Extending the Harvest: Drying Hot Peppers

In the late spring, summer, and early fall you will find your local farmers market full of fresh, seasonal produce. This is the time to savor these fresh flavors and celebrate the season. But what about in January when you're craving a fresh peach and buying produce at the grocery store makes you cringe. If you're interested in supporting local farms (or helping the environment, or food safety, or health, or any number of the other benefits of local food), you should seriously consider preserving the season's finest in some way. There are numerous options, from simple to complex, most of which are pretty inexpensive. For example, drying/dehydrating can be done with just a few simple household items and a little bit of patience.


My farmers market has had a ton of gorgeous hot peppers lately, so today's impulse buy was a handful of cayenne and tiburon peppers (also known as a poblano, or ancho when dried). The process is pretty simple, and after a few weeks I'll have dried peppers which can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry for a year or more. If you dry a lot of peppers at once and don't have space to store them whole, you can grind them up in food processor, blender, spice grinder, or coffee grinder. This will make flakes or a powder, depending on how long you process them for, and it can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry. I prefer to keep them whole and grind them as I need them. The flavor stays stronger when left whole, and I also have the option of rehydrating them and using them whole in soups, stews, and sauces.


Drying Hot Peppers

Materials
Hot peppers, whole, any variety
Strong thread
Needle
Pushpins/tacks
Window, preferably one that gets good sunlight






Method

1. Cut a length of thread 8-10" longer than the width of the window you are going to use. Fold the thread over a little bit on one end and tie a knot, making a loop. Thread the free end of thread through the needle.
2. Gently poke the needle through the lower part of the stem of each pepper and slide the pepper onto the thread. Continue until all the peppers are on the thread (or as many will fit on that piece of thread). Space peppers at least 1" apart.
3. Remove the needle, and fold over that end of the thread and tie a knot, to make another loop.
4. Put a pushpin or tack on either side of the window frame. Hang the thread from the pushpins by the loops at each end.
5. Multiple rows of peppers may be hung, as long as there is at least 1" between the bottom of the longest pepper and the top of the row below it.
6. Let peppers hang like this until thoroughly dried, at least 3 weeks, longer if you live in a humid climate.
7. Store in an airtight container whole or ground for up to 1 year.