Use dehydrated peppers instead of fresh peppers in many recipes.
Drying food allows you to preserve it without the need of canning equipment or ample freezer storage space. Hot peppers dehydrate well, and these spicy vegetables lend themselves to many uses once dehydrated. Hot peppers add color and spice to cooked dishes or can be ground and used as a seasoning. Most hot pepper varieties dry well, though smaller pepper types dry out more quickly. Dehydrate hot peppers whole so that they retain much of their spicy flavor.
Instructions
1. Wash the peppers under cool, running water. Scrub lightly with a vegetable brush to remove dirt if necessary. Allow the water on the peppers to dry before proceeding.
2. Thread a sturdy needle with unflavored dental floss. Alternately, use fishing line instead of floss. Tie the other end of the floss to a 3-inch length of dowel rod, which prevents the peppers from sliding off once strung.
3. Push the needle through the upper portion of the pepper, just below the stem. Slide the pepper down the string until it rests on the dowel, then thread a second pepper onto the needle. Repeat until all the peppers are strung.
4. Hang the string of hot peppers in a well-ventilated, warm area to dry. Drying takes approximately two to four weeks depending on humidity and temperature.
Tags: dehydrated peppers