Chilli.

tripod2000

I have a slight abundance of fresh scotch bonnet.(It was cheaper to get a punnet from the market with about 15 for £1 than the price in Mr Ts Shop. (3 for £0.79)

I'm a little stuck as to what I can do with the excess bonnets though, I'd like to store them some how I guess. I already made my own chilli oil with some as a kind of storage but that only took 3. I've found a number of lovely sounding recipes but wont be able to eat them for a while so.

Can I freeze them?
Is there an easy way to dry them in the oven? Will that make them hotter? (Please lord no!)
Any sauces/pickles worthy of keeping for some time? (I tried pickled scotch bonnet from a Jamaican friend. Never again!)
Can I plant the seeds in a window box and expect plants ever?


(Oh and Kethry I cut up 3 with a knife and fork and could feel on my arms where the juice splashed me. I wore safety goggles throughout.)

Pink.

tripod2000 wrote: »

I have a slight abundance of fresh scotch bonnet.(It was cheaper to get a punnet from the market with about 15 for £1 than the price in Mr Ts Shop. (3 for £0.79)

I'm a little stuck as to what I can do with the excess bonnets though, I'd like to store them some how I guess. I already made my own chilli oil with some as a kind of storage but that only took 3. I've found a number of lovely sounding recipes but wont be able to eat them for a while so.

Can I freeze them?
Is there an easy way to dry them in the oven? Will that make them hotter? (Please lord no!)
Any sauces/pickles worthy of keeping for some time? (I tried pickled scotch bonnet from a Jamaican friend. Never again!)
Can I plant the seeds in a window box and expect plants ever?


(Oh and Kethry I cut up 3 with a knife and fork and could feel on my arms where the juice splashed me. I wore safety goggles throughout.)

Hi tripod,

Yes you can freeze them. Freeze as they are...then just lift out as many as you want and chop from frozen.

I always have a supply of chilli sherry (add chillies to sherry, leave for three months) to add to soups and stews to give them a bit of oomph in the winter months.

You can also try planting the seeds. A number of people on the greenfingered board have reported success with this. Now is about the time to start chilli plants off (indoors) but they do well outside once the risk of frost has passed and with luck and a bit of tlc you may get some new chillies later in the summer.

There's an earlier thread with more ideas on preserving chillies that may help:

Preserving chillies?

Pink

Penelope_Penguin

tripod2000 wrote: »

I have a slight abundance of fresh scotch bonnet

Can I freeze them?
Is there an easy way to dry them in the oven? Will that make them hotter? (Please lord no!)

DH's office had a chilli growing competition last year, and a colleague gave him a couple of Scotch Bonnets before Christmas, I've put them in a cup on my windowsill and they've gone a bit wrinkly, but still look fine I've not been brave enought ot use them yet, but do have a pack of surgical gloves ready

How many ought I to use - I'm assuming chilli for 4 has a fraction of a Scotch Bonnet

Penny. x

misskool

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

DH's office had a chilli growing competition last year, and a colleague gave him a couple of Scotch Bonnets before Christmas, I've put them in a cup on my windowsill and they've gone a bit wrinkly, but still look fine I've not been brave enought ot use them yet, but do have a pack of surgical gloves ready

How many ought I to use - I'm assuming chilli for 4 has a fraction of a Scotch Bonnet

Penny. x

The Scoville Scale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale) tells you how 'hot' the chilli is.

Depending on what type of chillies you normally use, you can roughly adjust to that.

Or just bung some in and hope for the best

tripod2000

If you are worried by the heat Tesco I notice have the serving suggestion of a stir fry in which you stir fry the SB whole with everything else and remove before eating.