I cut jalapeños in half lengthwise when I dehydrate them and put them cut side up in the dehydrator.

You can remove the seeds after they are dehydrated, if you desire. I only dehydrate ones that are ripe and red.

You can also smoke them, to make chipotle chilies.

Try to edit your post so that you can cross post on the hot pepper forum.

Cool Lars, thanks for the head's up about that forum! The reason I'm wondering is I don't know if I will end up with that many red ones. I'm thinking the green ones might dry to a rather unattractive color but in many applications that's not much of a problem. Also wondering about maybe stuffing them and making chile rellenos and then maybe freezing? Probably not as good but I wonder if maybe could be done . . .

Green ones will turn red even after they're picked, but they can sometimes dry brown if you just leave them to their own. Jalapeños are a bit small and hot for chilis rellenos, though people do make poppers from them, but rellenos and poppers do freeze well. If your house is pretty dry, you can just air dry peppers, though a dehydrator will probably give you a better color. I usually dry them whole with stem.

I dry cayenne whole with stem, but that's because they are not fleshy like jalapeños. I also dry Habanero chilies whole, as they are fairly thin skinned, but mainly because I do not want to be exposed to the insides before I use them.

I have a recipe for stuffed banana peppers, and you could probably use jalapeños instead, although the banana peppers are quite a bit milder:

Stuffed Banana Peppers

• 8 Banana peppers, cored and seeded
• Oil for baking
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• Minced chili (I used one fresh Habanero) - not needed with jalapeños
• Hot sauce, optional
• 8 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese, cubed
• 3/4 cup Grated Romano cheese
• 2/3 cup Dry bread crumbs (about one large slice of bread) with
• 1 tbsp Italian dried herbs

Cut off ends of banana peppers and remove seeds and insides, keeping peppers otherwise whole. Place on a baking sheet with oil and bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes, turning once.*

Melt butter in a sauté pan and add garlic and onion. Cook until translucent but not brown – about 2 minutes. Add minced chili and sauté briefly. Add hot sauce, if you think you will need it, and then stir in cubed Jack cheese and grated Romano. Cook over low heat until combined, and then add the seasoned bread crumbs off heat. Fold into a combined mass.

Stuff each pepper with 1/8 of the filling and return to baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes.

Serve with chopped fresh tomatoes.

*Note: if using a toaster oven, use 360° instead of 350°.

I think these could be stuffed and frozen before baking, but you would of course increase the baking time. I would not defrost them before baking.

I serve these as appetizers, and so you would probably want to make a bigger batch.

I'm not scientific about it, and the pepper people likely do it a lot better. I had a jalapeño bush and would just pick them and set them in a light bowl where the air could circulate around them and they dried, but my kitchen is usually on the dry side, and some of it's luck. There has to be a more sure method than the bowl. :). When I was a kid, we always did the twisted vine thing and hung Anaheims by the window to air dry. The thing about leaving them whole is you get to decide seeds or no seeds, whole or broken up, etc., when you go to use them.

This time of the year in New Mexico, there are ristras hanging everywhere. and speaking from experience, they air dry very well

Unfortunately, I live in the upper Midwest so our weather is cool and damp, which is why my jalepenos aren't turning red out in the garden either. Most are green. Our house is also cool, we can't afford to run the heat bill up. I do have an electric food drying rack . . .

Thinking now I might broil them and then freeze them. Not sure if they will hold their bite that way though. Or I could broil them, skin them and then try to dry them. I'm thinking the broiling will give them a grilled flavor . . . something a little different. I could also try and use the grilled jalepenos to make a hot red sauce, using store bought tomato sauce which I could then freeze. I already canned up a bunch of taco and picante tomato sauce with my home grown tomatoes. Thinking the roasted chilies might just be another flavor to preserve.

Whatever I do, it's going to happen this week, cause a frost is coming . . .

Why add tomatoes? You can just grill and puree the peppers and freeze in small sizes, like ice cubes. if you want the tomato add it when you're using it. Saves space and gives you more flexibility. The electric dehydrator sounds good, however. I'd just put them in whole and raw, and maybe store them with a shard of clay or other desicant. I'm not sure they'll dry well once roasted, but it's worth a try.

I just freeze whole jalapenos and they are fine for salsas and whatever chili etc. you want to add them to. I have vac sealed bags from a couple years ago frozen that are still fine to use. Run them under cold water as I need them and able to dice them up.

Pickled Jalapenos is my favorite thing to do with them. i have stored them for at least 6 months (in the fridge) and they are still good.

