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Hello Dave,
I’ve been going through the website trying to find an answer to this question but have either not looked long enough or am looking in the wrong places. Please forgive me if this is already answered on the site or seems kind of dumb. I have a LOT of jalapenos that I have planted and am harvesting. For example, I am getting 200-300 per week. My neighbors and work colleagues have taken their fill of peppers for the year. I have canned many and see from the site that I can freeze some too. I kind of over planted this year – but I love these things. I’ve been reading about smoking them, etc. but am not going down that path right now. I wanted to ask if you have any other suggestions on storage other than canning or freezing. Are there any ways to dry these without smoking them? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank You,
Will
Hello Will:
Smoking green jalapenos won’t work as well as smoking the red ones. It might be a good idea to let a bunch go red and cut them lengthwise and put them in a food dehydrator. When they are 75 percent dried, you can then smoke them using fruit, pecan, or oak wood in any kind of a smoker you like. When the other chiles in the food dehydrator are nearly 100 percent dry, you can then make a jalapeno powder (this can also be done with green ones) that will add spice to soups, stews, or can be used as a rub on meats for the grill or roasts in the oven.
Another method of preserving them is to make a puree out of the green or red pods and freeze it. Take either green or red jalapenos, cut them in half, and puree them in a food processor or blender. In this case, leave the seeds and membranes in or the pods may be disappointingly mild. Add the puree to freezer containers and freeze, or you can use plastic ice cube trays for the perfect little cubes. Store the cubes in double zip bags. The puree can be combined with vinegar, water, and spices to make hot sauce, or added to fresh salsas. See more information here:
www.fiery-foods.com/dave/fresh_chiles.asp
Dave
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