Cayennes actually dry pretty good naturally, but I live in a totally different climate.

Usually, it's the thicker the flesh, the more chance of molding. But not always the case. My cayennes were a variety that did have a pretty thick flesh, but no problem. Jalapenos -- a moldy one here and there. Serrano -- pretty thick, hardly ever molds. Guajillos, pretty thick--never. So, that rule of thumb gets thrown out the window imo.

I think if you got them "somewhat" dehydrated INITIALLY, then your chance at success would be greater.

Humidity, like you said, is the enemy.

Good luck.

Kevin

I will be following this thread closely, as I am wondering the same thing. florida humidity, while probably not as bad as what you have, is still pretty bad.

if you were to be so kind as to be my guinea pig and try it out and post your results, I'd be ever so grateful. I've got a few cayennes of my own.

I just leave them out on a shelf, not touching each other, and they slowly dry. Dry parkland climate helps I guess.

These were strung on fishing line a few years ago rather than add more to the freezer. It's a thin-walled pepper, but I don't remember what type. They were dried inside.

This post was edited by bjdurham on Fri, Jul 12, 13 at 2:02

this is how peppers are dried over here in the balkans

to go along with this:

I have some Ring of fire's hanging in a very tiny ristra in my kitchen window. Looks nice, and dries fine, no mold so far.

I tried to dry ghost peppers on thread hanging inside but they molded. What works for me is slice in half de-seed them and place on a plate, cover with a sheet of paper towel and they dry well.

Then off to the coffee grinder (only used for peppers) turned into powder.

Mark

I have had a string of Dorset Nagas hanging in my laundry room inside the home for about 3-4 weeks and they have shriveled well, but when I squeeze them, I can tell they are not fully dried. Maybe the moisture from running the dryer is making them take longer. I think I will do what habjolokia does and cut them in half, de-seed and cover with paper towl to finish them off. I still need to go buy a coffee bean grinder.

A small food processor won't work, will it? In place of a coffee grinder......?

I, sometimes, do what Mark does. But I'll just cut a small slit in the side of them with a razor knife.

jifjif: I do a 2 step with a processor and a grinder. A bunch goes in the processor to get them down to smaller pieces so I can fit more in the grinder for the powder.

Kevin

I have always wondered about drying. In the past I have dried mine until the break up when crushed. But, I read somewhere that drying them to that stage will leave them flavor-less and that you should dry them to a leathery stage. How do you know when they are optimally dried without extremely expensive equipment? I would think leaving some moisture would cause mold and bacteria to grow. I love to dry them, but I don't know how long to leave them.

teyo! Spectacular photo! I love it! Also nice photo Mark... that looks dangerous.

Pam

I've dried Lemon Drop, Espelette, Guajillo, Japones, and Cayenne by stringing them up(like popcorn for Christmas trees, not in bunches) with upholstery thread and hanging them across doorways and areas where they will get good circulation. I've gotten a few rotten ones, but usually at the end of the season when they weren't quite ripe enough. Once they're crispy dry, I keep them in glass jars.