The chillies to be collected now and how to keep them for the winter

The chillies to be collected now and how to keep them for the winter are a small secret of the kitchen that can make your dishes unforgettable even in the colder months. Discover the most useful tricks not to waste this wonder of the garden.

The seasonal fruits, especially the spicy ones, have a unique charm: they fill balconies and vegetable gardens, release intense perfumes and become a constant presence in the kitchen. It often happens that you think of chillies as something complicated to preserve, but in reality there are small precautions within the reach of anyone to keep their character and flavor alive. It is a bit like keeping a ray in the summer in a jar, ready to rekindle the dishes in the colder months. Isn’t it surprising how a small plant can transform the simplest recipe with a few grams? Sometimes it is enough to taste one just collected to understand how much energy can release.

Before understanding how to keep them, it is useful to know which variety to collect right now. From fire red to brilliant green, each chili pepper has its own personality and its ideal conservation method. With some practical trick, the work becomes not only simple but even fun.

The chillies to be collected now in view of winter

September and October are the perfect months for the collection of chillies. The plants concluded their cycle and the fruits show intense colors and compact skins. In this period the Spicy red pepperslike Cayenna and Diavolicchio, ideal to dry; the green chilliesstill not entirely mature, perfect for preserves in oil or under the vinegar; the ornamental varieties Like Black Pearl and Numex Twilight, spectacular to see and surprising in the kitchen; they Habanero and Jalapeñowith fruity notes that lend themselves to sauces with a unique taste.

A often neglected detail is the time for the collection: better to choose the dry hours of the day, avoiding humid mornings or evenings of dew. So the skin of the fruits remains less exposed to mold and deterioration. It is curious to note that even a small gesture can change the final result.

How to keep chillies for the winter

Once collected, the question is inevitable: how to keep them at best? The possibilities are many, some immediate, others more elaborate, but all capable of bringing intense flavors to the table even in the colder months. After all, who wouldn’t want to open the pantry in the middle of winter and find a piece of summer?

There is nothing more reassuring than having a jar of peppers ready to use when it rains outside. It is fascinating to think that these small fruits can turn into a thousand different ways. Some methods make the peasant kitchens of the past come to mind, others remember the modern and colorful modern dispense. Each choice brings with it a tradition, but also the possibility of personalizing the result according to one’s taste. Beauty is precisely this: the same plant can give completely different experiences. And after all, keeping chillies is also a gesture that combines practicality and creativity.

• Drying: The chillies are hung in necklaces or spread on gracts, and once dry can be reduced to powder or use whole, release an intense and persistent aroma.

• Freezing: just wash them, dry them and put them in the whole freezer or pieces. Spicyness remains intact, even if the consistency changes slightly.
• In oil: The fruits, after being blanched, end up in jars full of oil enriched with garlic or aromatic herbs, giving a decisive and traditional taste.
• Pickle: Perfect for those who love an acidic touch, it maintains crunchy peppers and lively flavor.
• Chilling cream: blended with oil and salt, become a versatile sauce ready to spread or season.

Each of these methods brings with it a particular charm. The drying evokes images of old peasant kitchens with red necklaces hanging from the beams, while the in oil suggests her handkeys full of colored jars that invite you to be open.

Ideas and uses in the kitchen

Once put aside, the chillies become protagonists of a thousand recipes. The classic pasta garlic, oil and chili pepper buys an extra gear, the winter rustic soups are enriched with heat, and even the home pizzas change face with a pinch of spicy dust. The peppers in oil are transformed into delicious appetizers next to seasoned cheeses, while a spicy cream spread on hot croutons becomes the ideal companion of the coldest evenings.

Each conservation method offers a different nuance, always giving new surprises to the palate. And it is precisely this variety that makes home cooking special.

Preparing the chillies in this period means guaranteeing precious stocks throughout the winter. A few gestures are enough, a little care and some jar to transform a seasonal harvest into a long -lasting ally. It is worth experimenting with more techniques: a little dried, a few jars in oil and maybe even a bag in the freezer.

So each winter dish will always have its unmistakable touch.

Photo © Stock.adobe