drying cayenne peppers?

[jp1]

We don't have a dehydrator and at best get a few hours of sun per day. With fairly high humidity I'm worried that they'll mold faster then they dry.

I've tried searching online for good ways to dry them and have had limited success. Apparently oven drying is not a great way to go since 1) it stinks up the house something fierce, 2) it takes a long long time so it's not very efficient, 3) some ovens can't be set to a low enough temperature so you end up cooking them.

We got a huge bundle of these in our CSA box this week. I'm hoping to tackle this project this weekend. Suggestions?

[puglogic]

One year I threaded them all on a string and hung them in a sunny window. They were very pretty and then very tasty. On craigslist or freecycle you can often get a dehydrator that someone's getting rid of for free or cheap. Good thing to have if you are part of a CSA.

[herbgeek]

I dry them on a paper towel just at room temperature, but that is after I make a few slits in them to let the moisture escape. Otherwise they tend to rot before they dry. They won't get crunchy enough this way to put in a spice grinder though. You can use a low oven to do that last part, and since they are already mostly dry it won't stink up your kitchen much.

You could also ferment them and make your own hot sauce. This basically involves putting salt on them and waiting a few days, then pureeing the mixture. Or you could pickle them. Or freeze them.

[Rosemary]

When I lived in Tucson we used to string them and dry them outside - but I never ate them, just made decorations, and I don't know if they grew mold.

[Gregg]

Here's a link (http://archive.blisstree.com/live/how-to-make-a-solar-dehydrator/)to one kind of very simple solar dehydrator you can make. There are all kinds of plans on the net that don't involve much more than a cardboard box, a wire rack and some foil. Herbgeek was right that it really helps to make a little slit in each pepper to let moisture out. If you live where the humidity is almost always high you may want to store them in a zip lock in the freezer. We keep dried peppers whole until we're ready to use them and grind them up as needed. SO much more flavor than the powder you buy at the store!

[jp1]

Gregg, I actually ended up making something similar before I saw your post! I cut a beer case box in half, lined the bottom with black cloth, put a cake cooling rack in it to set the peppers on, and covered the top with saran wrap. Yesterday and today we haven't had any marine layer, so hopefully I'll make good progress. I brought it inside after the sun went down yesterday since it's too damp at night, they'd probably re-hydrate...

[awakenedsoul]

I freeze mine in an old cottage cheese container. We're in a drier climate, so air drying works, as well. I love using them in Italian salad dressing!