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Harvesting chillies

• Message 1. 

  Posted by martingodliman (U13761957) on Tuesday, 20th September 2011

  I've got plenty of red ones on my plants as well as some green yet to ripen.
  
  Do you take them off as soon as they are red and preserve to dry or freeze ?
  
  Or leave them on the plant until later and deal with them all once the plant is finished ?
  
  

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Tee Gee (U10012255) on Tuesday, 20th September 2011

  
  
  Personally I find it better to take them off when they are ripe.
  
  
  Quite often they wrinkle and soften if you leave them on so if you like them crunchy take them off.
  
  They are also easier to dry at this stage as well.

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Thesassenach (U14884672) on Wednesday, 21st September 2011

  The green ones are still perfectly usable, they will just be much hotter than the red ones. You can preserve by drying, or by making chilli oil/vinegar, even vodka! or pickle them like jalapenos. They don't work well frozen; they just go all mushy.

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by 7magpies (U8108459) on Wednesday, 21st September 2011

  Just to disagree with a couple of points above: I've found that the chilis get much hotter once they change to red. I also find they freeze fine - yes, they go soggy when thawed, but if you snip them up with scissors when still frozen they can go straight into the dish you're cooking.
  
  I do agree that drying them isn't always successful, as some of them don't get what they're supposed to do, and just rot.

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by realfood (U13916672) on Wednesday, 21st September 2011

  At the end of the season, I take the last of the green ones in and place them on a sunny windowsill to ripen and turn red, or whatever colour they are meant to be.

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by martingodliman (U13761957) on Thursday, 22nd September 2011

  Thanks all for that I have frozen them and dried them successfully in the past I was mainly asking about the optimum moment to harvest them.
  
  True they do have to be cut up and added to a dish immediately out of the freezer I don't bother to thaw them as they are not like fresh but are useful for quick dishes like a stir fry when you want to eat them soon/quick.
  
  I find the dried ones need more cooking like in a chili con carne to over come the dried toughness, or any other long cooking time dish.
  
  Both are useful.

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