How to Dry and Preserve Chilies for Later Use

Thankfully, every variety of chilli can be dried and the speediest, most reliable way to do so is in the oven. However, certain varieties will take longer than others, therefore, you should ensure that if you have grown several varieties, you should separate them when it comes to drying. As a general guide, fleshy varieties, such as Haberneros, will require longer time in the oven, compared to the finer stalks of Tabasco and Cayenne.

Long, fine varieties of chilies can be sun dried in the greenhouse or kitchen windows. You must ensure, however, that the chilies are in perfect condition prior to drying as they might begin to rot during the drying process.

During harvesting you will need to retain the stalk and calyx. Thread the stalks through loops of fishing or gardening wire, and hang in the greenhouse windows to dry. Within a few weeks the flesh of the fruits will have shriveled and it's at this point that you can either store in jars or leave them in the windows.

The moisture in the air will prevent the fruits from keeping for as long as they would've done had they been dried in the oven, however, they will keep for several months.

Should you decide to freeze some of your crop, you will discover that there are a number of ways that this can be done, ranging from using dry ice to par boiling prior to freezing. Having tried many of the techniques available, I now have two ways of freezing chillies depending on how I will later use them.

A great way to freeze chillies that will later be included in dishes such as curries, is to first blend them to a puree. After they have been blended, simply scoop the mixture into the compartments of an ice-cube tray and freeze. When you need to use them, just add one of the cubes to the dish you are cooking, you do not need to defrost as they will melt during the cooking process.

If, on the other hand, you like to add whole or chopped fruits to a dish such as salads, you can simply cut off the stalk and calyx and freeze them whole.There's no need to put them in bags, as the air that's retained in the bags often leads to the chillies becoming mushy after they've been defrosted. If freezing chillies in this way, however, it is better to chop or slice them while they are still frozen.