Recently there has been a shortage of paprika where we live. Don’t really know why. This means I couldn’t make the Hot Creole Seasoning Mix that we liked so much.
I didn’t really know how much we used that stuff until we were out. It took several weeks before the stores in our area had paprika again. Needless to say, I bought them out (just 5 bottles). That is why I decided to find out what it was made from and how to make it. Hopefully, this will never happen to me again, because I will make my own!!
How to make your own paprika
Plant 10 to 15 paprika chili or bell pepper plants (Capsicum pepper) depending on how mild you want your paprika. This amount is just for paprika if you want to do other things with chili and bell peppers you will need to plant more of them.
Dry red peppers by stringing and hanging in a dry place (it takes about a year) or by putting them in your smoker and using oak wood to smoke it dry (gives it a different flavor). (Not sure how long it will take to dry them by this method) They must be totally dry!!!
Once totally dry, break them into small enough pieces that will fit in your spice or coffee grinder disposing of the stems, and make sure to save the seed for next year’s planting. If you don’t want to save the seed you can grind them in to make it a little hotter if you use chili peppers.
Then put in coffee or spice grinder and grind on fine, making it into power. You will have some that take longer to grinder just sift through it to make sure it is all power.
Finally, store your paprika in an airtight jar using your food saver; it should last until the next year’s harvest.
Photo credit© Can Stock Photo Inc. / jbekstudios
