Today's Chilli Crop

shiney, just caught up with that thread. I didn`t realise they are perrenials ! I`ve never grown them myself because up to now I can`t say I liked them that much. However, me and the mrs want to try more variety in our diet and make our own instead of buying in ready made`s. To that end, I think I`ll try a couple of plants next year, starting with a mild/medium variety. At the moment we`re waiting to move so the greenhouse isn`t even up yet ! But...it`s nice to look forward Cheers...freddy.

 

With regard to preserving chillis - we invested in a dehydrator this year and have found that it's very good for drying chillis. We've also done a few in oil too.

 

we always give time to let ours dry and put them into little jars, we easily have enough to last until our next crop has dried.

 

Hi all,
I am also growing Chillis this year and have done for a while.
One potential issue with Chillis is Botulinium toxins

Please see article below.

Is homemade chilli oil dangerous ? Yes - absolutely - but only if you don't know what you are doing.

The following link I found very helpful: -
http://www.foodscience.afisc.csiro.au/oilvine.htm

I think that it backs up Chiaroscuro's claims that you need to acidulate fresh chillies with either lemon, lime, or vinegar. Cases of Botulinum toxin are quite rare, but can be lethal. Can't remember which link I read it from, but in Italy 65% of cases were from incorrectly produced home made preserves.

The following links give one or two examples - most siting the same case: -
http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ew/2003/030213.asp#1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12926199&dopt=Abstract
http://www.euro.who.int/document/fos/News76E.pdf
http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_threats/Bioterrorisme/clin_gui_botulism.pdf
http://www.foodscience.afisc.csiro.au/fshbull/fshbull32.htm

Having said all that. I've got to come down off my pedastle. I've just had to take a bottle of oil immersed chillies out of my cupboard & throw them away.

Not wanting to scare anyone but just for information.

ps I dry mine, either hang them up in the Airing cupboard or put the oven on lowest heat and open the door, nice warm kitchen, loads of dried chillis that keep for ages.

 

Fastboy. I haven't actually looked at your sites but I asked an ex colleague (now a friend) who is a toxicologist, about botulism in preserved chilis.

He agrees that you can get botulism from preserved anything. The secret is in the preserving and is more likely to arise from keeping unpasteurised olive oil for too long. Botulism is rare anyway but you should really get the olive oil very very hot, let it cool and only bottle in sterilised jars.

So you can continue to enjoy preserved chilis. It's the process not the fruit that can cause food poisoning.