How to dry out hot peppers so you can same them for later??

Hey guys:
 
That's essentially it.  I have a bunch of Caralina reaper peppers I like to  save  for another day.  How do I go about drying them out ??
 
Thanks
 
Wash them
Put on disposable gloves
Cut them in half
Deseed (save seeds if you want)
Cut halves in half again
Preheat oven to 170 or however low your oven goes (up to 200 is fine)
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie tray
Put your quarters on the tray
Stick em in, keep an eye on them. They can take anywhere from 2 hours to 4. Sometimes longer.
 
cheers
 
Done = no water. Pick one up and see if it is brittle. It should crush no problem. (Reaper that is. Thick walled peppers are different.)
 
I have never seen a Ristra made with Carolina Reapers and I highly doubt it would work in New Jersey anyway. Ristras are mostly down in New Mexico where its hot and arid. You really should cut them in half, I have seen whole pods puff up like a balloon in the dehydrator, then mold. Cutting them in half and drying them skin side down allows the water to evaporate at an accelerated rate, thus preventing mold.

But by all means, make a Ristra if that floats your boat. Pics please!! LOL

7965BECC-E4B8-42FC-898A-0B9088825761.jpeg
 
Ready to pick and dry the peppers!!!  Do I pull the whole stem that the pepper is connected to off of the plant?  Or pick it right at the top of the pepper?
 
Also, once they're dried. What do I do with them?  Freeze them?  Obviously cook with them, but what to do with them to store them for future use?
 
Thanks!!!
 
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