Preserve Chilli - Drying - Stringing

So... I'm into home grown tucker...better taste...would much rather eat something as chemical free as possible...

Huge chilli...wow!

I don't do hot chilli said my mate Rah. Thought I was buying a capsicum. These happened...so here you go...

I'm a plain-taste kinda girl normally but I'm really into home grown tucker and want to try things. I was thrilled to bits.

I've never seen such huge chilli. Rah said they were really, really hot. (No, I don't know their name)

I decided I was going to dry these babies for chilli flakes and tone them down by making some kind of spice mix. Also I'm going to save seed to grow in the warmer months, when the frosts are over.

So I read around and found:

• Dried chilli loses some heat
• Ways of drying chilli
• Ways of stringing chilli to dry
• Growing chilli from seed 
• Chilli grows through the winter

However, as I said earlier - I've never seen chilli as big as this in real life, such an unreal colour...I decided to string them so I could enjoy and look at them for a while.

Stringing these babies up

Couldn't find a needle and thread fast enough so grabbed some rubber bands - two per chilli

Loop rubber band as shown - this is your main 'stitch' ...(hehe)

Just loop it round the stalk - making some 'tooth' here...

Do to all chilli...

Oh yes...another rubber band stitch...on top of 'tooth'

...done to all chilli...

Join chilli together by looping the 'stitches' through each other...

'Happy eyes' for me in the kitchen...

....hang 'em up...I'm going to enjoy how cheery they make my wee kitchen for a while xxx...

Thank you Rah! xxx...