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Hanging to Dry

patrick

patrick

Is it possible to dry peppers by hanging them up?

I slice them a couple times lengthwise, run a thread through the stem then hang them up in a cool dry place. I just started doing this and I'd like to know if anybody has done it before. I'm worried they'll get moldy.

Thanks.
 
It all depends on the type of chile and the relative humidity. I string lots of ristras but they really need a dry area
 
The primary thing is LOTS of air flow through the hanging peppers. A fan pointed at them will help if you're doing this indoors.
 
Cayennes or long skinny peppers like that will dry fine if you just string them even without cutting them in half. The thicker peppers almost need a dehydrator or the oven. JMO
 
Hi I am a first season grower and have been doing pretty well. The problem I am running into is storage. With harvests of 40 peppers at a clip it is hard to use them all up in a timely manner. I decided it would be good to dehydrate a portion for storage and to turn into powder. So today I went to dehydrate some peppers in my oven only to be very disappointed. My oven only goes as low as 170 degrees. This gave me the push to invest in a dehydrator, so I ordered the 4 tray model of the Excalibur. In the meantime I figured I would make ristras and hang them up until the dehydrator arrived. To make a long story longer I was wondering if habaneros can be hung to dry completely being that their walls are fairly thin. I know from other posts that airflow is important but I am just saying in general. Thanks.
 
Josh,

I've got some good sized red habs that are hanging and drying quite well. I do cut slits in them to help facilitate the process. Usually four of them starting at the top and going all the way down. Good luck to you.
 
Josh said:
With harvests of 40 peppers at a clip it is hard to use them all up in a timely manner.
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What a nice problem to have! hehe:onfire:

I've made so much money this year, I'm having trouble finding ways to spend it!;)

That's another problem I wish I had......:(
 
patrick said:
Josh,

I've got some good sized red habs that are hanging and drying quite well. I do cut slits in them to help facilitate the process. Usually four of them starting at the top and going all the way down. Good luck to you.
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Awesome I think I may try that on one of the ristras and dehydrate the rest. In terms of the slits, with that many peppers does it make the room smell? Do you have to worry about any fluids leaking out? Thanks for the help.
Josh
 
NatGreenMeds said:
What a nice problem to have! hehe:onfire:

I've made so much money this year, I'm having trouble finding ways to spend it!;)

That's another problem I wish I had......:(
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Hhaha I guess next time I need to choose my words better. It hasn't been like this all summer but the past 3 harvests (I guess you would call them) I have picked 40 some peppers between 4 plants. So like 10-12 a plant I guess. It certainly makes me happy. But in regards to money, how about you just let me know if you come up with a cross that produces a money pepper plant. I could use it.
Josh
 
Josh said:
Awesome I think I may try that on one of the ristras and dehydrate the rest. In terms of the slits, with that many peppers does it make the room smell? Do you have to worry about any fluids leaking out? Thanks for the help.
Josh
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I've got them hanging in my dining/living room combo. If you sit in either room for long you do start to notice a slight aroma of pepper. I kind of like it. A couple of seeds have dropped but I haven't found any juice stains on the carpet.

The kids cats usually eat anything that hits the floor but they won't touch these. One good whiff of peppers and the cats are gone. One of the funniest thing I've ever seen.
 
patrick said:
I've got them hanging in my dining/living room combo. If you sit in either room for long you do start to notice a slight aroma of pepper. I kind of like it. A couple of seeds have dropped but I haven't found any juice stains on the carpet.

The kids cats usually eat anything that hits the floor but they won't touch these. One good whiff of peppers and the cats are gone. One of the funniest thing I've ever seen.
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Hmmm. That doesn't sound too bad. Has anyone tried it with out slicing them? Do they get moldy?
 
Not slicing them would be me last year and yes they did get moldy. Colors of the rainbow but you would have to add black too. They were nasty nasty nasty. Now that may have been caused by where I chose to hang them, in the garage where it was nice and hot and humid so slitting them probably wouldn't have worked anyway.
 
i live in a catch-22 situation...because by the time my pods have ripened here in western washington in october,, its time to be at least start a fire each night in the woodstove (depending on temp add more wood or just initial fire to take out cool). anyway, i've dried poblanos,guallios, jalapenos, and other thick walled peppers without slitting the sides and they dry fine...............thus far i've only had one cochiti and 10 or so serranos, and 2 cayenne ripen ............and those got munched pretty darn fast good luck and make sure completely dry....another bonus for me is it makes great holiday decorations---
 
patrick said:
Not slicing them would be me last year and yes they did get moldy. Colors of the rainbow but you would have to add black too. They were nasty nasty nasty. Now that may have been caused by where I chose to hang them, in the garage where it was nice and hot and humid so slitting them probably wouldn't have worked anyway.
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Right now I have them hanging from a shelf in my dinning room. With the air conditioner they should stay fairly dry. I guess we will find out.
 
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