Question: what do chili peppers and zucchini have in common? Answer; they both produce a ton of ripe produce, and all at the same time! Now with zucchini, as discussed last week, you need to be creative and use it in as many different ways as possible. Of course, just like you’re ex-girlfriend, eventually you’ll get sick of the taste, smell, sight, color, and feel of zucchini. But with chili peppers there’s a better alternative: Do like the Mexicans have been doing for centuries and dry them.
In Mexico as well as the American southwest, drying is easily accomplished by taking advantage of the climate - - it’s called a desert for a reason! ButI live in Northeast Florida where the air is anything but dry. Peppers tend to either rot or mold right on the vine or if you do harvest them all at once they will mold if not refrigerated and still they will eventually rot. So how can you preserve these little beauties? Well, option one is to pack them in your favorite suit case and fly to Arizona where you can then sun dry them. Option two; buy a food dehydrator like the ones on late night infomercials. Do you know if Ron Popeil is still doing those? Or option three - if you live in the South, get clever and use one of my favorite Cheffed Up methods: use the dash board of your car. If you’ve ever noticed your car’s dash gets hotter than hell in the summer. It’s like I’m driving around a kiln! Ever notice how hot and dry the car is after it’s been parked for a few hours in the sun? It’s like a freekin desert!