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I am growing Apache, Jalapeno and  Cayenne for the first time and just starting to harvest them, but not sure when is the best time, and how to store them. The cayenne in particular seem to start shrivelling up if they are left on the plant to go red, but also go soft soon after harvesting. Any help appreciated, please.

Of those, I only grow Jalapeno - they go straight into the freezer.

Pasilla & Ancho I dry at the back of the AGA.

I freeze mine too - Jalapeno and cayenne. I start "harvesting" before they go red so that they produce more but gradually let more of them go red. I don't dry them. I prefer to use them fresh.

My rule of thumb is freeze `fleshy` types and dry skinny ones.

So-things like Joe`s long Cayenne get dried but `Cherry Bomb` gets  frozen

Good thinking there, Stephan!

I mince them up, cover in vinegar, and store in the fridge. Then I use a spoonful whenever I'm cooking. I just did a load from the market this afternoon.

Just to note if you do dry them the "heat" increases the longer you store them. At 2 years past harvest date they could start a fire on their own.

I didn't know this before I started drying chillis, and worst still wasn't adjusting the amount of dried chilis I added  ;D

Robert, how long do the minced chilli and vinegar keep in the fridge?

Quote from: tim on August 02, 2008, 16:17:46
Of those, I only grow Jalapeno - they go straight into the freezer.

Do you chop them or do they just go in whole?

I freeze mine whole. Once they're out of the freezer you can slice or chop them within a minute to or. They do a bit soggy when thet thaw out completely but this doesn't affect them.

Quote from: Tin Shed on August 02, 2008, 21:59:02
Robert, how long do the minced chilli and vinegar keep in the fridge?

At least six months! I've never done more than we can get through in about that time. I actually think it'll keep indefinitely as long as it doesn't dry out, in which case it goes mouldy.

That sounds an interesting alternative, Robert!  What sort of vinegar do you use? Do you simply add the chopped chillies to the cold vinegar or do you heat the vinegar first? I'm assuming you remove the seeds?

I asked a stall holder selling chilli oil how she avoided nasty bacteria. She said she just heated the chillies in the oven for 10-15 minutes before adding them to the oil.

Presumably the acidity of the vinegar would kill bacteria anyway.

I don't heat it at all; I just put the minced chillies in a jar, cover with vinegar, and top it up the next day.

When I do chilli oil, I use the dried whole chillies, plus black peppercorns, and deep fry them in the oil for a couple of minutes.

Make some chili oil. The chilies must be dry first, just boil then up in some vinegar, dry off, put into a glass bottle, pour over the oil, and leave for a week or two, shaking every few days. No mould and keeps for ages. I'm making some to sell this year.

Quote from: caroline7758 on August 02, 2008, 15:56:04
I am growing Apache, Jalapeno and  Cayenne for the first time and just starting to harvest them, but not sure when is the best time, and how to store them. The cayenne in particular seem to start shrivelling up if they are left on the plant to go red, but also go soft soon after harvesting. Any help appreciated, please.

Have you tried the Apache ones yet? I harvested mine last year around late Aug early Sept and they were pretty hot. Only tiny but packed a punch and a half! I left mine to dry out naturally and strung them up with a needle and cotton. Still using them now.

Sherry, Robert - much nicer!!

Tesco sell Jalapeno chillies sliced across and pickled in in brine.
My daughter and I love them on pizza and I intend to preserve some that way as I have so many this year, some green and some red.

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