So without thinking my wife and I planted at least six varieties of hot peppers including Hungarian black, jalepeno, cayenne, and a few others.
I would like to save them for winter as I cannot possibly use them now. What do you suggest?
Can I dry them and make my own pepper mixes like you can buy? How hard?
Thanks in advance.
George
Obviously that should read HOME grown!
Is the hoe a friend of yours or a supplier. 
Yes you can dry them and grind for spices. If they are spicy you can also do your own hot sauce with vinegar. They will also freeze, but loose their crispness.
You can speed up the drying process with a dehydrator. I don't know what brand the g/f uses, but here's a basic one. $32 at some online stores.
http://tinyurl.com/3jd5gky
And another vote for "pepper vinegar", that stuff's magic on plain peas & beans. It's the homegrown version of this:
http://mybrands.com/product/Trappey-Hot-Peppers-in-Vinegar-4-oz
It's not really much as an ingredient for cooking, but it's a wonderful table top condiment.
Best way to dry them?
Was thinking of the hot sauce idea. Guess I should check the interwebs for process.
A friend of mine uses the 'surplus' ones he grows to make various chili-flavoured cooking oils. Basically stuff peepers into bottle, fill up with cooking oil of choice, let sit, flavour to taste.
I'd probably dry some and use some for oil.
Oh, and to make spices/chili bases, we just use a little home coffee bean grinder (we've got one for coffee, and another one for everything else).
Dry 'em, Can 'em, make and can your own salsa?
imirk wrote: Dry 'em, Can 'em, make and can your own salsa?
Better to make fresh salsa, and can that. Wear gloves! Egad, even if you don't have cuts on your hands (and I bet those of us who spin wrenches always have one somewhere), that stuff can get under your fingernails and sting like crazy.
Put them in vinegar, withdraw as needed. We do that with all types of peppers, including habaneros.
My hoe and I can them.
Pint jars, clean, sanitize and then fill with peppers. Add a shot glass of white vinegar, top off the jar with cheap oil (don't use olive oil) and cap, boil and save for winter.
Or:
Slice peppers in half and put into an air tight baggie, freeze.
Dan
friedgreencorrado wrote:imirk wrote: Dry 'em, Can 'em, make and can your own salsa?Better to make fresh salsa, and can that. Wear gloves! Egad, even if you don't have cuts on your hands (and I bet those of us who spin wrenches *always* have one somewhere), that stuff can get under your fingernails and sting like crazy.
And be sure to wash your hands at least 17 times before you go pee.
In reply to 1988RedT2:
WERD. I had successfully erased that from my mind until you reminded me..but it damn sure needed to be said!
And 914's right on the mark. Home canning rocks.
http://www.guidetohomecanning.com/home-canning-basics/
914driver, have you got better links than I, or did you just learn it at grandma's knee? 
Stuff with cheese, batter and deep fry,
ThePhranc wrote: Stuff with cheese, batter and deep fry,
Oh god yes!!!!! Maybe this weekend.
Dan said: Slice peppers in half and put into an air tight baggie, freeze.
Is it that simple?
All my hoe's maintain nice freedom gardens.
My aunt made some spicy ground pepper sauce and it is great. Don't know what/how she did it but it is in a jar and isn't very salty like the commercial stuff. It was really good with a nice bite, but not too wicked.
Good luck!
I was trying to search google images for a funny pic 'hot hoe' to hotlink...none of those pics are appropriate for this venue.
JoeyM wrote: I was trying to search google images for a funny pic 'hot hoe' to hotlink...none of those pics are appropriate for this venue.
Yea. Safe search is def not on...
ThePhranc wrote: Stuff with cheese, batter and deep fry,
^ this
A guy I work with makes raspberry jalapeno jam, and it's really good. All he does is takes a jar of raspberry jam, pours it into a sauce pan and heats it up until its runny. Then he adds in some diced jalapenos and lets it simmer for a while. He strains it back into the jar, lets it cool, then throws it back in the fridge. The only reason he strains it is because he likes to go up to people and have them try it, but he doesn't tell them about the jalapenos.
I'm not sure about exact times and quantities for the recipe, but it probably wouldn't be too hard to figure out, and a lot of it is probably personal preference.
Bob
friedgreencorrado wrote: 914driver, have you got better links than I, or did you just learn it at grandma's knee?
Read a book once, everything from there is trial & error.
I make a kickazz Veggie Soup in the late summer or fall and freeze it in manageable chunks. Once I tried to can some so you can just open a can instead of waiting for it to defrost. EVERY ONE blew up! It stunk like rotted fermented baby puke/sour milk/dead mouse. Oy. Someone told me later that you can't can zuccini. If you hear anything on this or just canning soup in general, please let me know.
Thanx, Dan
I tried to salsa with a hoe once... you have to be careful where you step or the handle will hit you right square in the face.
I had 3 grocery sacks of habenero peppers that I dried in a food dehydrator. I sliced them in 1/2 and placed them on the racks before leaving for work. When I opened the door after work I had the sensation of being pepper sprayed. All future dryings took place on the back porch or in a shed. I then used a mortar and pestle to grind them into powder. The yield was about 1 1/2 quarts. That was in 1995. I still have some of it at my cabin. It is wicked hot and delicious. A teaspoon of it in a 2-3 gallon batch of beans or chili will light it up nicely.
I routinely slice and freezr the leftovers I get from all my friends who plant WAY more than they can eat. Best way to freeze them is to slice them, then spread the slices out on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper (or similar) and freeze. Once they're frozen, pack them into ziploc freezer bags for over winter storage. that way they don't freeze into on big lump and you can pull just enough out and throw the bag back in the deep freeze. some peppers will discolor slightly, but not bad. Once thawed, they're 90% as good as fresh picked.
If you put the peppers in cold vinegar and store in the fridge, you can pull them out as needed as well. if you want to make hot spicy vinegar as a condiment, add some fresh garlic and onions and ad the vinegar boilng hot, then steep a couple days. either way will keep almost indeffinitely in the frigidaire.
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