Could anyone please tell me how long green & red fresh chillies will keep for and also the best way of storing them.

In the fridge, I would say about 3 weeks. I usually have some in the freezer and just use them straight from there. I also dry my own as I find they are much better than shop bought dried chillies (and very easy to do!).

Cheers AlanMK, for your helpful advice regarding storing of Chillies. Much appreciated. Thanks

3 weeks sounds OK, it may depend on the chillies, and your fridge. Best to keep an eye on them, and throw as soon as you spot any dicolourations or signs of mold, the latter can be a real killer if of the Aspergillus genus (google aflatoxin and be very afraid!).

I find drying is best done in a plastic bag with a few very small holes pierced into it. Your fridge will have to have a drying atmosphere (not all have). I have successfully dried lemons and limes in fridges.

Home dried chillies may seem better, imported ones may have dubious provenance. I have dried large capsicums and pomegranates, too. Dried limes, when powdered, give a lovely taste and a flavour similar to salted lemon/lime rind. Its called loomi in the Middle East, although I would have thought it should be limoo ;?)

I did an experiment on chilli storage last year. The winning method was --

I carefully pulled off the stems and caps of each chilli without exposing any of the interior of the chilli, then wrapped the chillies in paper towels (not individually wrapped, just dropped a handful onto half a towel and rolled them up all together), then placed that inside a small plastic bag in the fridge. I changed the paper whenever it seemed slightly damp, and as Lapis said, discarded any chillies with spots or mould. After six weeks, they were still plump and the seeds were still white. I stopped the experiment because I needed the chillies for cooking, lol.

I never thought of drying them, but that sounds like a good option if you have loads of them. Pickles, too!

Channa makes a good point about the seeds, the chillies should be discarded if the seeds go dark brown or black.

If the chillies are to be added to a curry to add flavour to the sauce/gravy, then freezing is also a good way to keep them. The cells break down by action of the ice crystals, and aid in forming a chilli mush when thawed, when the colour and heat is then better able to be extracted into hot oil/fat.

My chilli plants, which I brought into the conservatory in September, are still fruiting away. Some chillies had matured and turned red on my return from India. I have washed these and they are sitting on a towel in the kitchen to dry. Let's see what happens. I wouldn't dry them as a rule, dry red chillies are not expensive too buy. They are dried in full sun in India and are quite safe to eat, I am sure!

Mamta

Indian exporters of chillies have to have proof that their products have been tested for (lack of) aflatoxins. Its not the drying in the sun which is the problem, its the storage before and after drying.

Aflatoxins are mostly associated with peanuts, but can occur in most nuts, other fruit and veg and even in milk. They are extremely dangerous substances, maybe only second to botulism.

Any sign of mold on the chillies and throw them out, as with any fruit/veg. A tip here, keep the calyx and stalk on, to minimize the chance of mold getting inside the chili fruit.