Chillies

A grand chilli there

These days, we all know about chilli peppers. We have them on pizzas, in sauces, and even on patios simply as decorative plants. Although very abundant in hotter countries, chillies really only began to appear in Irish supermarkets within the last 15 years or so.

Growing chillies

Germination

The most effective method for germinating chilli seeds in Ireland is the wet paper towel method.

• Fold up a few layers of kitchen towel and wet it under a tap. Wring it out so it's not too wet.
• Open the towel up like a book, and on one half lay out the chilli seeds in rows, ~2cm away from each other.
• Fold over the other half, so that the seeds are enclosed in damp paper towel.
• Put the seeds and towel into a ziplock sandwich bag, and put into a hotpress.
• After 10-14 days, the seeds will have grown a taproot big enough for transplanting into a propagator.

Cooking with chillies

Drying chillies

The traditional way to dry chillies is to hang them in a sunlit window. In Irish weather, this is best done during the summer, and only peppers with undamaged stalks should be used (broken ones let in moisture and bacteria and will cause the chilli to rot).

• Tie 2 or 3 fresh chilli peppers together by their stalks using string or an elastic band.
• Hang the bundle on a hook at a south-facing window.
• In 4-6 weeks the chillies should be dry enough to grind up (if they're not, chop them up and let them dry in the open for a couple of days).
• If you shake the chilli, you will hear a rattling if it is dry enough. The noise is made by the seeds, which can be saved and used to grow more plants.