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!
How to Preserve Green Peppers
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.
But of course, you can do so. This same process will work if you choose to slice or dice your peppers, as well.
Step 1: Wash all the peppers.
Step 2: Slice in half, remove seeds and any mushy parts.
Step 3: If using slices or diced (any type of smaller pieces), put in a single layer on a baking tray and stick in the freezer until frozen. (You can skip this step with halves)
Step 4: Toss pre-frozen peppers in a bag (4 – 5 peppers will fit into a gallon-sized bag) 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’re wondering, you can’t preserve peppers by water-bath canning. You would need to use a pressure canner because they are low-acid (unless you wanted to preserve them in vinegar for some reason). Freezing is typically the best method for peppers.
New to Canning and Preserving?
Canning and preserving has definitely experienced a resurgence in recent years — and for good reason! You can completely control what’s in your food, it can be less expensive, and you can save up food…just in case. (It’s been a wild few years lately.)
If you’re just getting started, don’t miss my older posts on how to get started, and some of my favorite recipes!
- How to Water Bath Can
- Tomato Sauce
- Easy Way to Peel Tomatoes
- Freezing Pumpkin Puree
- Fall Preservation Guide
- How to Can Peaches (without sugar)
- Apple Pie Filling
- Apple Butter
- Mexican Salsa
Enjoy your canning and preservation season!
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!
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