last chile harvest

roasting chiles

My son helped with this project. He charred the chiles over the stove flame and then I peeled and seeded them. There are now 6 or 8 baggies of roasted chiles in the freezer ready for a sauce someday this winter.

... click on the label below to see my past posts about chiles....

today's harvest - chiles and broccoli!

Even as I was picking these Numex (Joe Parker) chiles they seemed they they should be stuffed. Chile Rellenos? I've never made them before, but these chiles smell so yummy, I think I will try.

And I was really happy to see some nice broccoli heads today. Its still my old spring planted broccoli plants. I never needed the space for something else, so they have stayed in just for the nice blueish-green of their leaves. With the cooler weather, they are producing some sparse heads.

my new ristra

I found some pieces of string and started a ristra. I love that it is something that grows. I can add to it as more chiles ripen. I tied three cayenne or two Thai together at the stem with string then made a loop with the end of the string. The loop gets added to the other chile bunches on the growing ristra.

I hung it on my kitchen door - so evil is now warded off!

chiles for a ristra

I'm accumulating a lot of small red chiles this year. Time to figure out how to make a ristra. I see instructions at eHOW (eHOW ristra instructions link). They say a ristra is decorative, but its also a good way to dry chiles and keep them for fall and winter use.

A couple years ago I made a ristra with wire. It was hard to make and didn't hold the chiles well. But they did dry and keep well. I used them all winter.

eHOW's method uses string to tie chiles in bunches of three and then assemble into a loose hanging strand. Sounds like I can assemble the ones I have now and add more as they ripen. I hope to start one tomorrow.

My small red chiles are mostly a variety I call Amelia's cayenne, which originated from seeds Amelia gave me 3 or 4 years ago and that I grow and collect seed from every year. They are very productive this year. I also have Thai hot and Nardello.