What do I do with my chili peppers?

[Kevin Miller]

What do I do with my chili peppers?

[Mark A]

We've just pickled ours. You can use pickled chilis in all sorts of recipes and they last for ages. Search for 'Pickled Chilis' on google there are loads or recipes.

[Robin]

I freeze my habeneros and thai dragons and use them like fresh throughout the year. Slice them into stir fries, pasta etc.

Robin

[Penny Morgan]

There are many options. You can dry them by laying them out on a cookie sheet in an area that is warm and dry (a kitchen counter works well) without the direct sun hitting them (bright light is o.k.). Once they are completely dried, store them in a ziploc or glass jar and seal.

You can freeze them in ziploc bags for later use. Just throw them in whole and seal the bag. Try to get as much air out as possible. I use a straw to draw out most of the air and then seal.

You can pickle them in a vinegar solution. I just clipped an article from our local paper yesterday that talks about preserving veggies and herbs in vinegar. One of the recipes used red wine vinegar, fresh oregano, 2 peeled cloves of garlic, and 6-12 dried red chilies.

It says that after washing and patting the herbs dry, you can steep them in vinegar slowly or quickly. The slow (and more traditional) method tends to create fuller tasting vinegars. Add about 1/2 cup fresh herbs or 8 teaspoons dried herbs to a quart of cold vinegar in a bottle. Close the bottle tightly, place it in a warm location that is not in direct sunlight. Allow the mixture to steep for 2-3 weeks, shaking the bottle occasionally to stir the mix. The best vinegars to use are red or white wine vinegars. The vinegars should be used within 1 year. The more ingredients you use in the vinegar, the less acidic it becomes, which loses its power to preserve the ingredients over a long period of time. You can sprinkle the vinegar on salads, fish and meats.

[Grandpa]

Roast them, wrap for a minute or so in a damp towel to steam the skin from the chili, peel , let cool, place in a freezer bag and use as needed later. Thaw from the freezer, chop up a bit and add chopped garlic, some salt and thats it. They are so good on eggs, hamburgers, you name it. If it ain't got chili, it ain't real!

Oh, goes really well with smashed avacados & chips too - mmmmm.....

Kev> What do I do with my chili peppers?

[Pam Rudd]

When last we left our heros, on Wed, 20 Aug 2003 00:28:26 -0500, Kevin Miller scribbled:

Eat 'em!

What kind do you have?

You can stuff and grill the ones that have a large enough cavity.

Seed the peppers, and roast them just long enough to tenderize. Use 2 parts Monterey Jack, 2 parts chedder, and one part blue cheese...

Don't say eewwuuu, try the blue cheese. There's not enough to give it strong flavor.

Mix a little garlic, basil, and onion in with the cheese, stuff the pepper, and grill them just long enough to melt the cheese. Yum!

Peppers are nice sliced into stir frys, or you can make your own Mexican dishes, too.

And don't forget your non-gardening friends.

Pam

[Pam Rudd]

When last we left our heros, on 20 Aug 2003 12:02:26 GMT, [e-mail] (Frankhartx) scribbled:

What's your address?

Pam, who is at that "What was I thinking last spring!" stage of harvesting peppers.