I strung up a bunch of jalapeno and serrano hot peppers a year or so
ago and left them to dry in my kitchen, the way you see them strung up
in pictures and movies set in Mexico or New Mexico. Except I'm in
Michigan, so it certainly wasn't as dry as NM or as hot. Probably in
the 70s and 80s for most of the time it was drying, maybe a few weeks
in the 90s. I realize it's supposed to be much hotter and dryer, or
else they should be done on some drying contraption that I'm too cheap
to buy.

They seemed to turn out okay and I've used lots of them with no
problem. I keep them in a zipped plastic bag just to be safe, although
it seems silly after leaving them hang for weeks. My question is, how
long do dried hot peppers last before I should throw them away?

Thanks!

On 7/4/2010 6:46 AM, Deidzoeb wrote:
> I strung up a bunch of jalapeno and serrano hot peppers a year or so
> ago and left them to dry in my kitchen, the way you see them strung up
> in pictures and movies set in Mexico or New Mexico. Except I'm in
> Michigan, so it certainly wasn't as dry as NM or as hot. Probably in
> the 70s and 80s for most of the time it was drying, maybe a few weeks
> in the 90s. I realize it's supposed to be much hotter and dryer, or
> else they should be done on some drying contraption that I'm too cheap
> to buy.
>
> They seemed to turn out okay and I've used lots of them with no
> problem. I keep them in a zipped plastic bag just to be safe, although
> it seems silly after leaving them hang for weeks. My question is, how
> long do dried hot peppers last before I should throw them away?
>
> Thanks!

If they aren't moldy or disintegrating you can continue to use them
until they're gone. In my experience they start losing taste after a
year though. Your mileage may vary.

George Shirley wrote:
> On 7/4/2010 6:46 AM, Deidzoeb wrote:
>> I strung up a bunch of jalapeno and serrano hot peppers a year or so
>> ago and left them to dry in my kitchen, the way you see them strung up
>> in pictures and movies set in Mexico or New Mexico. Except I'm in
>> Michigan, so it certainly wasn't as dry as NM or as hot. Probably in
>> the 70s and 80s for most of the time it was drying, maybe a few weeks
>> in the 90s. I realize it's supposed to be much hotter and dryer, or
>> else they should be done on some drying contraption that I'm too cheap
>> to buy.
>>
>> They seemed to turn out okay and I've used lots of them with no
>> problem. I keep them in a zipped plastic bag just to be safe, although
>> it seems silly after leaving them hang for weeks. My question is, how
>> long do dried hot peppers last before I should throw them away?
>>
>> Thanks!
>
> If they aren't moldy or disintegrating you can continue to use them
> until they're gone. In my experience they start losing taste after a
> year though. Your mileage may vary.


D. is in Michigan where they think bell peppers are hot.

George is right, D. You can keep them till they get moldy or lose all
flavor. You can reconstitute them in hot water or grind into hot pepper
flakes.

Next time remember you don't have to buy a fancy contraption. A very
low oven overnight does a good job of drying peppers. We usually buy a
bushel of roasted New Mexico chiles every fall, remove skins and seeds,
and freeze them in plastic bags. We hare a bushel or two with our
daughter and son's families.

gloria p

On 7/4/2010 3:04 PM, gloria.p wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>> On 7/4/2010 6:46 AM, Deidzoeb wrote:
>>> I strung up a bunch of jalapeno and serrano hot peppers a year or so
>>> ago and left them to dry in my kitchen, the way you see them strung up
>>> in pictures and movies set in Mexico or New Mexico. Except I'm in
>>> Michigan, so it certainly wasn't as dry as NM or as hot. Probably in
>>> the 70s and 80s for most of the time it was drying, maybe a few weeks
>>> in the 90s. I realize it's supposed to be much hotter and dryer, or
>>> else they should be done on some drying contraption that I'm too cheap
>>> to buy.
>>>
>>> They seemed to turn out okay and I've used lots of them with no
>>> problem. I keep them in a zipped plastic bag just to be safe, although
>>> it seems silly after leaving them hang for weeks. My question is, how
>>> long do dried hot peppers last before I should throw them away?
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>
>> If they aren't moldy or disintegrating you can continue to use them
>> until they're gone. In my experience they start losing taste after a
>> year though. Your mileage may vary.
>
>
> D. is in Michigan where they think bell peppers are hot.
>
> George is right, D. You can keep them till they get moldy or lose all
> flavor. You can reconstitute them in hot water or grind into hot pepper
> flakes.
>
> Next time remember you don't have to buy a fancy contraption. A very low
> oven overnight does a good job of drying peppers. We usually buy a
> bushel of roasted New Mexico chiles every fall, remove skins and seeds,
> and freeze them in plastic bags. We hare a bushel or two with our
> daughter and son's families.
>
> gloria p


Does the hare mind? <G>

George Shirley wrote:
> On 7/4/2010 3:04 PM, gloria.p wrote:

