Re: [CH] Just about time to harvest...
Brent Thompson (brent@hplbct.hpl.hp.com)
Thu, 13 Jul 2000 15:32:17 -0700
> My Jalapenos and Cayennes are just about ready for harvesting, I want to
> dry about half of my 18 plant crop. I live in San Jose, CA and it hasn't
> been too hot over here. How do I dry 'em without getting the mold I so
> angrily remember from last year?
Jalapenos have very thick flesh, and such chiles usually mold when trying
to dry in most climates in USA. Another problem type is those chiles with
very water-impermeable skins, such as habaneros and most other C. chinense
varieties. These difficult-to-dry chiles require the use of a dehydrator
(or a smoker), for most of us, and this is best used by cutting the chiles
in half.
But cayennes and other such thin-skinned chiles should dry in open air with
no problem in San Jose (unless maybe you live very near the bay and for
some reason the humidity is much higher there than in all the rest of San
Jose). I know I have dried many cayennes just out on a counter somewhere
in my home (also in San Jose) every year since long time, including last
year. Of course, these thin-skinned types dry well in a dehydrator, too,
and MUCH faster than in air -- a speedup which has some advantages and some
disadvantages.
--- Brent