Instructions

1. Pick the hot peppers from your garden (if applicable).

2. Place the hot peppers into the colander and wash them in cool water. Spread the hot peppers on the cooling rack to dry. Do not proceed until the peppers are completely dry.

3. Thread the needle with a 20-inch-long length of dental floss. Tie a knot in the end of the dental floss.

4. Insert the needle through a hot pepper (near the stem). Pass the hot pepper all the way along the dental floss until it stops at the knot at the end of the floss.

5. Tie a knot in the dental floss approximately ½-inch above the hot pepper. This will space the peppers along the dental floss and ensure that air circulates adequately around each pepper.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to string all of the hot peppers onto the dental floss.

7. Remove the needle from the dental floss and tie a loop on the end of the dental floss.

8. Hang the hot peppers in a sunny window. If possible, simply hang the loop over an existing portion of the window latch. If nothing like this exists at your window, it may be necessary to install a small hook in the woodwork of the window to hang the hot peppers.

9. Leave the hot peppers drying in the sunny window until they are leathery and shriveled. This may take one to two weeks.

10. Remove the peppers from the string after they are dry. Store the peppers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to six months.