As your peppers come in at the end of the summer, consider drying a few of them to make your own chili powder. It is a great way to control how hot your chili powder is and adds a great flavor option to your chili, soup or stews during those cold winter months.
There are a number of methods you can utilize to dry peppers. I will let mine set out for awhile in a bowl until they begin to shrivel a bit. Then, put a piece of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet to protect your next cookies from tasting like peppers. Spread the peppers evenly on the foil and turn you oven onto it's lowest setting. Put the peppers in and let them "roast" all day.
Upon removing them, you will see that they have dried more. If you are not sure they are dry enough to store, leave them either in the oven for awhile longer or spread out on a flat surface for a few more days.
Slice the peppers open and take out the seeds. It you like it HOT, leave the seeds with the peppers. Some folks use a seperate coffee grinder to speed the work. I use a large knife and chop, chop, chop. The smaller the better. Spread the chopped peppers out and let it dry awhile longer. Come back in an hour and chop some more.
When you are happy with the texture of your powder, place it into an airtight container to use as you please.
Enjoy
I should also add that depending on the heat of the peppers, you may want to protect your hands with gloves or such. The oils from the peppers may get onto your skin and easily be transferred to another body part such as the eyes or lips. Caution is always better than a problem in that regard.
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