Did you know that you can grow and dry your own chillies for year-round use in the kitchen? Chiles are easy to grow! But one of the best reasosn to grow chiles in your garden is that they can easily be dried and preserved for easy storage. Many chile peppers work well for drying, including Hatch chile, Chile de Arbol, Guajillo chile, and others listed below.
Drying your own Hatch Chiles
When you let your Hatch chiles mature to red on the vine, they dry nicely when woven into Ristras (seen above), or just set out in the sun, a dehydrator, or oven on low heat. Hatch chiles will all turn red if left to mature long enough. Typically most people only dry the mature red chile pods, but some growers will dehydrate green chiles in a dehydrator or oven to make a green chile powder. Hatch chile seeds are easy to grow anywhere you can grow other warm weather veggies!
Chimayo Chile
Chimayo chiles are famously delicious, hard to find, and are great for drying in Ristras and making delicious red chile sauce. It's very easy to grow Chimayo seeds!
Drying your own Guajillo Chiles
Guajillo chiles are delicious when dried. You can also dry these in Ristras, in the sun, a dehydrator or low heat oven. Many people call these dried chiles "rattle chiles" when dried, just try shaking one! These are packed with flavor and just a little medium heat. When you use these dried chiles, pop off the top, then shake out the seeds, and then split the peppers to rehydrate these in hot boiling water, or you can grind them after heating it in a low heat oven to get it nice and brittle. Complex fruity taste with some smokiness that jumps out at you. Great for huevos rancheros, salsa. Guajillo seeds are easy to grow!
Guajillo chiles are delicious when dried. You can also dry these in Ristras, in the sun, a dehydrator or low heat oven. Many people call these dried chiles "rattle chiles" when dried, just try shaking one! These are packed with flavor and just a little medium heat. When you use these dried chiles, pop off the top, then shake out the seeds, and then split the peppers to rehydrate these in hot boiling water, or you can grind them after heating it in a low heat oven to get it nice and brittle. Complex fruity taste with some smokiness that jumps out at you. Great for huevos rancheros, salsa. Guajillo seeds are easy to grow!
Drying your own Pasilla Chiles
Pasilla is the dried form of the Chilaca chile and means little raisin in Spanish. This refers to the dried chile's dark brown wrinkled skin when dried. Use the Chilaca pepper fresh for enchilada sauce or salsas. Use the dried crushed or powdered Pasilla peppers in Mexican mole sauces. Very easy to grow from seed!
Drying your own Ancho Chiles (Poblanos)
Poblanos are called Ancho Chiles when dried, and they have a complex, rich, smoky flavor, with a little hint of chocolate, it is so good! Poblanos are ripened to a red color and then picked and sundried until they are dark burgundy and have a dried leathery skin. You can store them and rehydrate ancho chiles when desired to make sauces such as mole sauce. Rehydrate these by boiling in some water with onion, tomato, and garlic until soft, then blend it up for a rich sauce that you'll love on everything. You can also add these other chiles listed on this page to make a complex chile sauce that has a huge depth of flavor. Heat the dried peppers a bit before grinding if using to add as powder/flakes to recipes. Poblano seeds are easy to grow in any vegetable garden.
How to dry your own Jalapenos
Jalapenos can be smoke-dried to create Chipotle peppers! That's right, there isn't a "chipotle" pepper – that term refers to Jalapeno peppers that were left to ripen on the vine to red, and then smoke-dried to create the smokey chipotle pod that gives so much flavor to recipes. If you have a smoker, pop your ripe red jalapenos on it, close the lid and let it smoke until they are soft, usually about an hour. You can also slice and dry jalapenos in dehydrators or in low heat ovens to dry them to crush into powders and flakes for use in recipes. Jalapeno seeds are easy to grow and did you know they come in lots of heat levels and other variations? Check out all of the Jalapeno varieties we carry.
Jalapenos can be smoke-dried to create Chipotle peppers! That's right, there isn't a "chipotle" pepper – that term refers to Jalapeno peppers that were left to ripen on the vine to red, and then smoke-dried to create the smokey chipotle pod that gives so much flavor to recipes. If you have a smoker, pop your ripe red jalapenos on it, close the lid and let it smoke until they are soft, usually about an hour. You can also slice and dry jalapenos in dehydrators or in low heat ovens to dry them to crush into powders and flakes for use in recipes. Jalapeno seeds are easy to grow and did you know they come in lots of heat levels and other variations? Check out all of the Jalapeno varieties we carry.
Keep in mind, you can dry pretty much any chillies you grow!
That's right, any peppers can be dried, so play around with your harvest and see what you use most in your kitchen! In fact, did you know that peppers are considered both herbs and spices?
You can use dried chillies to make homemade red chile powder. Or make a super wicked hot Carolina Reaper Powder to knock your socks off. Some people like to make hot pepper salts to give as gifts.
View more posts on this Dried Pepper Topic:
Fresh vs Dried Pepper Names
Learn how to dry chiles without a dehydrator
You can use dried chillies to make homemade red chile powder. Or make a super wicked hot Carolina Reaper Powder to knock your socks off. Some people like to make hot pepper salts to give as gifts.
View more posts on this Dried Pepper Topic:
Fresh vs Dried Pepper Names
Learn how to dry chiles without a dehydrator
Have fun preserving your chile harvest!
