Stringing up your homegrown chilli peppers is an easy and fun little project to do at the end of summer to preserve your bounty for the winter months and to add a nice pop of fiery red colour into your space.

Growing your own chilli peppers is rather easy and pretty straightforward. All you need is a bright and sunny spot and a bit of good, loose and fast-draining soil. Water them regularly, but not too much. They like it when you let the top layer of soil dry out in between watering. I usually grow my chilli peppers in a grow bag on my balcony. Whatever pot you use, make sure it has holes to drain off any excess water.

I like to use my chilli peppers fresh and dry some to preserve and have them available all year round. String drying your chilli peppers is a traditional way of drying and works well for thin-skinned and slender chilli pepper varieties like Cayenne or Thai chillies.

You can use and store your dried chillies whole or turn them into chilli flakes, chilli powder, chilli paste, chilli salt, chilli honey, chilli oil, chilli vinegar etc. to spice up your dishes. For more inspiration, please check out my blog post about MY FAVOURITE THINGS TO MAKE WITH DRIED CHILLI PEPPERS.

Follow my step-to-step instructions down below to learn how to easily string dry your chilli peppers. All you need for this project is a sewing needle and some string and maybe gloves to protect your hands from the spicy oils.

TIPS TO PERFECTLY DRY YOUR HOMEGROWN CHILLI PEPPERS

Wear gloves when you string up the peppers to protect yourself from the spicy oils of the chilli peppers and make sure not to touch your face and eyes and wash your hands afterwards really well.

Dry your chilli peppers in a warm, dry and well-ventilated area until they are fully dried. They should be brittle and the colour will have changed to a darker shade.

Store your dried chilli peppers in a dry, cool and dark spot for several months.

MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED

Fresh chilli peppers
String
Sewing needle
Gloves
hook or place to hang

INSTRUCTIONS STEP BY STEP

Pick your chilli peppers, wash and dry them if you’d like.

Wearing gloves to protect your hands, add your string into the needle and start stringing up your chilli peppers by piercing the cap or stem not the red body of the chilli pepper.

Once you are done stringing up all your chilli peppers, tie the string off with a knot and a loop. Make sure to clean your needle thoroughly after using it.

Hang your strung chilli peppers and let them dry completely. The colour will have changed, and they become brittle to the touch. Don’t forget to dust them off before using or storing your dried chillies away!

You can store your dried chilli peppers whole or in flakes in a dry, cool and dark place like a jar or tin for several months.