Chilli threading

OK, I grew too many chillies this year, largely to freshen up my five-year old seed stocks of this wonderfully decorative plant. Over-planting works well if the seed viability has dropped, but high viability has the unintended consequence of ‘guilt-planting’ of cute little seedlings that one can’t bear to abandon to the compost heap simply because there are too many of them.

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Chillies look great in the garden, but they also look pretty good in the kitchen threaded onto strong cotton and hung up on a curtain wire. Here they can be stored for many months, and taken down as spontaneous gifts for friends who may admire them.

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All you need (beside your double-threaded canvas cotton) is an upholsterer’s needle – this is forced through the red body of the chilli just below the green cap, as the latter will rip too easily to sew into. Start with a length of cotton between your outstretched arms, double it over, knot the end, and then sew then tie the first chilli – the rest are just drawn down the string. At the top, tie a couple of knots a few centimetres apart to take the hook. A quiet evening with some reflective background music should see the crop hung up. Save the seeds (as for capsicums) from the best formed ones.

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1 comments:

Teena said...

Growing chillies has been the most successful thing for us here in Brisbane, we have more than we could ever need, stringing them up is a great idea! <3

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