Is it feasible to dry them in this kind of climate (southeast wisconsin)? I've been under the impression that I definitely cannot for tomatoes (mold/fungus within days), but perhaps I can with peppers which don't get mold or bugs as fast. I'd like to save some of my poblanos, jalapenos and sweet peppers.
Any thoughts? I might do an oven, but I'm not sure I have the time to hang around for hours on end.
Re: Drying Poblanos?Peppers in the Midwest?
I usually fire roast my poblanos, peel, de-vein and de-seed then dry flay on a dehydrator, sometimes I'll smoke them a bit then dry, then they are placed in a vacuum sealed bag, this year I'll vacuum seal in a mason jar once dried.
Turn the oven on at 200°F then when it reaches temp, turn off the oven and toss the peppers inside.
If you can get your oven below 200 thats even better.
When oven is no longer warm, remove peppers, reheat oven, turn off oven and place the peppers back in.
I have dried peppers as small as Tabasco inside the house by hanging with a thread and needle and some still get moldy inside.
I dry peppers in Tennessee, we have lots of rain and high humidity all the time. I cut bell pepper and chili peppers into 1/4" strips lay them on a table and they dry out good with a fan blowing on them. If I do not slice them they all mold, turn black and rot.
When my red chilies get dry I make red chili powder in the kitchen blender. Good chili powder is a blend of mild chili peppers with enough hot chilies to get the Heat you want.
drying might be ok in a dry climate, but in a humid one I can only do that with small peppers. Bell peppers would only rot. Instead, I do like roasted bell pepper with a little garlic salt and that can be preserved in olive oil.
A dehydrator or oven can work to dehydrate peppers in a humid climate. I have not tried this. I actually don't like dehydrated peppers.