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How do I preserve fresh chillis?
The Wizard
Posts: 11,071 Forum Member
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I'm currently growing fresh chilli and want to know how to preserve them in a jar and what liquid to use. I tried this once before and used olive oil and filled the jar all the way to the top but months later when I came to open it up there was a layer of mould on the top and the oil had turned cloudy so I had to throw them away. Not sure what I did wrong or whether I used the wrong thing or should have added some kind of preservative. I don't wish to use vinegar as this will taint the flavour. Maybe I should use brine not sure. The jar was clean before hand but not really sure how to get it totally air tight but as I won't be using them all at once I want something that will keep them fresh long after opening without going mouldy.
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
0
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Here is how they suggest pickling chillis which is what you seem to want:
I also hung some up in the window where the sun came in & dried them out then put those in the fridge, they lasted months.
To be honest I keep wanting to throw it out but he won't let me. They weren't Jalapernos though so not sure if that makes a difference.
If it went mouldy when you tried it maybe they might have had spores on them to start with, could you not try washing them with some diluted steriliser first & then rinsing. I only say this because we make homemade wine & we wash our fruit in steriliser first.
They were indistinguible from discovery/old el paso/supermarket own pickled chillies.
Thanks i'll give that a go. I understand that saltwater and vinegar are both preservatives but what is the sugar for? Is it just to sweeten the chillis?
You're basically making a brine.
You can boil it to help dissolve the salt & sugar and it will also soften the vinegar plus will slightly cook the chillis taming them down as well.
Believe you can dry them whole, but the seeds are easier to remove before they are dried
Ah right good point. Plus because it's hot, as it cools it will suck the lid down creating an air tight seal. Thanks!
The others however were quite small but really hot little things, same shape as the others just smaller and hotter. I planted these at the same time. Again I took one red and one green, however they are only 5cm tall already whereas the others are like a full blown shrub practically taken over my kitchen window. Can't work it out why some would grow like mad in twelve months and others a lot slower. I always thought fruit and veg etc grew seasonaly like every year but my small chillis look like they might not be ready for at least another twelve months or more.