Awaiting drying in the dehydrator: jalapenos and, in the foreground, poblano peppers. Two green bell peppers were also harvested (left foreground), but won't be dried.
There is a definite chill in the air. That's good news for the cool weather crops, but with nighttime temperatures nearing freezing, the last remaining summer crops need to be harvested before any damage occurs. Yesterday was harvest day on Townville Street. This is probably the last crop of peppers I will get this year and I want to be able to put them to good use, but as I don't have any meals planned that call for poblano peppers or massive amounts of jalapenos, I will be dehydrating these. In that way, some of those chilly winter days will be warmed by a little fiery heat from the garden. The freezer is already stocked with delectable garden delights such as homemade spaghetti sauce, zucchini bread, blackberry-lime jam, strawberry-rhubarb jam, "sun"dried tomatoes, frozen rhubarb, blueberries, green beans, and previous batches of dehydrated peppers. In addition, the cabinets and counter tops are overflowing with preserves, chutneys, jams, jellies, and pickles. These peppers will be added to the stockpile!
Halved, with stems removed, the peppers go onto the drying racks. I leave the seeds in for extra heat, but they can also be removed, along with the ribs, for a little less intensity.
The poblano peppers are also being dehydrated. They have been quartered and the seeds and ribs have been removed.
The finished product will have much less volume than the fresh peppers. It's important to remember that even though the dried peppers are much smaller, they still retain all their heat, so keep that in mind when calculating how much to use in a recipe.
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