Drying Chillies

I have grown some chillies this year for the first time :thmb: They have proved quite prolific :gnthb:

What I need to know is how to keep them, I think I read on a thread here last year :cnfs: that the best way to dry them was on the plant, How, :skp:

Freezing is not an option as I empty my freezers before my winter holiday. I leave them empty while away as 2 years ago power cuts left my freezers off,

 

We now dry ours in a dehydrator but in the past have managed to do it in the airing cupboard above the hot tank. The dry better if you make a couple of small slits in the skin.

 

My plants are in pots and I bring them in once we get towards the first frost - which will be soon!! - and let them finish ripening on the plant, and then I dry them in an electric dehydrator. I did have some attached photos on a thread in GC, but checking it now they aren't there any more (I guess I must have run out of space on my attachments and deleted them at some point) but there are some pictures on my Blog

But mine are small Chillies that don't mature until the end of the season, so may not be applicable in your case.

Also of interest:
http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/too-many-chillies-t23949.html?p=361468

 

I have successfully used a dehydrator and stringing and hanging in the conservatory
Good luck with whatever method you use.

 

Mine just don't last long enough for me to dry them. though I will bring a couple of the plants in this year just to see how many more chillies I can get.