then fry them in really hot vegetable (not olive) oil. They puff up and crackle - then quickly on absorbant paper to drain. Crumbled over - well anything - not just pasta dishes, is just heavenly (until you get a firery one)!!
I think the airing cupboard is the best place or on or above a radiator as @NewBoy2 does. Whatever - takes weeks and weeks and weeks and ....
I move mine onto the south-facing front windowsill, where it gets too hot (because the OH likes a high heating setting in that room.) The chillies dry-out nicely on the plant because of the dry heat and the fruit-covered plants add a nice touch to the Christmas decorations.
However, the ones in the unheated conservatory do rot on the plants if left too long, so it's entirely down to the temperature and humidity of where they are growing.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Thanks! They were mostly not as wrinkly as I feared (turns out that the variety that I thought was - it's just their shape.) I ended up freezing a load. Saint Monty says you can... There will be more to crop though, and I might try drying on a string/in the dehydrator . I have done this before. Sounds like the greenhouse is not a good place for them. I might try overwintering a couple of plants. I really need to grow fewer next year, though. I don't get through that many chillis at the best of times.
Posts
I dried the chillis and placed them in a sealed jar and today I find they have grey fungus on them and they are going moldy.
I obviously didn't dry them fully.
I will know for next year.
Bother
Secondly, (and apologies if I missed this in the above) has anyone used a dehydrator? Is there any reason not to do this, as opposed to air drying?
The calabrese potatoes dish looks delicious.
I've never had to use a dehydrator as I dry them strung up in the shade of the olive tree (some sun) and lots of dry wind. @Newboy They don't need "storing" in a jar - hang them in the kitchen - looks nice.
If you are in doubt - you could make a puree and freeze it into tiny pottles and then use a tip of a teaspoon in your recipes. Gentle fry or grill to remove the skins, then deseed and de stalk and mash. Important !! Wear gloves and probably a mask and glasses!!
The ones in the photo are the Padron chilli peppers. 1 in 10 is fire material. I think to do the Calabrese dish with chillies would be inedible.
Now in the UK, I've had to resort to hanging in the AC ( good for ripening the last reluctant ones too ) but it is a long process.
I've been meaning to look into a Dehydrator as there were several mentions of posters using them for drying various things some time ago.
I think the airing cupboard is the best place or on or above a radiator as @NewBoy2 does. Whatever - takes weeks and weeks and weeks and ....
Sounds like the greenhouse is not a good place for them.
I might try overwintering a couple of plants. I really need to grow fewer next year, though. I don't get through that many chillis at the best of times.