Preserving Cayenne Peppers

Jo:

Yes they can be frozen, I would stem/seed them first. We put japalenos in the food processor, freeze them in snack size bags. Break a chunk off to use.

I dry them whole in the oven on the lowest temp then grind them up.

We also make cayenne pepper juice - stem/seed cover with vinegar add salt and garlic to taste. Cook till very mushy. Put through food mill. Use liberally!

John!

Why get rid of the seeds? The seeds contain a lot of the flavor.

I put our hot peppers in the toaster oven and set it at 250 degrees. This let them dry slowly. Once they were crisp (and still hot), I put them in old jelly jars, screwed the lids on tight, and let the jars seal. This probably wasn't necessary -- I have stored dried peppers in paper bags for a number of years without any hint of spoilage. They got eaten by bugs one year, though.

Ray Drouillard

Ray:

Cosmetics for the sauce, the seeds make white bits that really detract from the appearance.

John!