7 Ways to Use Your Garden’s Bounty of Hot Peppers This Summer
Pepper plants are often slow to produce. But once they get going, you might end up bringing in more peppers than you can count. If you find yourself overwhelmed with your garden’s bounty and unable to eat enough to keep up, here are some creative ways to preserve and enjoy them well into the winter season.
1. Dehydrated Peppers
One of the simplest and most impressive ways to preserve your extra hot peppers from the garden is to dry them. There are several routes you can take here, but one of the easiest is to thread them onto a string and hang them up to dry. Not only is this the most hands-off method, but seeing a string of beautiful peppers hanging in the kitchen or pantry is also a wonderful reminder of your garden’s bounty as you head into the fall and winter months.
Drying peppers on a string can take anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks. If you want a quicker method, you could use a food dehydrator or the lowest setting on your oven to achieve dried peppers in less than 24 hours.
Once you’ve dehydrated your peppers, you can grind them into seasonings or rehydrate them for winter soups and sauces later.
See more: How to Make the Most of Your Summer Harvest Before the Season Ends
2. Powder Seasonings
Fancy making your own cayenne pepper seasoning? You can get really creative with homegrown peppers, using everything from sweet varieties to the spiciest ones in the garden. Simply grind your peppers in a spice grinder or process them in a food processor, then store the powder in a sealed glass jar. If using hot peppers, it’s advised to grind or process them outdoors or with the windows open and be sure to wear a face mask to protect from the spicy powder.
3. Pickled Peppers
You may have pickled cucumbers but how about hot peppers? Jalapeños are an easy choice for this preservation method. Cowboy candy is a beloved treat among home gardeners, both easy to make and quick to disappear when served at social gatherings. Quick pickling is easy, and you can experiment with any variety of hot pepper and seasonings you like, such as garlic, peppercorns, dill and more.
See more: How to Quick Pickle Vegetables
4. Fermented Peppers
Who doesn’t love a great hot sauce? With an abundance of hot peppers coming in from the garden, you have the perfect opportunity to ferment some of your own. You can use any combination of hot peppers alongside garlic and onion. Mix them with a saltwater brine and submerge them (fermentation weights are a handy investment for this project) until bubbles begin to form. You should see a cloudy brine in less than a week, which means you can strain the brine, puree the mix and store it in a bottle in the fridge. Just be sure air can escape because fermented hot sauce will continue creating bubbles – and the last thing you want is an exploding bottle of hot sauce in the fridge.
5. Infused Oils and Spirits
You probably wouldn’t grow hot peppers if you didn’t enjoy a healthy kick of heat every now and again, but have you ever traversed into the wonderful world of hot pepper infusion? Combine olive oil with finely diced hot peppers over low heat for five minutes before transferring the mixture to a clean glass jar. This infusion is an excellent way to spice up pastas and pizzas. Alternatively, infuse hot peppers into the spirit of your choice (vodka or tequila are classics) to spice up your weekend cocktails.
6. Freeze for Later
Not every item from the garden translates well once frozen, but peppers are hardy and hold up well in the freezer. Many seasoned gardeners recommend cutting and removing the stems, membranes, and seeds from sweet varieties before freezing. But hot peppers can be frozen whole and intact for future use. Be sure to label your peppers before stashing them away in case you forget which ones are spicy when you’re ready to use them.
See more: 10 Creative Ways to Use Zucchini This Summer
7. Hot Pepper Recipes
This one is a no-brainer, but sometimes you just need a new recipe to inspire you to eat more fresh garden produce. We could spend days sharing delicious, spicy recipes. But here are some of our favorite go-to suggestions to try as your pepper harvest continues to roll in.