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Author Topic: Chilli grow 2022  (read 21,843 times)

AI Summary
The discussion revolves around the successful cultivation of various chili pepper varieties, including habaneros, Thai, and jalapeños, with members sharing their experiences and methods for preserving their harvests. Some participants discuss challenges faced due to adverse weather conditions, while others share techniques for dehydrating and smoking their peppers to create powders for cooking. The community emphasizes the importance of ensuring that the peppers are completely dried to prevent spoilage and shares tips on optimal drying temperatures and times.

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Offline Robbo141

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Chilli grow 2022
« on: August 24, 2022, 03:14 PM »
This year has been a good one for growing here in the Chicago suburbs.  Tons of fresh veg and herbs in our raised bed planters.  As for chillies, we have a bumper crop of habaneros, Thai, Serrano, jalapeños and shishitos.  Two species of jalapeños, regular and enormous.

Chilli grow 2022

Some of the habaneros were 25g.  Way too much for me.

Chilli grow 2022

So into the dehydrator. (Yes I chose to run that in the garage for safety)

Chilli grow 2022

And now have a good amount of pure evil habanero chilli powder that smells wonderful and threateningly ominous at the same time.

Robbo




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Offline livo

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Re: Chilli grow 2022
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2022, 12:13 AM »
Great crop there mate.  I'm hoping for better success this year. The last 2 seasons have been pretty ordinary with terrible weather due to La Nina climate driver, and we are on alert for another one, which will be 3 in a row.  More rain and potential flooding for large parts of the East coast again. 

Winter has killed most of my existing plants this year and only 2 nights ago we had an Antarctic blast of cold fronts that dropped temperatures down to near freezing only a week out from Spring.  Snow in the low altitude mountain ranges all the way up to the NSW Queensland border.  Chilli plants don't like sub 10'C so they've really copped a battering.  Winter last year I had nearly 100 % survival but not this one.  I'll be starting some new seedlings over the coming weekend I hope.
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Offline Bob-A-Job

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Re: Chilli grow 2022
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2022, 03:04 AM »
Quote from: livo on August 25, 2022, 12:13 AM
Great crop there...

Seconded.

I have 9 plants at the moment (that I had to seed this year), 4 Caribbean blend, all around 3ft (1m) tall and with varying amounts of fruit so far... some were neglected and left in direct sunlight during our recent hot spells, they burnt and are now recovering but with less fruit compared to the others.  The other 5 are Habanero, like the Yellow's in your picture.  They are enjoying being in the greenhouse where the atmosphere is warmer, more humid but the sunlight is diffused (they have not burnt) but are much slower growing and have not fruited yet although they are flowering quite optimistically.

I will take some pics when there is something more to show than a few green chilli and lots of flowers, respectively.

BAJ.

P.S.
I still have some 'Cherry Bombs' left from a couple of years ago, frozen.  I use them mainly in Chilli-con-carne (I make it in a large 5 Litre/9 Pint pan), although I only make around 10 portions at a time, they are much too strong for a Curry even if I am batch cooking.  I wonder how the potency would compare if I could have dehydrated and ground them as you have done Robbo and then kept airtight for up to 2 years. Intriguing!
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Offline Robbo141

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Re: Chilli grow 2022
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2022, 03:46 PM »
We always get way more fruit than I can use fresh. Freezing is a good option although the larger chillies take up a lot of room when you've got several dozen.  An alternative to dehydration is to smoke them then just keep in airtight containers or grind to powder. I call my smoked habanero chilli powder Volcano Dust. It's great in chilli con carne.  My freezer is never without a Tupperware box of Thai chillies too and this season we'll have a couple hundred to harvest.
To use up some of the fresh peppers, yesterday I made jalapeño lime beef jerky. Lovely.

Robbo
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Offline Robbo141

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Re: Chilli grow 2022
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2022, 04:22 PM »
This Thai plant is the gift that keeps on giving.
Chilli grow 2022

Tiny little hot buggers are lovely. We've only grown the typical longer version in the past but this little plant is the Ornamental Thai and the fruit are smaller.  Lovely little thing and a definite repeat next year.  Worth a try if you can get the seeds.
Robbo
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Offline livo

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Re: Chilli grow 2022
« Reply #5 on: September 06, 2022, 01:52 AM »
I have those. My oldest bush is now about 7 years old but hasn't come back well from the pruning my wife gave it last year.  It was over 1.5 m tall before she cut it. I've a few more down back that appear to have survived winter.  Very hardy plants and when I take chillis to the local Indian Grocer, they are his favourites.
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Offline tempest63

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Re: Chilli grow 2022
« Reply #6 on: September 06, 2022, 08:32 PM »
Quote from: Robbo141 on August 24, 2022, 03:14 PM
So into the dehydrator.

How long do they go into the dehydrator for?
We bought one earlier in the year to make dried beef/chicken snacks for the dogs but I have yet to delve into vegetables and drying them would free up a lot of room in my freezer.
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Offline livo

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Re: Chilli grow 2022
« Reply #7 on: September 06, 2022, 10:25 PM »
I normally go for lower temperature of 40 - 45'C and you need to keep checking as some finish quicker than others. It can take 24 - 48 hours but I've some take 3 days.
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Offline tempest63

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Re: Chilli grow 2022
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2022, 02:05 PM »
Quote from: livo on September 06, 2022, 10:25 PM
It can take 24 - 48 hours but I've some take 3 days.

That surprised me!
Beef (skirt) and chicken breasts that I dehydrate for the dogs usually takes about 8-9 hours.
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Offline livo

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Re: Chilli grow 2022
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2022, 05:13 PM »
That's low temperature T63. My dehydrater has 5 or 6 trays and I deliberately go slow to avoid cooking them at all.  You could probably do it a lot quicker by bumping the temp up to 70 or 80 'C but I haven't tried it. 

I've just found 3 sources that say to cut them in half, place them flesh side up and set temp to around 50'C / 125'F to dry them in 6-8 hours.
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