Hello!

I don’t have an enormous amount of success in the garden, but my chilli plants are producing chillis by the hundreds. I use them in a lot of foods that I cook, but there’s a limit to how much chilli you can use in a recipe, or indeed to how many different recipes you can use them in. Do any Mums have ideas on other ways that I can use or preserve the chillis? I give a lot away to neighbours, friends and family, but we’ve still got way more than we can use. I hate seeing them go to waste. Thanks in advance for your ideas and advice.


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  • Lucky you ,l use chilli in pasta,pizza,Mexican meals and anything to give it a kick!


  • I found the easiest, simplest way to store them for me is to freeze them. I just washed them, gave them a quick trim and popped them in a sealed bag


  • You can make a nice chili paste and put them in jars. Also nice to give away as birthday / Christmas presents.


  • I would find a recipe to preserve them in jars with oil.


  • I find that they dry easily and can then be used all year round. Keep some dried seeds to sow when your chilli plants start to die off.


  • Can you freeze them? I’m not sure.


  • Maybe find a recipe to make chilie sauce /paste and then put them in the jar for future use .


  • we have a table at work that everyone puts their extra produce on and people take what they need. my brother makes a wicked chili jam and chili paste with his, and freezes them in jars


  • Chili sauce, sweet chili sauce, chili jam freeze them


  • Have one of our mums posted a chilli sauce/jam recipe? Also dehydrating?


  • I dry them and grind them into flakes and chilli powder. They will last long if you keep them in air tight bottles.


  • Make up a batch of chilli jam, its yummy on hamburgers or chicken burgers, you can give a jar to family members or sell them.


  • Dry it so you can use it anytime you need.


  • Plant them & sell the seedlings?
    Hang them up to dry & then smoosh them into chilli flakes.
    My husband also purees the fresh ones with sweet chilli sauce or vinigar & freezes it into ice cubes (or just by themselves).
    Freeze them fresh.


  • Also; give away as gifts to people.


  • Tomato and chilli jam
    Add “Tomato and chilli jam” to FavouritesAdd to Favourites
    Ingredients
    1 x 400g/14oz can plum tomatoes
    4 red chillies, chopped
    4 garlic cloves, peeled
    7cm/3in piece fresh ginger, peeled, chopped
    3 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
    120ml/4fl oz red wine vinegar
    375g/13oz soft light brown sugar
    1 tsp cardamom pods, lightly crushed
    70g/2½oz raisins
    400g/14oz fresh tomatoes, chopped
    Preparation method
    Place the canned tomatoes, chilli, garlic, ginger and fish sauce into a food processor and blend until smooth.
    Place the tomato sauce into a non-reactive pan over a medium heat and add the vinegar, sugar, cardamom pods and raisins. Bring to the boil then add the chopped fresh tomatoes. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45-55 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to a chutney or jam-like consistency.
    Transfer to sterilised jars and seal until ready to use. The jam should keep for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.


  • A few ideas; drying, jam, sauce and preserved in olive oil.


  • Make Chilli relish for Xmas gifts!


  • Google chilli sauces from different countries, and search recipes for the different countries and then make a different flavour chilli sauce to suit each different country. Then you can flavour any meal theme with some really cool authentic style chilli sauce.


  • I make jars of chillies in olive oil and give them away as pressies. Just make sure chillies are clean and intact. Compact the chillies in the jar, pour over olive oil to cover, then seal the lid tightly. Recipients who love chillies think it is a HOT present!


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