Chillies - growing and overwintering 2019

[Scarlet]

Mine look like that but I didn't think they were hot enough?

[Scarlet]

Should I pick them as they come ripe and store (in fridge?) or leave them on the plant until they are needed in the kitchen?

What chilllies are they? I often pick if they are thin walled and let them dry out. Freezing is a good option. Slice or chop and put in very small ziplock bags/ pots or blitz and mix with butter and freeze in ice cube trays:

[Small pumpkin]

Mine look like that but I didn't think they were hot enough?

I’ve not tried one.........it a habanero ,

What chilllies are they? I often pick if they are thin walled and let them dry out. Freezing is a good option. Slice or chop and put in very small ziplock bags/ pots or blitz and mix with butter and freeze in ice cube trays:

I just freeze all my chilli whole. Most of them are easy enough to cut when frozen if you don’t want to use a whole chilli in what ever you’re making.

[Mitzi]

Should I pick them as they come ripe and store (in fridge?) or leave them on the plant until they are needed in the kitchen?

Like others say, it depends on the type. All will keep ok on the plant for a few weeks after ripening, then the thin-walled ones like cayenne etc will start to dry out but fleshy ones like Habs, bonnets etc might start to rot.

They keep in the fridge for several weeks, otherwise freeze them.

Like SP, I freeze mine whole - just pop them into a freezer bag. You can cook with them straight from frozen. When thawed, they do go a bit mushy so they're not good raw but fine in cooking.

Thin walled ones are nice strung up into a ristra and dried like that.

[Scarlet]

I would never use a whole one so I like to process mine first.
But you can make a sauce out of just a few hot chillies by added some milder peppers.
That will last for ages and doesn't get lost and forgotten in the bottom of the freezer.

[annie8]

Well making chilli oil ensure you only leave dried chillies in the oil as fresh chillies/garlic and oil can cause botulism. They can go mouldy quite quick too.

Pickled chillies. Chilli vinegar. Oil. Chutney/Jam. Sauce or frozen is pretty much all I do.

Thanks will not leave fresh chillis in the oil. Like the idea of pickled chillis. Mine are all the mystery chillis so you don’t quite know what you are getting which would be fun. They all have a decent heat to them though.

[quanglewangle]

... doesn't get lost and forgotten in the bottom of the freezer.

Didn't realise you had seen in our freezer. I suspect there are lifeforms unknown to science in the lower layers.

[bikermike]

There's a bag of chillis in our freezer. I haven't grown them for at least 3 years...

[stigs]

Blue is the air temperature at 1m off ground and green is temperature at about 40mm depth..

Do you have outside temperatures for the same period ?

[Scarlet]

Didn't realise you had seen in our freezer. I suspect there are lifeforms unknown to science in the lower layers.

Hmm, I have a chest freezer - 5ft long. I keep trying to get to the bottom

There's a bag of chillis in our freezer. I haven't grown them for at least 3 years...

I have a huge bag of black naga....I grew them a few years a go. Honestly so hot that you can't use them very often. My sauce was too hot to eat.... I should throw them out really...and I grew them two years in a row! I will never learn.

[quanglewangle]

Do you have outside temperatures for the same period ?

No, I am embarrassed to say i do not. When I set it up I had spare sensors but did not have to hand a suitable enclosure that was both waterproof and shaded. Then I forgot.

Will do something in next few weeks. Would give interesting insight into performance of the the greenhouse and ground heating.

[stigs]

No, I am embarrassed to say i do not. When I set it up I had spare sensors but did not have to hand a suitable enclosure that was both waterproof and shaded. Then I forgot.

your so far south it may have been warm
what software did you use for monitoring that looked very similar to weewx

[Chrissyteacup]

Lots of Trinidad perfumes yum xx

[Kirk]

Just waiting for the Lemon Drop chillies to turn lemon.
May have to bring it inside soon.
This will be the 3rd year.

[Scarlet]

Do you grow outside?