preservation First attempt at drying peppers...

[thebat]

So I decided to try drying some habs just so I can get the hang of it. I don't have a dehydrator so I used a fan and oven instead.

I had them on the fan for 3 days and they wouldn't fully dry... So I popped em in the oven at 170 for 4 hours and they weren't fully dry. I got impatient and cranked it up to 200 for 2 hours and this is how they turned out.

Crushed em up by hand in a bag first

Then popped em in my newly bought (not even 30 minutes ago) Mr. Coffee coffee grinder.
This is what I ended with

Now I don't even like the flavor of orange habs but wanted to try my hand at it before I did it with my super hots.

 

[salsalady]

WellDone! You got all the basics and mission accomplished! Nice looking powder consistency. Color is a little dark because of the heat, but what the heck, it's your first time! Most chiles hold their color better and don't turn dark when dried at around 100-105F. Hard to get that in an oven, though.


Remember to keep that grinder in a separate cupboard from your regular grinder.

 

[thebat]

WellDone! You got all the basics and mission accomplished! Nice looking powder consistency. Color is a little dark because of the heat, but what the heck, it's your first time! Most chiles hold their color better and don't turn dark when dried at around 100-105F. Hard to get that in an oven, though.


Remember to keep that grinder in a separate cupboard from your regular grinder.

Yeah, it only goes down to 170 sadly so I'll buy a dehydrator later on!

 

[silva83tj]

cool! nice job, think this will be next project i tackle

 

[salsalady]

Keep an eye out on craigslist and at the 2nd hand stores for a dehydrator. If you get to know the clerks, give them your number and ask then to call you when one comes in.

 

[sicman]

ha,we making orange hab powder as i type,had to take break cause of the fumes. but your candy is looking dandy!!

 

[Justaguy]

Cut in half before drying to go quicker and easier.
Grab a 1/4 pint mason jar and blender, remove pitcher and put peppers in jar and then screw on base and powder with no dust cloud. That is of course only if the coffee grinder gives you a cloud.

Looking good for the 1st time. And looks aren't as important as the flavor.

 

[HopsNBarley]

Nice job there Bat
Great idea to get your "recipe" down before it counts.
Good luck with the powder!

 

[thebat]

Thanks for all the positive support everyone! I'm really glad I found this forum.

Keep an eye out on craigslist and at the 2nd hand stores for a dehydrator. If you get to know the clerks, give them your number and ask then to call you when one comes in.

I've been watching craigslist lately but haven't found a good one yet...

ha,we making orange hab powder as i type,had to take break cause of the fumes. but your candy is looking dandy!!

The fumes are really harsh. My mom has lots of parrots, actually cockatoos, 6 in all. So I had to make sure to close the kitchen door and blast the fan towards the door to get the smell outside instead of in the house! Even with the stove fan on too it wasn't enough and the kitchen smelled up a bit but the rest of the house didn't.

Cut in half before drying to go quicker and easier.
Grab a 1/4 pint mason jar and blender, remove pitcher and put peppers in jar and then screw on base and powder with no dust cloud. That is of course only if the coffee grinder gives you a cloud.

Looking good for the 1st time. And looks aren't as important as the flavor.

I actually cut almost all of them into fourths if not halves but a few sneaky guys got through and didn't get chopped at all. I don't understand how a mason jar would fit onto a blender... I've seen so many people say this but I can't picture it in my head. My coffee grinder does a great job and doesn't kick up a cloud at all!

Nice job there Bat
Great idea to get your "recipe" down before it counts.
Good luck with the powder!

Yep. My friend was confused as to why I made so much when I didn't really even want it (I'm not all that partial to the taste/smell of orange habs). So I told him, think of habs as a dollar bill, 7 pods as a 20, and tscorps/brain strains as a 50. If something happens to that dollar, say it gets torn into bits, its no big deal. I mean it's just a dollar after all. But when that 20 or 50 gets ruined and won't be accepted as legal tender than you're bummin out about it. That 20 or 50 will be the peppers I'm growing. I wanted to make sure I got the ropes before I jumped right in with a limited supply of my super hots!