Serrano peppers...lots of them!

[journey11]

My grandpa brought me a 1/2 bushel of serrano peppers he grew when they came to visit today. Can you guys give me some ideas or recipes of what I can do with them? My grandma said you can string them up to dry like you do cayenne. They're so pretty and festive! How do you all keep yours? Freeze? Can? Dry? Any and all suggestions welcome!

 

[tinychicken]

Every year I grow a variety of hot peppers, including serranos, to dry. Keeps me and my 3 kids in pepper flakes for the year!

A half bushel sure is a lot. Do you use a lot of pepper flakes? If so, dry them. They will stay hot for a long time. Freezing would also work well.

I made chili yesterday and used a couple of chopped fresh serranos in it. When I eat pizza, the flakes are a must. How you store them would depend on how you like to use them.

 

[digitS']

Joan has given you good advice, Journey. BTW, what a wonderful name "Amity" is for a community. I used to live on Highway 99 but at the other end of Oregon. The Rogue River was right across the little highway. . . Boy, there's a difference in names: Rogue vs Amity !!

Anyway, for smaller peppers, get a nice long string; tie a slip knot, tie a slip knot, tie a slip knot, tie a slip knot, tie a slip knot, tie a slip knot, tie a slip knot, tie a slip knot . . . push a pepper stem thru every knot as you tie 'em ! Hang as festive garlands in your home !

I hope your grandfather left all the stems on! If he didn't - - give 'em back ! Serrano hold onto their stems well. Not all is lost if they don't have stems . . . lay them out in a large flat basket, put 'em in a very dry place, and stir and turn at least once a day. I suppose that you could use a string on a needle and "thread" your peppers, tying a big knot between each so they don't slide together, but I've never done that.

If your humidity is high and the peppers large, you may have problems with them - watch for spoilage. Cut those off and toss 'em. After they are good and dry - they can go first into paper bags. Watch 'em again - for mold. Once you are confident that they are well-preserved, they can be crushed into flakes (be careful with the eyes ) and stored in jars.

You've got an enormous amount of peppers for most American families. My guess is that Serrano won't be your 1st choice to plant in '10. That's great, there are lots more choices to add to your spice cabinet next fall. And, you can grow more Serrano in '11 !

Steve

 

[digitS']

I just remembered when I first dried and began to use peppers from my garden. This was back in my salad years and I had grown cayenne peppers.

Thru late summer, I'd just diced up the peppers and would toss them some hot oil and saut them as I added other veggies - often making omelets. Then as now, omelets were one of the most common items in my culinary repertoire.

So, now I've got all these pepper flakes. I heat the oil and toss a teaspoon, or maybe a half of a teaspoon. The air rises above the hot pan . . . Yeowww!!

Fortunately, it had snowed . . . I opened the back door and walked out into the snow covered landscape. Fell face first into the soft, cold white blanket and lay there . . . steaming! This is not an experience one soon forgets!

Serrano are not as hot as Cayenne but use 'em fresh in one fashion and dried with caution. Cover the bottom of the pan with onions or something before "sprinkling" in your pepper flakes!

Steve
Wisdom is the daughter of experience. ~ Leonardo da Vinci
Wisdom is behind the eyes, not in the beard. ~ digitS'

 

[wifezilla]

I take all kinds of peppers and roast them on my gas stove top.

http://www.wikihow.com/Roast-Peppers-on-a-Gas-Stove

Then I add browned pork and make green chili

 

[vfem]

Pictures!!!!!!!

 

[digitS']

Oh!! You probably DIDN'T mean that picture, Vfem!?!

Let's see, let's see . . . snow? No, you've got an idea of what snow looks like . . .

 

[digitS']

. . . how about a flat basket of dried chili peppers?

I've got some little ones roasting on a burner if you are wanting that, too.

Steve

 

[journey11]

These are some my grandma strung for me when they brought them.

They really are pretty! I think I will dry most of them, because they will look great hanging in my kitchen. Thanks for the tip, Steve, on hanging them by the stem. Then I can easily remove a couple when I need to use them, without messing up the strand. I always strung my cayenne with a needle and end up forgetting about the oil on my fingers and burning myself! This will make for less of that too. We heat our home entirely with our wood furnace. It dries everything out so quickly. Too dry sometimes!

So, now I've got all these pepper flakes. I heat the oil and toss a teaspoon, or maybe a half of a teaspoon. The air rises above the hot pan . . . Yeowww!!

Fortunately, it had snowed . . . I opened the back door and walked out into the snow covered landscape. Fell face first into the soft, cold white blanket and lay there . . . steaming! This is not an experience one soon forgets!

Also, thanks for that fair warning!

So the general consensus is to dry them then. I will definitely make a pot of chili this week so I can use a few fresh!

Wifezilla, thanks for the info on roasting them. I always wondered how that was done. Unfortunately, I have an electric stove, but I will try some in the broiler.

Does anyone have any recipes to share? I know we have a lot of gourmet cooks on here. HiDelight, where are you? I know you'll have some!

 

[GPN]

I make hot pepper sauce, but I have never used serranos, just because I did want to buy them, hehehe.

wash the peppers, dry pack in to a jar (any size) add cherry tomatoes or tommy toes, and onion slices. Then heat white vingar to cover in the jar and seal. Let mellow for a couple of weeks and then use pepper sauce in greens or peas. Some locally eat the peppers or stuff out, but I am a wienny.

I said i made it not that I used it!

I have a varitey of HOT peppers that we are gonna try this next growing season. Gonna try pepper jelly this next year too.

GPN