Down on the Allotment

Matron grows vegetables and fruit in a Hampshire garden. I've been growing veggies since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Some traditional varieties and old favourites as well as new ideas. I share my garden with my allotment assistant Daisy the Labrador. On Twitter as @MatronsVeggies

Monday, November 23, 2015

How to Dry Chillis

 These are the last few chillis that I have been ripening.  Now that we have just had our first frost of the year here in London, I brought these inside to dry. The two varieties I have here are Joe's Long and the wonderful Spaghetti Chillis.
 Chillis have a shiny, waxy coating that makes it difficult to dry them without access to the inside of the fruit. It is much easier to just snip open the chillis with a pair of scissors in order to speed up the drying process.
 So I lined them up on a baking sheet..in the very bottom of the oven at the coolest setting.  I had a gas temperature which showed 1/2 at the start of the dial.  So leave them at the bottom of the oven to dry out.  This may take several hours.
 When they are completely dry they will be crispy. What a gorgeous ruby colour.
 If they are not completely dry it will be difficult to dry to a chilli powder and it will not store well. If it is at all damp it will deteriorate and go mouldy in storage.
 So I snipped them into a coffee grinder
and this natural chilli powder should last me a little while. Actually I have developed a bit of a chilli habit.. so I add it to most things nowadays.

3 Comments:

At 11:50 AM, Blogger Mark Willis said...

Haha! "I have developed a bit of a chilli habit...". Confession time?? What was the length of your longest chilli, and did you submit it for the "Longest Chilli Record"?

 
At 8:09 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Hi Matron
I want to thank you for a heritage leek seeds which you kindly sent to me. I will plant them on the allotment next year. x

 
At 5:08 PM, Anonymous Julie~FurnishMyWay said...

Love this tutorial for drying chilies to make into chili powder! The pictures are great, and the instructions are easy to follow. I will have to remember to use this next time I have any sort of chili plants in my garden. Thank you for sharing!
Julie~FurnishMyWay

 

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