Stringing Hot Peppers
- Prepare your Peppers: First, Inspect each pepper. Discard any that are soft, mushy or have spoiled areas and spots. KEEP the stems on.
- Wash Peppers: Wash with cool water and let air dry or dry off with a paper towel
- String Them: Take a long sharp needle and use strong thread or fishing line. Put the needle through the stems and tie the ends in a knot
- Hang The String of Peppers: It’s best to leave some room between each pepper on the string as it dries. However, you can make Ristas (clumping chiles together with decorative raffia ribbons) but be sure to check them often to be sure they are drying well and not rotting.
It can take up to two weeks of drying time if hung up inside. Once they are totally dried you can push them together and keep them hung up somewhere or store in an onion bag. Some people store in a glass jar but its not necessary.
Using this method to dry hot peppers does make them a little stiff on the outside. They are great in chilies and hot sauce but not probably not the best method of drying if you want to keep your peppers soft.