>>
>> Next time remember you don't have to buy a fancy contraption. A very low
>> oven overnight does a good job of drying peppers. We usually buy a
>> bushel of roasted New Mexico chiles every fall, remove skins and seeds,
>> and freeze them in plastic bags. We hare a bushel or two with our
>> daughter and son's families.
>>
>> gloria p
>
>
> Does the hare mind? <G>




Obviously I meant "share". I'm not the world's worst typist, but close!
(And you should know that, you've been reading my posts for a long time!)

gloria p

On 7/4/2010 7:40 PM, Sunny wrote:
>
> On Sun, 04 Jul 2010 14:04:14 -0600, >
> wrote:
>
>> George Shirley wrote:
>>> On 7/4/2010 6:46 AM, Deidzoeb wrote:
>>>> I strung up a bunch of jalapeno and serrano hot peppers a year or so
>>>> ago and left them to dry in my kitchen, the way you see them strung up
>>>> in pictures and movies set in Mexico or New Mexico. Except I'm in
>>>> Michigan, so it certainly wasn't as dry as NM or as hot. Probably in
>>>> the 70s and 80s for most of the time it was drying, maybe a few weeks
>>>> in the 90s. I realize it's supposed to be much hotter and dryer, or
>>>> else they should be done on some drying contraption that I'm too cheap
>>>> to buy.
>>>>
>>>> They seemed to turn out okay and I've used lots of them with no
>>>> problem. I keep them in a zipped plastic bag just to be safe, although
>>>> it seems silly after leaving them hang for weeks. My question is, how
>>>> long do dried hot peppers last before I should throw them away?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> If they aren't moldy or disintegrating you can continue to use them
>>> until they're gone. In my experience they start losing taste after a
>>> year though. Your mileage may vary.
>>
>>
>> D. is in Michigan where they think bell peppers are hot.
>>
>> George is right, D. You can keep them till they get moldy or lose all
>> flavor. You can reconstitute them in hot water or grind into hot pepper
>> flakes.
>>
>> Next time remember you don't have to buy a fancy contraption. A very
>> low oven overnight does a good job of drying peppers. We usually buy a
>> bushel of roasted New Mexico chiles every fall, remove skins and seeds,
>> and freeze them in plastic bags. We hare a bushel or two with our
>> daughter and son's families.
>>
>> gloria p
>
> I'm so envious of all who can buy NM chiles by the bushel. Hare in
> FL, we get a lot of cubanelles, but no fresh SW chiles.
>
> Lou

I've grown Cubanelles in the past but now tend to grow Gypsy, they are
very prolific and, in a good year, I can get 20 or 30 medium sized
chiles off one plant. Like the Cubanelles I've grown they start out
yellow and will finally ripen to a rosy red. I usually harvest them
yellow. I guess I could roast some but generally I just chop, freeze,
and vacuum bag them, at least thirty or forty bags a year, each with
about a quart of chiles in them. I put chiles in everything from omelets
to chili.

Sunny wrote:
> On Sun, 04 Jul 2010 14:04:14 -0600, "gloria.p" >
> wrote:
>

>>
>> Next time remember you don't have to buy a fancy contraption. A very
>> low oven overnight does a good job of drying peppers. We usually buy a
>> bushel of roasted New Mexico chiles every fall, remove skins and seeds,
>> and freeze them in plastic bags. We share a bushel or two with our
>> daughter and son's families.
>>
>> gloria p
> I'm so envious of all who can buy NM chiles by the bushel. Hare in
> FL, we get a lot of cubanelles, but no fresh SW chiles.
>
> Lou


I don't know what your growing conditions are, but you can buy the seeds
online.

In late August if you drive down Federal Blvd. or Santa Fe in Denver's
Hispanic neighborhoods you can find vans parked in every empty lot with
propane-fired wire cage roasters that will hold a bushel or more. They
all advertise "genuine Hatch (N.M.) chiles", Sandia, Big Jim, and
others in varying heats.

Out here in the 'burbs our garden centers roast them. My favorite,
Nick's, has about 4 varieties of varying heat and they even have a
mariachi group playing on weekends to entertain while you wait your turn
at the 4 big roasters. You can smell the roasting a couple of blocks
away and I have come to love the smell.

gloria p

On Jul 4, 7:46*am, Deidzoeb > wrote:
> I strung up a bunch of jalapeno and serrano hot peppers a year or so
> ago and left them to dry in my kitchen, the way you see them strung up
> in pictures and movies set in Mexico or New Mexico. Except I'm in
> Michigan, so it certainly wasn't as dry as NM or as hot. Probably in
> the 70s and 80s for most of the time it was drying, maybe a few weeks
> in the 90s. I realize it's supposed to be much hotter and dryer, or
> else they should be done on some drying contraption that I'm too cheap
> to buy.
>
> They seemed to turn out okay and I've used lots of them with no
> problem. I keep them in a zipped plastic bag just to be safe, although
> it seems silly after leaving them hang for weeks. My question is, how
> long do dried hot peppers last before I should throw them away?
>
> Thanks!

Thanks for all your responses! I'll keep using them, and keep my eye
on the produce discount bins to look for more.