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Storing Pepper Ideas?

C

Carito

Hello everyone. Pretty new here. Was wondering if some of you pepper masters here can give me some advice on freezing vs drying. I have frozen some in standard zipper bags usually whole and as is. I have also heard about drying them. I do have a dehydrator but am unsure how to use it to dry peppers. So I guess one of my questions other than what do you all think about freezing vs drying is if I dry them do I have to reconstitute them? If so how long? Does drying them affect the flavor compared to freezing them?

I basically put in my 1st garden this year along with about 6 types of hot peppers. It to my amazement exceeded my wildest expectations. I have okra at8.5 feet tall and tomatoe plants just as high also. All of my pepper plants have produced just as well. Can some of you please offer me some advice on storing my peppers though. I have the blanching down pat with the vegetables.

Thanks,
Carito
 
If you're on the Gulf coast, you know humidity. Being from South Carolina,I do, too. I split thick fleshed peppers for drying to prevent mold on the inside, but if you're using a dehydrator that's not always necessary.

I dry more peppers for cooking than I freeze. Frozen peppers are usually poppers. Usually when I use a whole dried pepper I crumble it into what ever I'm cooking and let the fluid in pot hydrate the flakes. When I use a frozen one, I just throw it in the pot, because it's going to be mushy. A lot of dried peppers end up as powders or flakes for seasoning.
 
Hmm ok. Do the dried peppers have less zing, flavor or hotness to them? Sorry if that seems naive, just have never used anything that has been dried before.

Yeah I am on the Gulf Coast. And oh yeah there is humidity. Was like 96% today. lol. Makes you sweat just looking out the window.

Im also guessing that if I dry them I can just store them in some tupperware bowls to use and that since they are dry I dont need to worry about moisture in the container and them molding?
 
For my 2 cents...remove the stems & throw the pods in a blender with some white & apple vinegar. Then cook them on a slow boil for a while with or without garlic, ginger, fruit or other flavors, push the mush through a sieve with the back of a spoon and bottle the sauce.
Lately I've been taking the remnants and smearing them around an earthenware bowl and baking it on a low heat to make powder.
I've tried freezing, drying, dehydrating, oil, vinegar and even sea salt crystals....but this seems to be the best method of keeping all the flavor albeit losing the texture of the original pod.
 
I strictly can or dehydrate mine. Powdered is the best way I like them. Substituting fresh dried pepper powder for cayenne, paprika, chile powder, etc. in recipes has an amazing effect on flavor.
 
i freeze all mine because at the end of the season i make sauce. it does not matter if there frozen before because they get mushy in the blender. i just pick them throw them in the smoker for a couple of hours. then throw them in a baggie and pop them in the freezer. but thats cause i am lazy.
nick
 
freezing takes up a lot of space. I like to dry but I also turn a lot of pods into sauce, especially my habasco sauce. this season I hope to make a bhut jolosco sauce also!
 
Well thanks for the ideas. After reading everything about dehydrating and some of the other posts I setup mine and started. Got one tray done. Went to Wallyworld and then got me a coffee grinder to try and grind some up. Now I got some more questions for you experts.

1) oK- so I got some ground up peppers now but not enough to store in anything larger than a salt shaker. Any recommendations on how to keep the powder from absorbing moisture and sticking or clumping? Unless you have an idea better then a salt shaker. I couldnt find anything that small that didnt have hole in the top.

2)Any thoughts on mixing anything together to make a hot pepper sprinkle for food. Maybe pepper, garlic, onion, I dunno anything like that?

Ive read some of the other posts abuot drying time and have come to the conclusion that it must be better to cut the top off and cut the peppers length wise. My Ceyannes and stuff dry pretty fast, but these other peppers which are thicker and larger are on their 3rd day of drying nonstop. Still not ready. Got it setup on 130degrees.
 
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