What is the best way to store chilli peppers? can they be used green as well as red and ripe?

I freeze them, either whole or chopped. Taste one to check on hotness, you may not want to wait until they are completely ripe as they may be too hot then!!

Volunteer
Thanks for that I shall try a few frozen.
Thistledome

I'm growing two types this year, the 'ordinary' small long ones (cayenne type) and Scotch bonnets. Surprisingly, the little ones are still quite hot when green, but hotter once red. Yet the Scotch bonnets which are ferocious when ripe and red, are quite mild while still green.
Chillis tend to ripen at the end of the season, so I think the easiest way is to let them ripen and then dry them, by hanging them in a greenhouse or putting them in a very low oven for several hours. Then you can put them in a paper bag to use later, or make chilli oil by putting them into olive oil in a jar or bottle.

Beat me to it Bertie with the low oven option.

If you harvest green (unripe) the plants will continue to set fruit. I grow 3 types of chilis, Jalapeno which I harvest green, Cayennes which I harvest red and Poblano harvested green.
I do this because that is how we prefer to use them, and the only way I store them is by freezing. This allows me to have peppers to use in most all my recipes, because freezing doesn't change the flavor and only changes the consistancy a little.

From The Chilli King website.
Chilli Oil Recipe
Chilli oil is probably the simplest way to add a bit of flavour (not to mention heat) to virtually any dish. You can either use it to cook with in place of normal olive oil, or simply drizzle some over freshly prepared dishes. It will liven up any dish but it is particularly good on pizzas and pasta.
Ingredients:
Olive oil
Dried red chillies
Malt Vinegar
Method:
Take a handful of dried red chillies. About 7 or 8 medium size chillies should do the job - it all depends how hot you like it! Add them to a pan of hot malt vinegar and simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure all the chillies are submerged.
After 10 minutes remove the chillies and allow the vinegar to drain off by placing on some kitchen roll. Next, add the chillies to a pan of olive oil and gently heat (don’t bring to the boil for about 5 minutes). Leave the pan and the chillies to cool then add the lot into a nice glass bottle, preferably one with a pouring spout. Chilli oil is used extensively in Asian cooking. For a more authentic flavour when used in Asian dishes olive oil probably isn’t the best choice. Simply replace the olive oil in the above recipe for peanut or good vegetable oil.
A WORD OF CAUTION:
Simply dumping a load of fresh chillies into a bottle of oil is not a great idea as it can result in botulism which to cut a long story short is a nasty which can in some very rare cases be fatal!
Unfortunately simply boiling the oil won't reduce the risk. The way round this is to reduce the PH level of the chillies before putting them in the oil. This is achieved in the above recipe by first boiling the chilli’s for ten minutes in vinegar. In order to further reduce the risk I always use dried chillies, not fresh.
Personally, I either dry or freeze my chillies. This year i'm growing Birds eye, Scots Bonnet, Tepin, Cherry chillies, Bell Pepper (capsicum) and a sweet chilli that has 6-7" long 2-3" wide fruit. Oh yes I'm also growing ginger.
I hope this helps. If it doesn't, it gave you something to read ;-)