How to dry hot peppers on a string

At the end of may, I bought some hot pepper plants at the market. I thought it would be nice to have some fresh peppers to cook with this summer and fall. Little did I know, I would end up with many many more peppers than expected!

These are cheyenne peppers. As you can see, when ripe, they turn a bright orange. About their spiciness, I would say they're a bit more intense than the well known jalapeno peppers. The flesh is a bit thinner too. 

This is only one of my plants. I have 6 crazy productive plants like this one. You can imagine, I've been searching for ways to preserve these little gems.

I've plan to make some fermented hot sauce with a bunch of them, but today's harvest is going to hang in the kitchen to dry. Dried peppers can be used whole (I would split them first) in slow cooked meals or crushed into flakes. You could even turn them in a fine powder with a food processor or a coffee grinder. 

On the pictures, you can see that I also picked a little onion and some blooming oregano from the balcony. 

My first idea was to make a ristra but I didn't have enough peppers for that. So I kept looking for some more ideas. That's when I came across pictures of espelette peppers. Espelette is a french town where they grow a specific pepper since the mid sixteen hundreds. Traditionally, the red peppers were picked when ripe and threaded on strings to dry on the south facing side of homes. 

I liked how these pepper garlands look so I made something similar with my little cheyenne peppers. If you want to try it too, here is how to proceed.

All you need for that quick project is a biggish needle, cotton thread (I used the kind you can crochet with), scissors and fresh hot peppers. Try to find really fresh peppers, with long stems. This will prevent the stems from splitting or breaking and letting out the thread. 

 What I like about the espelette peppers arrangement, is the way the peppers are aligned in a flat way. The trick to insure you get that nice and tidy look, is to place the curve of the pepper stems all upwards. You see how they all point towards the top? That's what makes all the difference! It keeps the pepper above from spinning on the thread.

To thread your peppers, start by pre-arranging all of them. Cut a piece of cotton thread of two or three times the length of your garland. Starting with the bottom pepper, pierce the very base of the stem and pull the thread to three inches for it's end.

Wrap the end around the stem a couple times and make a knot. This pepper is the one keeping all the others from slipping, you want it to stay in place.

 You can cut the thread end shorter if you want, just make sure it won't undo the knot.

Continue threading the hot peppers one after the other. Always pierce the stem in a way that makes the curve go upward.

 Push them delicately on the thread, too much pressure or too fast a move could split or break the stem (the pepper would still be good! But you couldn't thread it back).

Once all the peppers are on the thread, knot a little loop at the end and suspend your garland somewhere dry and well ventilated. Check it from time to time for molds and take out any suspicious pepper. You can use the peppers at any stage of dryness, to your liking. 

Give it a try, and send me a picture! I would love to see your garland!

Waste nothing: Strawberry stems syrup

Ahhh July! July in Montréal means the abundance of local fruits and vegetables. It means nice, warm and long summer days. A time for vacation, a time for contemplation, a time for taking the time.

For some years now I've wanted to make strawberry jam. Sadly local strawberries, strangely enough, are often more expensive than imported ones, and even more expensive than other local fruits. But boy are they worth your hard-earned dollars! Sweet, plump and so flavorful, they really are the joy of the season!

I've grab my box of strawberries will touring the Jean-Talon market, which is also a real joy at this time of year. All the smiling people, the wonderful smell of fresh produce and seeing the big piles of green onions, fresh herbs, huge lettuces and tons of berries made my day.  I bet you could get them at a better price if you can go directly to a producer near you though.

Traditional strawberry jam

Using fresh and local (and more expensive) produces really motivates me to make the best out of every bite. That's why when I use strawberries, in addition to the main recipe, I make strawberry stems syrup. It's super simple and really good on pancakes or to sweeten your cup of jasmine tea.

Here is what I do:

Hull your strawberries, leaving a bit a flesh on the stems and use the fruits in a recipe as you would normally. When you're done hulling the strawberries, place the stems in a plastique bowl or glass jar and cover them with water. Close the jar or bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours. The next day, filter the liquid through a fine mesh and compost the strawberry stems. Measure the volume of flavored water you have obtained. Transfer to a pot and add the same volume of sugar. Bring to a boil and stir to make sure the sugar is well dissolved, then turn off the heat. There you have it, a delicious treat and nothing was wasted! This strawberry syrup will keep in the fridge for several weeks and can be used in many ways! Get creative, pour it over Greek yogurt or in sparkling water.

Strawberry stems simple syrup

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