Grow Your Own Magazine

I need to know how to preserve chilli for future use - can anyone help me.

proberly somewhere it can dry out.

Hi smee,
I made a few batches of Chilli jam with my chillies, great for adding to sauces & stews etc & easy to make; de-seed & remove the white membrane from your chillies [remember NOT to touch your eyes, that hurts ] slice or chop finely, place in a pan with an equal amount of sugar, you can also add a little ginger and garlic also chopped finely. Add an equal amount [by weight] of sugar and bring slowly to a simmer. place a saucer in the freezer and when you think the chillie syrup is thickening get the saucer out of the freezer and place half a teaspoon of syrup on it, leave for a minute or three and the push it sideways on the saucer with your finger; if it wrinkles the chillie jam is ready to be placed into a warm clean steralised jar [I use kilner] keeps for over a year in a cool dark place, makes lovely xmas pressies too

You can freeze them for future use, or you can use a needle and thread and string them together through the calyx end and hang them in a dry position eg Kitchen (Not in direct sunlight) and they will dry for future use.

You could use the search facility and type in chilli and see what you come up with as I think they have been preserved in jars before.

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get some "white vinegar" and pickle.. you will love it

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is it possible to just freeze them?

Yes Kristen you can just put them in the freezer whole, or you can prepare them for cooking first then freeze them.

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Excellent, thanks.

I dry some, freeze some and make some into tomato and chilli sweet chutney / dipping sauce (pretty similar recipe for both but one's a lot thicker than the other)

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I chop mine finely and pack into a little plastic freezer box (I suppose I could use ice cube trays) and then I freeze and simply carve of small chunks for adding to cooking - last ages

I have also packed them in vinegar before VERY VERY good.

However I have had mixed results with drying them.

I string my chillies up with cotton and hang them up in the sun to dry. looks great hung in the kitchen. Either crumble up when needed or revive in a little hot water. Make some chilli oil in nice bottles to give to relatives at xmas! so between freezing, jelly, oil and dried you will have a great supply all year.

On this line does any one have a recepie for chilli marmalade?? Have been trying to make it for 3 years with no luck

Cheers Minskey for the chilli jam recipe. I will definitely give it a go this autumn when my chillies finally go over.