Hallson Gardens

These chilis are doing well in the greenhouse, but outside they will need another couple of months to ripen and that's not going to happen.

I'm thinking of building a plastic cloche over them if I can find the time.

Indoors



Outside

Those in the first pic look great. And the second picture is loaded with blooms . . . would hate to lose it!

Mine in the outside garden still have lots of chilis, I've been picking and using as many as I can before the frost gets them. Preserved 6 pints and 5 half-pints just this evening. Those chilis will really "heat up" a cold winter night!

Good luck saving yours!

I either dry and powder mine or pep up olive oil with them.

How do you preserve them?

When I have grown peppers, I have both canned and frozen them. The freezing method is so much easier...

Don't wash, just wipe the outsides of the peppers with a dry soft cloth...just like a tea towel or something. Pop them into a ziploc freezer bag and throw in the freezer! As long as the peppers are dry when you put them in the bag they will keep 2 years or more in the freezer. Also, since not wet when they freeze, you can open the bag and take out as many as you like then just put the rest back in the freezer. Run them under cool water for a second or two when you take them out. Then slice or whatever. They also slice easier when still partialy frozen. iI did that alot with cayennes, jalapenos, chilis and habaneros. Then I just take a few at a time to add to chili, eggs, spaghetti, whatever! Works great! And they still taste fresh from the garden.

They are better canned for non-cooking things like nachos, etc.

They are great dried and strung up also. They last for years and are great decorating tools. Because my decor is primarily southwestern, I like to hang them in my kitchen and outside under the roof of the deck.

Gruntfutock, could you take that one that is slow growing and move it indoors?

Ginger

Ginger wrote:Gruntfutock, could you take that one that is slow growing and move it indoors?

Ginger

I could, but there are 12 of them, and I'm a bit short of space with all the brugs, hibiscus, cymbidiums and plumerias I have to find room for.

Eastwood, thanks for the details on how you freeze them. I've only frozen them diced, and that limits how I can use them. I still have tons of chilis and sports, I'm going to freeze them your way.

I can them, I cut them into rings or slices and pack them into pints and half-pint jars. Then pour boiling vinegar to about a half-inch or slightly less from the top. Put on sterilized lids and rings then hot water bath for 15 mins.

An open jar keeps in the frig for a long time, good on sandwiches, nachos, chili, etc. Another good way to use them like this is to dump a whole jar in the crock pot with a roast to make spicy italian beef.

Hope you are able to get something from those plants outdoors, Grunt. Saving just one or two of the plants should give you lots of peppers.