How to Air Dry Peppers by Hanging Them

There are many methods for drying peppers. However, the easiest and most commonly used form of drying peppers is to air dry them by hanging them on a thread and allowing them to dry in the sun. Air dried peppers are kept in their whole form and the seeds are retained. Air drying peppers works well on hot summer days, when you do not want to heat up your home using methods that consume energy.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of thread at least 3 feet long. You will need at least 1/2 a foot of string for each pepper.

2. Using a needle, thread the peppers by running the needle through the center of the pepper. After you have the pepper positioned on the string a few inches above the last pepper, wrap the string around the pepper and thread the string under the loop that you have just made. This will keep the pepper in place on the string and allow the air to circulate easily around them.

3. Leaving at least six inches of string at the top. Hang your peppers on a door or in a sunny window to dry.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are drying chili peppers, you can crush them when you are finished to make chili powder.

• You can hydrate most dried fruits and vegetables for use by placing them in a bowl of water. Alternatively you can substitute dried peppers for fresh peppers in recipes at a ratio of 1/3. Use 1/3 the amount of fresh peppers called for and add a little water to the recipe.

• You need several very warm, sunny days to dry peppers. The ideal temperature for drying foods is between 100 and 140 degrees.

Resources

• More Resources for Drying and Dehydrating Food
• How to Dry Garlic at Home