Hi sandpebbles and welcome! :)

I don't think they need to be right off the plant to be good although we usually try to get our dried within a few days of picking. But peppers that are a month old will already have a fair bacterial count going on them. That would make them best for cooking, not any longterm storage IMO, even if dried.

Also keep in mind that slicing or dicing peppers and freezing them is a great way to deal with them quickly and so avoid any lengthy time in the fridge. You'll find many discussions here about that approach.

Dave

thanks digdirt
how about seeds, would they be any good. most of the peppers looks to be in great shape. i really jumped in on this one, cart before horse amidst my excitement. LOL.
thank you.

You mean saving the seeds to grow next year? If so then yes, likely most of them are still viable and once air dried and stored properly most will germinate. You'll be able to tell when you cut the pepper open: if the seeds have turned brown or started to sprout inside then no point in saving any of them. If not and if they are still white and plump, save them if you wish.

But keep in mind that if these were a hybrid variety of pepper then they most likely won't breed true. Instead they will revert back to one of the parent stock. What you get may be fine - or it may not. ;)

You can read more about seed saving and seed genetics over on the Saving Seed forum here at GW - lots of great FAQ's there.

Dave

thanks for the info Dave
i tend to save peppers true to form which has been the majority of them except those produced at the end of the season. thinking i needed to vacuum seal, i didn't freeze them. it's amazing what this growing season has brought. my first container garden, my first pickling, now my first dehydrating (still with plants loaded with peppers), next i suppose vacuum sealing. i suppose next year, i'll smoke on a larger scale only now combined with drying for storage. all things i had planned to do but never took the time. all very cool. so the focus of this forum is harvesting and preservation?

Liz

Yes, Liz, the focus of this forum is food preservation and storage, and some harvesting.

We do a lot of canning, freezing, pickling, fermenting, drying, jamming, wine making and just plain goofing around here, so welcome!

Annie

LOL...thanks annie. sounds promising. :) curious question, do you do much with vinegars...

do much with vinegars as in making flavored vinegars, or do much with vinegars as in using it to pickle things?

Annie

sorry, flavored vinegars. thanks

They don't come up for how-to discussion all that much here as they are more of a "use" thing rather than a preservation thing but the NCHFP provides detailed instructions on making flavored vinegars if you are interested in trying them. I linked the instructions below for you.

Be sure to check out the Herbs and the Hot Peppers forums too as they are popular on both those forums.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - How to Make Flavored Vinegars

sandpebbles, I have several "recipes", are you interested in anything in particular?

Annie

digdirt.

looks promising. interesting source. thanks. i do have another question. it's always mentioned to bring vinegar to a gentle just before boiling prior to use. why just before boiling.

annie

i was thinking of trying some fruit flavored and
savory vinegars. the raspberry vinegar posted
caught my attention. perhaps pear or fig. i
love artichokes and ofcourse hot peppers. overall, i'm pretty open. an email or post would be great. i figure this
growing season has brought many pleasant surprises, why not keep it going. i suspect i'll be better prepared for the next growing. thanks annie.