Freezing Peppers

Jana here with some information on how we preserve extra peppers we have on hand!  A few years ago, we purchased a container of chili peppers from a vendor at our local farmer's market.  We were needing a few to make homemade salsa, but definitely had more than we could use.  We started a conversation with the vendor, and she told us that we could put the extra peppers in a freezer bag, and just pull one or two out as we needed them to use in cooking.  We tried this, with great results! 

This year, we are growing jalapenos, bell peppers, and banana peppers in our garden.  All of the plants have produced way more peppers than we could use as they are harvested, so we have been using the freezing method to preserve them!  We keep a separate bag for each type of pepper.  As they are picked, we wash them, and add them to the correct bag!  Peppers such as jalapenos, banana peppers, or chili peppers can be frozen whole.  We like to slice the bell peppers, and get the core out before freezing. 

When you are ready to use one or two of the peppers that you have frozen, it is a very simple process!  Remove it from the freezer, slice it (if left sitting out for several minutes, the pepper will defrost enough to be very easy to slice), and add it to whatever dish you are cooking!  Peppers add delicious flavor to many different types of meals!