The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Bionic on October 02, 2014, 05:32:48 pm
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My chillis have lots of fruit on them some of which I have already used and some I have frozen. For those that are going to be dried do I leave them to dry on the plant or harvest them and dry indoors?
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I would say that you pick them off and dry them.
Dry them on a tray or I have seen folk putting a needle and thread through them so you have 1 big 'chain' of them.
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Yes, cut them with a long stalk, once they've turned red but before they start to shrivel, then thread them and hang them up to dry. My son dries his in a very low oven.
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My chilli plant is in over drive at the moment and have already made three bottles of chilli oil. If I was to dry some, how do I go about doing it? I've seen methods using an oven and also using just an airing cupboard. Or is there anything else I can do with them?!
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Blondie, I am going to make chilli oil with the dried chillis. From everything I have read it you put fresh chillis in then it doesn't last very long because of the water content still in them.
I am going to make mine for christmas presents so need to dry them. Not sure if I am doing the right thing for drying but I am just leaving them in a bowl in the kitchen.
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I normally string mine up to dry, so that air gets to them from every direction and they don't touch each other.
Will have a go at making chilli oil this year too - as had a bumper harvest!
Have already made a few batches of chilli/ginger/lime and tomato jam, plus a spicy tomato chutney - any other recipe ideas?
How do you freeze chillies (and sweet peppers for that matter)?
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I just lob my chillis in a bag in the freezer, then when needed take one out, grate the required amount and return whats left to the freezer.
I have also put grated chilli into a ice cube freezer tray, added a little drop of oil and then frozen. Then just tip out the chilli oil ice cube block into the required pan when cooking.
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I just lob my chillis in a bag in the freezer, then when needed take one out, grate the required amount and return whats left to the freezer.
I have also put grated chilli into a ice cube freezer tray, added a little drop of oil and then frozen. Then just tip out the chilli oil ice cube block into the required pan when cooking.
Thanks - will try that.
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Only hot ones I grow are jalapenos. also a bumper crop this year - but I've eaten them all :innocent:
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Blondie, I am going to make chilli oil with the dried chillis. From everything I have read it you put fresh chillis in then it doesn't last very long because of the water content still in them.
I am going to make mine for christmas presents so need to dry them. Not sure if I am doing the right thing for drying but I am just leaving them in a bowl in the kitchen.
I cooked the chillis and heated the oil so I'm hoping the chillies will keep well in the oil? They fine at the moment.
I think I will try drying some chillies in the oven as my house is quite cold and damp so worried about mold growing. Thanks for all the tips.
Oh and as I type this yet more flowers are blooming on my chilli plant!
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I'm trying to make a concentrated chilli sauce by fermenting whizzed up chili's in a sugar solution , letting wild yeasts do the fermenting . I'm following advice from one of my internet friends who lives down in Texas .
Which reminds me , I have to agitate & oxygenate the must to night and again in three days .
I also have a plate of ripe chilli peppers sat on top of the combi boiler unit which is in the airing cupboard , they need turning as well .
We've kept a few chili's for eating , but , " Boy Oh boy" , even a 1/3 of small chilli pepper in the curry is very noticeable if they are chopped fine & are soft fried with the chopped onions and minced garlic before putting them into the curry's base mix
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Mine were sown late so it will be a late batch. They are being brought on indoors by a huge south facing window at the rear of the house and have only now started to bud :thumbsup:
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Here is another suggestion. A couple of dried chillies dropped into a bottle of dry sherry and left to infuse makes an additional zing to add into soup as a final drizzle. A little goes a long way !
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That sounds interesting Ghdp. I might just have to try it
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I use dried red finger chillis dropped in vodka. It doesn't matter if they're dried either as the alcohol will kill off any deterioration. Just be light on the peppers. After two years in the bottle that stuff smarts! :o
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Chilli Vodka,
I wonder what that's like if it's chilli is two years in the bottle and ice cold out the freezer .
Could this thread be the start of a chilli vodka liqueur as well ?
I bet a nip of that would warm gran & granddad up that much they'd have to send back their winter fuel payment . :roflanim:
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:roflanim:
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Sorta reminds me of pink vodka... instead of gin and bitters use vodka and peri-peri sauce....
... and stock up with soft toilet paper.
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We need a frost! Damn indoor chilli plants have been hit by greenfly :rant: I have tried a weak soapy water spray so we will see if they recover?
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Every plant in my house has had greenfly, the worse infestation I've ever seen. In the end I spread with some fly spray. Wasn't the healthiest for the plants or my lungs but so much satisfaction from seeing the buggers flee like crazy!
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My chilli plant had greenfly aswell (never had a chilli plant before) will it recover?
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chillies are pretty resilient. I don't bother keeping mine over winter or taking cuttings - too much like hard work and heating costs and wife hates houseplants.
Greenfly can usually be solved just with oil/eco washing liquid solution sprayed frequently (as in once to twice daily if really bad). My issue this year was whitefly - which really is a nightmare to shift.
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Last week I heard about a suggestion of garlic spray to deal with green fly. May be worth further research.