I love spicy food. One of the reasons I started growning my own food was to get fresh spicy chilis that are sometimes difficult to find in New England. At One Love Farm, we grow Cayenne, Cherry, Pablano and Ancho chilis. Usually, we grow Jalapeno and Habanero, but this year we gave those varieties and rest.
Several years ago I began experimenting with dried chilis. I tried drying everything from Jalapenos to Sweet Bell Peppers. The most successful types were the chilis with thinner walls that dried more easily. These types included Cayenne, Ancho and Habanero. There are several ways to dry chilis. You can tie them up by their stems and hang them in a closet or shed until they dry (this will take several weeks or months). Just make sure you have good air circulation so they do not mold. You can also put them on a cookie sheet in an oven on a very low setting (under 200 degrees). Watch them carefully so they do not burn. It will take several hours before they dry.
At One Love Farm, we use a dehydrador to dry our herbs and chilis. You put the chilis in a single layer on the tray and stack the trays on the dehydrador. It takes about two days dry and you don't have to constantly monitor the process. A word to the wise, if you use a dehydrador, put it in the basement. The fumes from the chili oil can cause some people to cough or sneeze.
Once the chilis are dry, we put them in a blender and crush them until fine. Crush the seeds (but not the stems) in the blender with the chilis for extra heat. Then we put our dried herbs in the blender and crush them into a powder. You can use a wide variety of herbs, but we use a lot of parsley and orageno in addition to other other herbs on our chili powder. Mix the chilis with the herbs and you have a wonderful fresh chili powder.
Remember to wear a mask when grinding and mixing chilis! The powder will make you cough and sneeze and make breathing seem difficult!
Once the powder is made, we put it in an airtight jar or shaker. It will keep for a 6 months to a year and is so much better than the junk you buy in the grocery store that has fillers and who knows what else in it!
You can use chili powder in all kinds of dishes. Of course, it is wonderful in chili. In just the past week, I have also used chili powder in salsa, soup, pesto, and with herbs and oil as a marinade. People also use it to spice up their eggs in the morning!
