[Grubbypaws]

I have lots of green chillies with no signs of any turning red. This is my first year growing them. If they had turned red I was going to make a ristra and hang them up to dry. Can I do the same thing with green chillies?

[Grubbypaws]

Or should I freeze them instead? 

[Plot94]

I would leave them to ripen, some varieties will ripen earlier than others. My Trinidad Scorpion are producing bucket loads of red chillies now but the Lemon Chilli are still green and in previous years have not ripened until mid-October. Sometimes you can encourage them to ripen by treating them mean, stop feeding or watering and the plants will panic and fruits ripen quicker.

[New shoot]

I'd agree with leaving them longer to ripen and also treat them a bit mean if you want red fruits.  Cut the feed out and water sparingly.

If you want to preserve some now, drying them might be  bit more problematic than for red ones as the seeds and membranes inside will be a lot wetter and more fleshy, so there is more chance of rotting.  I'd use a dehydrator or a low oven and stick a knife tip into each one, so the hot air can get inside.

They will freeze well and I often do this.  I just use a microplane grater and grate them into stuff straight from the freezer 

[Grubbypaws]

They will freeze well and I often do this.  I just use a microplane grater and grate them into stuff straight from the freezer 

Do you remove the stems before freezing?

[Plot 1 Problems]

They will freeze well and I often do this.  I just use a microplane grater and grate them into stuff straight from the freezer 

Do you remove the stems before freezing?

I leave the stems on, doesn't cause any problems!

[simon hughes]

I'd leave them on the plant till the end of Oct. I don't usually pull my plants till November to be honest. And I barely water them now. I've watered once in the last 3 weeks and then gone on hols for 2 weeks. So they will be looking pretty ropey when I get back but I'll have plenty more ripe chillis I expect.

[Grubbypaws]

I am going away for nearly 3 months. Should I bring the plants inside the house and leave them without attention in the hope of returning in December to ripe chillies and dead plants or cut my losses and freeze them as they are?

[Plot94]

It depends on how hot you like your chillies 
After 3 months they will probably be dry on the plant, if they are indoors they shouldn't rot so they will be hotter as they are ripe. They will still need to be thoroughly dried to make flakes or powder but will not be so good for cooking. I have left chillies on the plant well into December in the polytunnel in the past before drying them in the oven for grinding without any major issues.

[ches]

I have lots of green chillies with no signs of any turning red. This is my first year growing them. If they had turned red I was going to make a ristra and hang them up to dry. Can I do the same thing with green chillies?

I was in the same boat about a month ago, loads of green fruit, none turning red. Then all of a sudden one turned, I've just got back from a week holiday where the plant hasn't been looked after and i have a tonne of red fruit.

[Grubbypaws]

If I leave the plants outside in my mini greenhouse should I leave the top partly open so that they get some water or should I close it up completely so that they dry out?

[New shoot]

I would close the roof up as we could get frost and/or a very wet autumn and that could rot the fruit.  Just put some green ones in the freezer, so you have something, give the plants one last decent water and leave them to it. 

Or you could put them in a tray, run a cloth under them, then run the cloth out the side and into a water source.  You can buy this sort of watering kit, but a homemade version works OK.  Just make sure the water is high enough up that it does wick across to the plants.  They shouldn't get too wet with just a bit of watering from below.  The water will run out, but by then hopefully the fruit will be pretty well ripe and should hold on the plant for a bit.

There is no guarantee, but you have a fair chance of coming back to red fruits 

[Plot 1 Problems]

Another thing I like to do with some thin walled chillies (ie Cayenne) is leave them to dry naturally off the plant. Some of them ripen as a they dry and it's really easy to rehydrate them for cooking.

[Grubbypaws]

Got back to a mini greenhouse full of red but rotting chillies covered in botrytis 

[New shoot]

 

The weather has been against you there.  It has been very, very wet and pretty mild at times, with a lot of scope for botrytis to spread.  I lost all my quinces (outside on the tree) to rot and mould.