Drying peppers in hanging batches, or ristras, are common sights in Central American markets.
Entire dried chilis are used in many spicy Chinese dishes. Crushed or ground dried pepper is a common ingredient in Mexican dishes. Red chili flakes are used on pizzas and in tangy Italian pasta sauces and salads. As a matter of fact, many different types of recipes and cuisines call for some variety of dried chili peppers. If you have an abundance of fresh chilis in your garden, you may opt to dry some for future use. Drying the in the open air or oven-drying them are both simple inexpensive options.
Instructions
1. Wear your rubber gloves while handling the chilis. Rinse them off under cold water and pat dry. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise; remove and discard the seeds.
2. Place the peppers skin-side down on clean drying screens or old sheet. Dry for six to eight hours in full sun. Cover the peppers overnight to keep insects off the peppers. Remove the covers in the morning and turn the peppers over. Dry for six to eight hours in full sun. Continue for additional days as needed until the peppers are dry and brittle to the touch, usually three to four days altogether.
3. String whole fresh peppers on sturdy wire for indoor air-drying. Wearing gloves, poke the wire through a chili pepper just under the fleshy stem cap at the top of the pepper. Continue threading the remaining peppers, leaving a little space between the peppers for air to circulate. When the strand has reached the desired size, tie off the wire to keep the peppers from falling off. Hang the bunches, or ristras, from hangers or hooks in a dry, well-ventilated barn or porch to dry. Depending on your climate, this may take three to four weeks.
4. Turn your oven on to its lowest setting to oven-dry your peppers. Prepare the chilis following the directions in Step One. Place the cut chili peppers on baking sheets in single layers. Heat them in the oven for 12 hours or overnight.
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