Do Green Chillies* turn Red after picking?
If you are growing New Mexican Chiles such as the Chimayo or Hatch Red Chiles, and, they are close to being ripe (after about 75 days from seed to harvest), they'll sometimes turn red after you pick them.
Sometimes, you will find chile ristras that are made out of multi-color peppers in various stages of ripeness, and sometimes (if ripe enough) these will turn red as they dry. But this is not always the case, and we recommend using red, mature chile for making ristras.
With New Mexican Green Chile varieties, don't count on the green pods turning red after picking. A few may if they are close enough to ripe, but after picking, green chile don't typically ripen any further. So we don't advise trying to dry green chile, or make Ristras from green pods.
Remember: It's best to use fresh green chile for roasting!
Chile Ristras are a great way of letting your peppers air dry if you live in a dry climate, they are beautiful as well as functional for drying out your chile peppers for winter use. You can turn dried peppers into pepper flakes or powder to make sauces, stews and lots of other delicious flavorful spicy recipes. Learn how to make a Chile Ristra »
*Note: Here in New Mexico, "Chile" is the proper way to spell chile. But we spelled it this way as that what most people search! No worries, we don't hold it against you, it really depends on where you're located in the world on how you spell chile. (chillies, chilies, chilli, chili, they're delicious no matter how you spell them!)
Also to Note: Hatch chile technically can only be called Hatch if they're grown in the Hatch valley in New Mexico. Read more on What Makes a Hatch Chile Hatch »
