Why not dry the lot?

After all the seeds want to be dried also!

So once dry and just before crushing remove sufficient seeds for your needs and crush the rest!

This is what would happen in the wild.

Ok, I thought the seeds would have to be taken out first and dried separate of the flesh, so they would not rot inside. I will give it a try with a few

Thanks

Do you take the seeds out normally?

The seeds are the hottest part of the chilli.

If I am preparing a "hot" chilli I add the seeds and shell, conversely, if I want a mild chilli I remove the seeds.

Regarding 'rotting' this is dependant on the drying process.

If the drying process is too slow or there is high humidity around the drying chillis then the chances of rotting increases, but I have found this to be quite rare!

Providing they get plenty of air around them they dry quite nicely!

Initially keep an eye on them in case one chilli begins to rot and remove it before it affects the rest.

Once dry they will keep for a long time, in fact I am still using chili I grew and dried last year,which is good as this years crop is running a bit late.

I used the seeds for my next years planting, but I like to dry a few as well whole for that exact reason, heat. I have over 100 plants and wish to mix it up between some sacrificed for next years crop , some whole dried for my spice mill and others yet fresh whole in stews

Some like the Turkish Cayenne are quite meaty (large), Jalapenos do not dry well at all. Smaller like Thai or Firecracker dry quite well

I tried saving Chilli seeds a few years ago and it wasn't very successful. I had 3 different variety's in my greenhouse they hybridised and although I got a crop with my saved seed they were not particularly good. So I always just buy fresh every year and keep trying new variety's. If you have a good crop why not try pickling some. I had a glut of chillies last year and I found a recipe on line for pickled chillies. I am still using them in stir fry's , curries and marinades in fact anything that you would use fresh chillies in. They are almost finished now but I will definitely be doing more this year. I also gave a couple of jars as Christmas prezzies because I had a mix Yellow,Red,Orange & Green and they looked so colourful and I have had requests for more this year. I also make Chilli Jam every year with another recipe I found on line both recipes suit the fleshier type's