Make this Christmas a bit hotter and spicer with a gift that gives all year! A wreath of chili peppers is a traditional Southwestern decoration.  These dried peppers can make a lovely gift for your culinary genius. Plus they give seasoning for the chef all year round! Below we’ll tell you how to make one step by step and some advice on different peppers. Or if you want to add a bit of ease along with spice to your gift, order an edible organic one here!

Instructions

1. Purchase dried red chili peppers.
2. Measure and cut a length of florist wire to fit around the outside circumference of a straw wreath frame and then a little bit extra. Make two of this length wire and then one more length of wire that is about four inches shorter.

3. Pierce through one chili at the stem end 1/4 inch down from the stem cap.  Twist the wire around the chili to secure.

4. Pierce another chili and slide it alongside the first one on the same wire. Keep adding chili peppers until you run out of wire.

5. Attach the string of peppers to the outside of the straw frame with florist pins or hairpins.

6. Make another string of chilies to overlap the first string. Pin it on to the middle of the frame.

7. Make one final string of chilies slightly smaller than the first two. Pin it into place on the inside of the frame. The three tiers of chilies make the wreath appear abundant and lush. Adapt as needed.

8. Make a loop of florist wire to hang the finished wreath.

Confused about peppers? Here is some great info to help you select the best pepper for your pot:

Anaheim: Generally mild and sweet. Good for stuffing or salsa.

Arbol: Green to dark red. Often dried in wreaths or ground into powder for cooking.

Ancho: A dried poblano (see No. 5). The sweetest of the dried.

Bell: The mildest member of the Capsicum  family.

Poblano: Dark green, sweet and mild. When stuffed, these become chile rellenos.

Banana: Available in sweet or hot form. Long and yellow or orange.

Habanero: Small, lantern-shaped chile. Bright orange when ripe. Extremely hot. Good in salsa.

Jalapeno: Dark green to red. Range from hot to very hot. Dried form is a chipotle.

Guajillo: A dried chile  with shiny-smooth, deep red skin. Can be quite hot.

Cubanelle: Ranges in color from greenish-yellow to red. Sweet.

Hungarian Wax: Large, yellow and waxy. Ranges from mild to medium  hot.

Thai: Small and thin. Ranges from green to red. Fiery hot. Used in Southeast Asian dishes.

Source: “Food Lover’s Companion” by Sharon Tyler Herbst

• “Chile” is the pepper pod or plant. “Chili” is the dish with beans and meat.
• The “cracks” that form on the skin of a jalapeno   are called “corkiness.” It signifies nothing in terms of heat.
• Birds are not susceptible to capsaicin, the hot stuff in chile peppers. Also, pepper seeds do not break down in a bird’s digestive track like they do in a mammal’s, so birds can spread pepper seeds.
• Fish also do not have those pain receptors either. Colorful species of fish are sometimes fed chile powder to keep their scales bright.
• It is possible to build up a resistance to capsaicin if you eat a lot of chile peppers.
• There are absolutely no varieties of peppers that are poisonous.
• Thin-walled peppers can be dried on a string, which is called a “ristra.”
• The best way to avoid burning your skin or eyes is to wear gloves when handling chile peppers.

Source: The Chile Pepper Institute, New Mexico State University

Popularity: 2% [?]