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drying Regarding dehydrating...

huntsman

huntsman

My climate is hot and fairly dry, though we are heading into the cooler months now.

I cannot afford a dehydrator, but figured I can dry on trays in my outside (warm!) Family Room. My question is this: would I need to cover the drying peppers, and protect them from flies, etc, or are these not an issue?
 
Couldn't you also just place them on a cookie sheet in the oven with a very low temperature setting? Not sure but it might work. :think:

If not, I would cover them with mosquito netting a leave them in the sunlight in your famiy room to dry out.
 
Maligator said:
Couldn't you also just place them on a cookie sheet in the oven with a very low temperature setting? Not sure but it might work. :think:
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Thats how i dried them before i got myself a dehydrator. I have a fan forced oven and turned it on to the lowest temperature and left the door open a little to allow the moisture to escape. Worked good for me.

Hippy made a dehydrator using a cardboard box with a light bulb fitted down the bottom. Seemed to work for him alright.
 
I bought a dehydrator to make jerky with. Sadly I must admit that it's still in the box :tear: However...if all goes well this year with the pepper growing; I'll bust that puppy out an put it to good use! :cool:
 
Hey, I remember that thread for Hippy's box - I'll dig it up and have another look, Nova!

Certainly drying these puppies seems to be one of the easiest aspects...maybe one day I'll learn to pickle!

Anyone feel that flies, etc, are an issue, and that it is essential to cover the pods? Maligator mentions mozzie netting, but are insects a real problem or is that just a good habit?
 
huntsman said:
Anyone feel that flies, etc, are an issue, and that it is essential to cover the pods? Maligator mentions mozzie netting, but are insects a real problem or is that just a good habit?
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The reason I mentioned it is because I'd rather not take a chance of flys, gnats or other bugs getting all over them, laying eggs, eating them or possibly causing them to rot. Raising peppers is a bit of work and I wouldn't want to chance loosing them to afore mentioned pests. Just me being cautious I guess. Let us know what you decide and how it turns out.
 
Funny how we learn to work with what has been provided. I am in the complete opposite of your environment, in the dead of winter no bugs raise their heads and are in a hibernetic state when it comes to fruit. This winter I sliced up habaneros, put them in small containers and put them on my furnance register for two days then into an old coffee grinder and voila - hab powder. You have to understand a furnance activates about every 20 minutes blowing warm air through the home's ventilation system until the desired house temperature is attained. Different story for living plants, fu@king aphids are always lurking as house hold temperatures are maintained between 65-72 C., and the moment you think you have wacked all the aphids, 2 days later and the little fu@kers are back.
 
one word for you huntsman....RISTRAS....I know it is a lot of work, but it sure does do the trick for thinner walled peppers...thicker walled peppers may be another issue though as I have found they don't work to well for me in ristras...for my personal use in the kitchen, I made three 4 foot long ristras last year out of Ristra Cayennes, Yellow Cayennes, Super Cayenne IIs...makes great pieces for the kitchen and when you need a couple, just reachout and touch someone so to speak..
 
Yeah, I'll try that for the thins, AJ - thank you.

I guess you just thread onto thin fishing line via a needle?

Maligator - I am also concerned about flies, etc, and it would be good to hear from someone who can confirm this, one way or another. ;-)

At the moment, I have tonnes of the hots, in the Habanero, Goat Pepper, Scotch Bonnet, Caribbean Red range, which are all a little chunky for Ristas I guess...My oven has died (or is at least very ill) so I might have to spread them over fly screen, which has been stretched over a wooden frame.
 
Whoa, that's a lot of work indeed!

Glad you set me right, Duffman. I guess that like many things worth doing, the preparation is far more involved than it first appears...
 
I have been drying Thai chilis for years as that is how I use most. I never saw a bug go near a chili either in the states or Thailand. As a matter of fact, I used to make ant killer from dried chili. The Thai technique is to put them in metal pans on the roof of the house. Obviously you don't do this during rainy season. After a few days, you take the chili and dry fry them in a wok very quickly before grinding. This is all about thin walled chili - don't have a clue about the chunky ones.
 
Thank you, ipreferam...er, ipreferimed, er..thanks, mate!

Yeah, checked out the link and that will definitely work. So simple...and on the plus side you need a large, strong cardboard box, so how much more motivation do you need for that plasma screen you've been eyeing...?!
 
I would use some cover for sure. I once bought chili powder and got some moths in it later on. So moths could surely place their eggs in chili. I managed to get them away, but if you really have this kind of moths in your house, you will have a real problem !

I would buy a real dehydrator. They are not too expensive (I spent about 25 Euros at a big Internet-shop beginnig with A ;) Another reason for a dehydrator is, that the chilis got much more taste being dehydrated this way, than by sun or oven.
 
Now that is interesting!

I've also had some spider webs in amongst seeds in the past so spiders are worth considering, too...

I've actually tried several stores just in case they have fairly cheap dehydrators, and none have stock at all at the moment. In fact, only the biggest one had heard of a dehydrator.
 
Perhaps you could try it at the big internet-bookstore. I got mine in europe for about 25 Euros, thats about 34 Dollars.

Btw. I found one for the US for 35 Dollars.

Mine worked very fine the last season, the dried chilis still got a very nice taste and my whole flat smelled very delicious ;)
 
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