Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Freezing Peppers

     It's that time of year in Kentucky!  Peppers everywhere.  All of a sudden, like everything else in the garden, they are ALL ready to pick at the same time.  So they are the cheapest now at the grocery and Farmer's market.  I used to get them 3/$1 at the grocery, but I haven't seen that price this year, yet. I got these for 50 cents each at the Farmer's Market & produce store back home.
     If you are lucky you might live close to a Gardner. My Dad used to raise enough garden for the whole countryside then gave it away! He was so proud of his yield.  You almost feel you are doing the Gardner a service by taking their treasures to give them a good home before they die away.
     This time of year I grab about a dozen green peppers to last me until next summer.  I only use a small piece of green pepper at a time. It's chopped finely & put in my meatloaf and cole slaw.  I use very little. Just enough to say, "Oh it has green pepper!" Not to say, "Wow, there is definitely green pepper in this!"
                                                                                         



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*A Tutorial Tuesday*
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I have frozen the colorful counterparts of the green peppers.
I haven't tried freezing other types of peppers, 
but I'm sure you could freeze them as well.
First I purchase small pint size FREEZER bags.
Since I'm in and out of the bag several times,
I splurge for the bags with the "real" zipper handle.
They are easy to wash & reuse when I'm finished with the pepper.
I wash and dry each pepper very well .  
I even let them set for a while, to make sure they are completely dry.
Then place the whole pepper in the bag,
Remove as much air as possible from the bag.
These were large enough that only 1 pepper fit in a bag.
Sometimes you can fit 2 small ones in a bag.
One pepper had a very bad spot on it, 
so I cut it into usable size pieces.
I'll use this bag first.
 The pieces don't freeze together in one clump.
Over time, ice crystals will form which doesn't harm the taste if used within the year.
When it comes time to use a piece of the pepper,
I take it out of the bag,
run the pepper under warm water for about 5 seconds,
just enough that my knife will cut through it.
 After, I remove the piece of the pepper to use,
I put it right back in the freezer before it thaws anymore.
As I'm putting the pepper back in the freezer,
I'm usually thinking about those $1.99 green peppers
at the grocery at that moment that I didn't have to buy.
 One good thing about a Farmer's Market,
is sometimes you get a bonus.
The farmer gave me the odd pepper, because he wanted me to try it.

Said get back to him and let him know how I liked it.
Sneaky way to get a return customer?
He said it was a mild pepper.
Not sure how I want to try it.
Raw?
I froze it.

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9 comments:

  1. froze pimento peppers one year when found the plants. You have to first bake them long enough to be able to remove the peel. Decided it would be easier to buy them.

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  2. I cut mine in slices and freeze about six slices in a bag. Have enough of all colors till next year.

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  3. I believe that last pepper is a pablano pepper. The skin is tough and it needs to be roasted to char and blister the skin, put in a plastic bag to steam and loosen the skin before you peel it off. I love the flavor. Yes, I've frozen them whole but not until I've char and blistered the skin. Here's a good recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/grilled-stuffed-poblanos-recipe.html

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    Replies
    1. That's what I told the Farmer, but he said no because he thought it tasted similar to green peppers. I love chili rellenos.

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  4. I need to start doing this because we have a bad habit of going through spurts where we use a lot of pepper...and then none at all for weeks and I end up letting them go bad. :/ Just curious, is there a reason you don't chop them up first before freezing them?

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    Replies
    1. I don't chopped simply to save time. I have a gut feeling that more water is frozen out of the chopped pieces. I try to use my cut pieces first. Also, chopped pieces end up being frozen together and it's hard to get just the amount you want. Another reason, keeping the pepper whole allows me choose whether to chop finely or keep in larger pieces. on Freezing Peppers

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  5. I so need to start doing this myself. I have so many that they go bad!! Please come share this at our blog hop we have Wed-Sun https://www.floydfamilyhomestead.com/!! We would love to have you.

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  6. Thank you for all those storage tips for peppers! I love peppers just raw with a dip or in a salad or on the grill, yum! And so healthy!

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