What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Mexican weekly markets? Do you also see in your mind's eye the beautiful structures made of threaded pepperoni pods that hang everywhere on the wooden stalls and transform the stands into small, colorful sights? Bring the South American flair into your home by making the works of art yourself. It takes a bit of effort to implement, but it's actually quite simple. See for yourself.
How to dry and string hot peppers?
To dry and thread hot peppers, you will need thread, a needle and hot peppers. Tie one end of the thread, thread the needle and pierce the pepperoni pods. Hang the threaded pepperoni in a sunny place to dry for 14 days.
What is the purpose of threading dried hot peppers
- preserving pepperoni
- Drying for later processing into chili powder
- Use as room decoration
- varied gift idea
Binding Ristras
The locals call the carefully bound works of art made from dried peppers Ristras. What at first glance looks like complex work is actually quite simple and requires hardly any materials. All you need is:
- a thread
- a needle
- Pepperoni
How to proceed
- 1. knot one end of the thread to hold the pepperoni
- 2. thread the thread through the eye of the needle
- 3. pierce a pepperoni pod with the needle and pull it to the end of the thread
- 4 repeat this process until the thread is filled to the top with pepperoni
- 5. Now you can hang the container in a sunny place to let the pepperoni pods dry
- 6. Whether you remove the dried peppers after about 14 days to use them in the kitchen or continue to use the ristra as room decoration is up to you
Tip
The ristras look particularly beautiful if you use different types of pepperoni or stick to a specific color pattern when threading them.
Storing the ristras
You can make a ristra with fresh pods. Only when threaded on a thread do the fruits dry and become durable. To prevent your Ristra from becoming moldy, you should hang it in a sunny, warm place. If you choose a place in the garden, no precipitation should get there. Several ristras next to each other look particularly beautiful. Whether hanging freely or lying down (for example in the windowsill), dried, threaded peppers are an exotic eye-catcher and a varied alternative to the classic mobile or wind chime.
