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Quote from: pyeI want to find a prolific, medium-hot, fleshy chilli to try pickling next year.

Cherry Bomb might be suitable.  I've grown them mainly for stuffing as they are quite thick-walled.  Pic of them in the Veggie Show board.

I've overwintered in the house but there isn't room for all my chillies so this year
I'm going to try over wintering some under fleece in the garage (it's too small for a car anyway).  It isn't heated but it's got a freezer which helps keep the temperature up a bit.

Pye might try Apache: it's medium hot and prolific, and being a dwarf will fit on the windowsill through the winter (if it starts dying off just cut it down to a stem about 6" and water occasionally - they usually bounce back and give an early-ish crop).

Drawback is that it's an F1 so have to buy seed to start with.

PS Finally some of my chillies - the slim cayenne (outdoor), Georgia flames (GH) and poinsettias (outdoor) - are beginning to turn red. Hope that encourages the rest of  green persuasion to change.

I know the original post was about storing chillis and one way of doing that is in ice cream - I think I've mentioned it before but chocolate chilli ice cream is to die for - well, not literally  ;D

if you would like the recipe, let me know

Ooooooooh, yes please! 

this is courtesy of sophie grigson - chocolate and chilli ice cream with orange and cinnamon sauce

300ml single cream
1 red chilli cut into halves (as hot or as mild as you like but this rx can take a hot one)
1 cinnamon stick
4 egg yolks
110g brown sugar
120g plain chocolate chopped or grated
250ml whipping cream

for the sauce

2 oranges
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
200g caster sugar

put the single cream into a pan with the chilli and cinnamon stick, bring gently to boil and draw off the heat and leave to infuse for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Bring the cream back to the boil, draw off the heat and add the chocolate - as soon as it has melted scrape it onto the egg yolk whisking constantly. Place this bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir for 5 mins. Leave to cool and take out the cinnamon stick and chilli halves (alternatively you could use a finely chopped up chilli and leave it in if you want it to stay really hot)

whip the cream and fold it into the chocolate custard - freeze in an ice cream maker or a carton in the freezer (taking out several times to stir out the ice crystals)

to make the sauce - pare the zest from the oranges, blanch in boiling water for a minute. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and place with the zest into a pan with the other cinnamon stick, cloves, sugar and 200 ml water. Stir over a moderate heat until the sugar has dissolved then boil and simmer for about 25 mins, stirring now and then, leave to cool and pour over ice cream when serving.

enjoy  :-*