This is David Lebovitz's recipe

Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots

Two jars (about 2 cups of pickles)

When you transfer the mixture into the jars, you should have just enough brine so that they’re barely submerged. Press them down with a spoon, cover, and let them stand overnight as they will continue to pickle in the jars. The next day, if you should need more brine, simply heat together equal parts vinegar and water, and pour it over the mixture in the jars. If you’re interested in canning the peppers, at the end of the recipe I’ve linked to a good source on canning tips and techniques. I do prepare the jars by pouring boiling water in them, as well as over the lids, and letting them stand for about 5 minutes. Then I use tongs to carefully tip the hot water out and let them dry, overturned on a cooling rack, until they’re ready to fill. Wear latex or rubber gloves when handling the jalapeños and avoid touching your eyes when handling them, as you’ll find yourself in a bit of pain if you do!

8 (about 1/2-pound, 230g) jalapeno peppers

1 medium carrot

1/2 red onion

1 cup (250ml) white vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar

1 cup (250ml) water

1 clove garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

2 tablespoons kosher or sea salt (not grey or iodized salt)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

10 black peppercorns, lightly crushed

1 bay leaf

1. Slice off the stems of the jalapeños and cut them into rounds slightly shy of 1/4-inch (.5cm). Peel the carrot and cut it into 1/4-inch (.5cm) slices. Peel the onion and cut it in half. (Reserve the other half for another use. Slice the onion into 1/4-inch (.5cm) slices.

2. Heat the vinegar in a nonreactive saucepan with the water, garlic clove, salt, sugar, oregano, peppercorns, and bay leaf until simmering, and the salt and sugar are dissolved.

3. Add the jalapeños, carrots, and onions. Let cook in the pan for 1 minute, then cover, remove from heat, and let stand 15 minutes.

4. Ladle the mixture into jars, close them, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Storage: The pickles will keep for at least a month in the refrigerator, and will start to lose their oomph after that. For canning tips and guidelines, see the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.

I have eight pint jars of pickled jalepenos. Plus eight half pint jars of seasoned hot sauce with tomatoes, plus about ten half pint jars of jalapeno salsa. And still my six plants keep producing . . . if they keep their kick, I might try freezing because then I could add them to stuff as my taste desired. I do love the pickled ones on a cracker with cream cheese or in a dip or salsa too . . . I give them as gifts, but I find my friends either love them and rave, or secretly throw them out . . . or maybe like my one friend, put them on a top shelf forever on display . . . just yesterday a friend said thanks but no thanks to a jar of pickled jalepenos. And they are Puerto Rican so I thought they would like them with different dishes they make . . . I dunno, I think this family prefers store bought stuff. Such folks exist . . . or they already got more than they can use from other friends and family . . . I joke that everyone is getting pickles from Santa this year and if you are on the naughty list you'll get two jars . . . not that they aren't good, but pickles are only loved by some, not all . . . that's why I shudder at all I've put up, I like them but only in moderation, I won't be able to use them up that fast . . .

Thanks for the recipe Lars. I could totally see making those stuffed peppers, freezing them and then serving them with a cheese sauce. I've had chilies rellenos that way at some local restaurants. I'll bet they were frozen dishes to begin with . . . they don't seem that fresh. I don't mind frozen stuff though, even if it has a slightly different texture, particularly in the winter around here, when fresh isn't available locally. Still delicious tasting.

Edited to add that maybe I'll try fridge pickling some of them too, I just finished the last of my cuke ones and still have brine left . . . got raves about the herb mix in that one . . . (garlic, red onion, bay leaf, fennel, celery and mustard seed). Brine was white and cider vinegar, some water and some sugar, but not a lot. It was a tweak of a BWB relish recipe and it worked for fridge brined pickles as well.

If you have more than you can deal with and store, or give away, you can always donate fresh oicked to a food pantry.

I would freeze, pickle, or turn them into jelly before drying them. I use the recipe Annie posted for pickling single jars. A neighbor gave me some giant jalapenos recently — I tried a candied jalapeno recipe that’s perfect with hamburgers, and I also made a jar of jalapeno-apple jelly that turned out great.

If too many - yet again - I'd give to the food pantry. After awhile they become overwhelming.

I dehydrated most of my robust jalapeno harvest. I split the peppers, removed the seeds and membranes, and chopped the peppers finely to dehydrate. I also saved the seeds and membranes and dehydrated them as a wonderful hot addition to soups or casseroles. I love anything dehydrated, because it lasts forever and can be added to any recipe.