Freezing Peppers
The Best Ways of Freezing Peppers
You can use this method of freezing peppers to enjoy them all winter long. This is one of the easiest ways to put vegetables back for the winter months. These peppers will taste lots better than any frozen or canned peppers you can find in a store.
Here are the ingredients and equipment you will need:
Peppers – the fresher the better. You can use any quantity, but they average out to one serving per handful.
Ziploc (tm) type bags or vacuum food sealing bags
One sharp knife
Two large bowls, one of them filled with ice and water
One large pot with boiling water
Start with the freshest peppers you can find. Select the brightest, green, tender and crisp vegetables, so that freezing peppers will lock in the great taste. If you experience a delay between the time they are harvested and the time they will be frozen, refrigerate your peppers, or ice them. Be sure to use ripe – but NOT over-ripe – peppers for freezing. Don’t try to freeze peppers that are dried out, over-ripe, limp or old.
Wash your peppers in cold or lukewarm water, and dry them. Then slice each pepper in half, take the seeds out, and cut each pepper into rings or strips. Now blanch the peppers in your pan of boiling water for about three minutes, and remove them.
Slip them into the bowl of water and ice for three to four minutes. This will cool them off quickly and will prevent accidental over-cooking. As a general rule, cool the peppers for the same amount of time as you blanched them.
Then you will drain the peppers thoroughly. And you’re ready for bagging. Use ziplok ™ or other brands that will seal *in* the taste and seal out the air and ice. If the bags aren’t sealed well, you could have peppers with freezer burn.
Some helpful tips for freezing peppers:
Harvest the peppers when they are at the peak of ripeness, but don’t wait until they’re old, or they’ll be mushy. Picking them a bit early is better than picking late.
Keep your peppers cool with ice or in the refrigerator until you’re ready to freeze them.
How long can your peppers remain in the freezer without losing taste? This depends on how well your freezer works, and how well they were packed. You can freeze them longer if you use vacuum bags than ziplok ™ bags. If you use thicker bags, this will also help prevent freezer burn. Generally speaking, freezing peppers should help them remain good for about nine to fourteen months. If you leave them frozen longer, they won’t spoil or anything, but their taste will be less robust.
Now sit back and enjoy your peppers, as fresh as when they were harvested!