Although their leaves are yellowing and starting to drop, the chilli plants still have chillis on them, smaller than they were during the main growing season but more than enough for us. We pick regularly and if we don't need them fresh, some get frozen whole and some I string up. Actually I cotton up but that doesn't sound right! Needle and strong cotton sewn through the stalk end, knotted so the chilli doesn't slip down, and when there is a good long string of them we hang them up to dry. Sometimes in the dining room window, south-facing but in the summer the sun is so high they don't catch the sun, just the heat and any breeze. The rest we hang on the terrace and they catch any breeze and dry out slowly.
Saturday morning I picked a couple of dozen more fresh ones, took down all the dry ones and cut them off their cotton. Then into the liquidiser for chopping. More than chopping, down to a fine powder so it can be sprinkled onto food or stirred in easily.
Fresh ones in the bowl ready for using and dried ones ready for de-stringing and chopping.
In the liquidiser ready.....
And ground down - it always surprises me how small a jar we end up with. These only filled a mint-jelly sized jar. But it's extremely hot and a little goes a long way!
Oh, don't forget! Do
not breathe in while you're taking a picture especially if you've only just whizzed the chillis as the powder is still in the air!! Deep breath, lid off, quick photo, lid on, breathe again.
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