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preservation dehydrating peppers

teamcole

teamcole

not sure if this is the right place to post this but my plants are exploding i have way too many peppers right now and was wanting to dehydrate some for later use. I have a dehydrater from walmart nothing fancy and a vacuum sealer. was wondering how long i need to dehydrate so i can vacuum seal and put in the freezer. thanks for the help.
rick.
 
I bought a dehydrator to dry peppers.... and it burns them   :(

I preheat my oven to 200, turn off the heat,  and put the halved peppers in on a cookie sheet.  Once oven temp has returned to room temperature,   I repeat until dry
 
A few years ago I had several pounds of Red Habs, I washed them and completely dried them off.  I froze them, then vacuum sealed them in 6oz packages, this way they didn't get crushed by the vacuum sealing and I had "fresh" pods whenever I wanted...
 
when you dehydrate them it depends on the peppers skins thickness my dehydrator is from wallmart to and it does a great job.
for whole ghost (thin skins)it takes me about 12 to 14 hours to dry if I split them in half it takes about 5 hours plus splitting them in half seems to keep the color. for habaneros(thicker skin) it takes about 8 to 9 hours to dry half pods. I have not dryed hole habs yet.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I still have some vac sealed in the freezer i think i will hang onto instead of throwing them away. The others are in the dehydrater and we will see what happens. thanks for the help.
 
Splitting in half is key for both dehydrating and freezing. They dry quicker and they don't get mushy.
 
I used mine from walmart worked great
Just make sure you use gloves if you plan to split in half and try to go to bathroom
 
Can all of you post your dehydrator models?
 
I have a Presto Dehydro from Wal Mart with no temp knob and would like to know if I need to trade it for a better one.
 
0007574106300_500X500.jpg
 
This will be my first year dehydrating some peppers, so this is a timely topic.
Any thoughts on storage after drying?
I was planning on just popping the dried pods (Kung Pao) into mason jars without vacuum sealing or anything.
 
(I take the seeds I want to save out first)
 
Do any "adjustments" before drying.
 
Take your seeds, smoke, roast, etc. first.
 
Peppers I want to use as peppers--I.E. sliced or in a sauce---just get washed and frozen.
 
I live in a very low humidity area, so after drying I can flake or powder and save to spice jars without worry of mold or fungus.
 
They are dry when they crack when pinched. In high humidity areas, they will start absorbing water again as soon as the heat is off---so best to seal and freeze or powder/flake and seal ASAP.
 
Anything less than a total dry runs the risk of contamination and nasties growing on them---unless frozen.
 
Newest project:
Pickled peppers.
 
Done up a bunch of cukes and had a jar left over, and just got a sfrb of SB7J's.
Still about 2 weeks before I can crack the top and see how they turned out.
 
PepperDaddler said:
Can all of you post your dehydrator models?
 
I have a Presto Dehydro from Wal Mart with no temp knob and would like to know if I need to trade it for a better one.
 
0007574106300_500X500.jpg
Click to expand...
 
 
that model works fine.  My wife bought it for me and I didn't have the heart to tell her she should have bought the one with variable temperature. It is pretty hot and can darken up yellow peppers a little but it does work and it is pretty fast too. 
 
Thank you. Got any more info from your experience with it before I open the box?
 
How long to dry usually?
Just how hot does it get?
 
If you have a wireless prob for smoking or grilling use that to figure out the temp. They all run different. As for drying time, all depends on the flesh thickness of the pod but do not be fooled, super hots can take a VERY long time. :) 
 
PepperDaddler said:
Can all of you post your dehydrator models?
 
I have a Presto Dehydro from Wal Mart with no temp knob and would like to know if I need to trade it for a better one.
 
0007574106300_500X500.jpg
Click to expand...
 
 
I use a Nesco FD-80 with four trays.
 
At 160° F, I find it takes from 48 to 96 hours to dehydrate four full trays.
 
PepperDaddler said:
Thank you. Got any more info from your experience with it before I open the box?
 
How long to dry usually?
Just how hot does it get?
Click to expand...
 
I haven't checked the temp yet but it takes me 12+ hours to dry a tray or two of ghost or TSBT peppers, lots longer for jalapenos or any whole pepper. . I'm way too impatient to wait until I have 4 trays full so it may take longer with a full load. 
 
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