Drying Cayenne Peppers
The tomatoes are pretty much done, but the peppers are going crazy. I grow cayenne peppers and then dry them for later use. It is easy and they look pretty in the kitchen. I string them to dry and later add them whole to many of my recipes for some heat, such as soup. For a bit more heat break them in half and add them to sauces and stews. The more you crush them the hotter your dish will be. I add crushed red pepper to pizza, pasta and Asian dishes. My Great Aunt El runs them through a food processor for “homemade” crushed red pepper flakes and keeps it in a jar. Once they are completely dried you may leave them hanging or put them in a glass canister. When you go to use them simply break one off the string (it will come off easily), take off the stem and look inside to see if it is moldy. If it is moldy, toss, this happens sometimes.
Wash and dry the peppers. Wear a latex glove, thread a needle and knot at one end. Push the needle through the top of the pepper and then pull the needle out of the other side. Continue this and slide the peppers down the string as you string more peppers. My husband asked me, “why do you wear only one glove?”. The needle will have the “hot” pepper juice on it as well as the string, that’s the hand I wear the glove on. The other hand is holding the pepper and does not need a glove.
Leave room on the string to tie the ends together. Hang until they dry competley, they look pretty in the kitchen. Once dry, leave hanging or store in an canister.
