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Recently, I went to a local farmer’s market and purchased 250 green peppers. Yes, really! We use peppers quite a lot, in stuffed peppers, stuffed pepper soup, spicy chicken soup, chicken gumbo, stir-fry, and lots more. We love them.
Some have asked me how I’m storing all those peppers. So I thought I’d tell you today!
Since I use mine for a variety for different things, I don’t know whether I will need them in halves, strips, or diced for any particular use. My most common uses are halves or diced (for stuffed peppers or stuffed pepper soup), but other than that things are up in the air. I don’t want to limit myself by cutting the peppers into smaller pieces. So…I don’t.
Step 1: Wash all the peppers.
Step 2: Slice in half, remove seeds and any mushy parts.
Step 3: Toss in a bag (4 – 5 peppers will fit, or 8 – 10 halves) and into the freezer.
Simple!
When you want to use them, you can place frozen halves in a dish and fill them if you are going to stuff them — no need to thaw first. Or, you can run them under cool water to thaw slightly, and then slice or dice as desired.
We actually found that the amount of peppers that fit into a gallon-sized freezer bag really wasn’t that different when we did them as halves vs. diced (we had a few peppers that had some mushy spots that weren’t really “good halves” that we did end up dicing), so you’re not wasting space by storing them in larger pieces.
In case you missed it, here are some of my older tutorials and links:
Enjoy the last of your canning and preservation season! It’s almost time for winter!
What’s your favorite preserved item, or what does your family eat the most of?
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TESTING!
That's so funny that you posted this today. I just got a big case of green peppers from our ranch market for $3 the other day! I ended up giving away three big grocery bags full to a couple neighbors and my MIL, and still had at least 50 peppers. I stored some whole (well, with the seeds and stuff removed) and sliced and chopped the others. I hope I'm set for at least the winter.
Have you figured out a way to make a grain-free gumbo? I was just thinking about that yesterday. We love gumbo too, but we're planning on starting GAPS in October.
Becky,
There is a recipe for it in Against the Grain, actually. Cauliflower is a good sub for a lot of things.
WOW! Now that's alot of peppers. I'm thinking that all these peppers take up alot of room in your freezer. Do you have more than one freezer? How many do you need? I am new to traditional cooking and we need to buy a chest freezer and are struggling to find a good place to fit just one in our small house.
But don't they lose their freshness and crisp when you leave them in the freezer for a long time?
Just a note, from personal experience. You'll want to double bag those, even if you're using the heavy duty freezer bags, unless you want everything in your freezer to taste like green peppers. The smell permeates the bags, and eventually you get blown away by it everytime you open the freezer. Green pepper ice cream, anyone? Seriously…. though I don't think I've seen my husband eat ice cream in a LONG time!