Kale Chips

Jana here with a super easy recipe!  We are probably the last ones to jump on the kale bandwagon...I've heard a lot about it in the last few years, and know that it is really healthy. It is loaded with antioxidants, and a great source of vitamin C, A, and K.

When my son picked this much kale from our garden recently, I knew it was the time to try kale chips!

The prep is so easy, and a great recipe for kids to help with!

The finished kale chips! These are SO light and crispy...it's hard to just eat a few!

Kale Chips

1 head of kale, or kale leaves from your garden
olive oil
salt

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

2. Remove the leaves from the thick stems, and tear the leaves into bite size pieces.

3. Lightly brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through.

Enjoy!

Garden Fun

My husband and I enjoy growing a garden each year! We started about 6 years ago, and do our best to learn as we go.  When deciding what to grow, we think about several factors: 

1. Can the vegetable be preserved?  (canned, frozen, etc)

2. What return will we get for the space planted?  

3. How expensive is the vegetable to buy at the store?  

4. Is the vegetable hardy/fairly easy to grow?

In our region (we live in Northwest Arkansas), it is currently the right time of year to be planting most Summer crops. Cold weather crops (lettuce, peas, etc) are being harvested.  The only cold weather crops we planted this year were leaf lettuce and kale. We have planted corn, zucchini, okra, tomatoes, jalapenos, cucumbers, green beans, and wax beans for our summer crop!

The leaf lettuce is ready to pick!

Gardening is such a great activity to involve the whole family in!  Even my youngest, Silas, is a great helper!  He is only 2.5 years old, but with some basic instructions is very good at planting, watering, and harvesting!

 My oldest, Caleb, is 6.5 years old. He wrote out some labels to help remind us where we planted which seeds!

Our lettuce has really taken off!  We are enjoying lots of fresh salad with dinner, and will probably be giving lettuce away soon too! :)

Do you grow a garden? I would love to hear where you live, and the types of things you grow!

How to Cook Garden Greens

I'd like to share an easy way to prepare garden greens with you today!  Before I met my husband Brett I had definitely eaten my fair share of garden food.  Then he started mentioning "greens".  These were something we'd have on a regular basis at his mom's house and they become a topic of discussion as we began to plan our garden this year.

When I say "greens" I mean like mustard greens or collard greens.  Kale could also be prepared the same way.  We eat greens as a side.  They're simple to prepare, fabulously nutritious, and taste great.  My girls have even eaten them!

These cook down, way down!  So when I say you'll need 2 cups of greens that is a bare minimum.  It will look like so much in the pan until you start to cook them and they wilt down.  You'll be surprised how your large pan of greens suddenly looks like such a small quantity. So don't be afraid to really fill the pan up, adding more even after they've cooked some.

Greens
Ingredients:
At least 2 cups greens of any kind (mustard, collard, kale)
EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
Salt
Vinegar (balsamic or red wine)

Directions:
You can either steam the greens in a bit of water (with the lid off) or cook them in EVOO.  I prefer the EVOO because it gives it a bit more flavor.  You will cook the greens until wilted and then sprinkle salt and a bit of vinegar over the top.  And that's it-you're done!

If you don't have a garden you can always purchase these at the Farmer's Market or buy them in bulk at the grocery store in the produce section!

Happy greens!
Sara

Garden Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

This delicious spaghetti sauce actually happened on accident.  One night I needed a quick dinner and decided to make a quick spaghetti sauce with some of our garden tomatoes.  The result was a delicious meal that tasted like it had taken all day to prepare.  My favorite.  In fact, this sauce was so good I made it again, on purpose!  It's easy, only has a few ingredients, and comes together in minutes.  

Garden Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

29 oz. can tomato sauce

24 oz. jar canned whole garden tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

Salt

Handful of fresh basil and parsley, chopped

Directions:

1.) Combine all ingredients in a pan on the stove-top over medium heat.  Use a potato masher to smash the whole tomatoes.  Let simmer for 10 minutes or so. 

We ate this over whole-wheat pasta and it was delicious!  I also added more garlic to our sauce, but we like a lot so you can flavor it to suit your taste! 

Italian Tomatoes

Jana here with a super simple recipe that I came up with after watching an episode of Rachael Ray online!  If you don't have access to the Food Network on your TV, you can go to Food Network's website and watch select shows for free!  I saw Rachael cook a version of this tomato recipe on one of her shows. After a neighbor gave us a bag of these medium sized tomatoes, I decided to make my own recipe!  It was so fast (under 10 minutes prep time, and cook time is quick too), and a delicious side dish with our meal!  The flavor is outstanding...you'll want to try this!

Italian Tomatoes

tomatoes
bread crumbs
Italian seasonings
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Turn your oven onto broil, the low setting.

2. Slice a small amount from the tops and bottoms of your tomatoes, and set the main part of the tomato in a shallow baking dish.

3. In a small bowl, mix about 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup bread crumbs (depending on how many you're making), and 1 - 2 tablespoons Italian seasonings.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Drizzle with olive oil, and put in oven on low broil.  Cook for approximately 10 minutes, but watch VERY closely!  Individual oven settings vary quite a bit, and the broil setting can cause the topping to burn quickly if it is in too long.

Enjoy!

Chick Pea & Cucumber Salad

Jana here with one last Summer recipe!  If any of you have gardens that are still producing tomatoes or cucumbers, here's one more recipe for you to enjoy as you finish up these last few weeks of hot weather.  I put this salad together in minutes, and it was so delicious!  It tasted just as yummy the next day for leftovers, maybe even better! 

Chick Pea & Cucumber Salad

1 14 oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium size cucumber, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix the chick peas, tomato pieces, and cucumber pieces together in a bowl.

2. In a small separate bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and seasonings.

3. Pour the 'dressing' over the salad, and toss to mix well.

Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Refrigerator Pickles, Two Ways: Garlicky Dill & Not-Too-Sweet!

Becca here with a great recipe to use up the bounty of cucumbers from your garden, your generous friends' garden, or the farmer's market!  I was so excited to receive a good amount of these small cucumbers that are perfect for pickling from a sweet friend & neighbor that knew I'd find something to do with them.  My family loves the crispness of refrigerator pickles, either homemade or from the store, and they really are so super simple.  It's no more difficult than mixing up a quick brine of vinegar, salt, water, and spices and pouring it over the cut cucumbers and letting them sit for a few days to absorb the flavor!  If you'll look carefully you can see subtle differences in the jars pictured; the one on the right has pickled carrots as space fillers in it also, and is a garlicky dill pickle, inspired by a food network recipe.  The pickles on the left have a slightly more orangely colored brine, and are a subtly sweet, but equally delicious, flavor.  I hope you'll give this recipe a try, it will take 30 minutes or less start to finish, and how cool is it to be able to serve your family pickles you made yourself!

Garlicky Dill Pickles

20 garlic cloves, peeled
4 cups white vinegar
8 cups water
4 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons dried dill
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons coriander seed
2 teaspoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons black pepper (whole or ground, either is fine)
12-15 pickling cucumbers, cut into spears (I quartered mine)
carrots, cut into sticks, or mini carrots, optional
clean, lidded containers for pickles, I recommend pint glass jars

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add garlic and simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in vinegar and salt, and continue to cook, stirring, until all salt has dissolved.  Remove from heat & set aside.

Pack cucumber spears into each jar tightly.  You don't want them squished, but you do want as many as you can get into there, it should be really full.  This is a great job for a child to help with, my 5 year old son packed all of the jars for me.  Use carrots as filler in any empty gaps you have if you'd like!

Stir remaining ingredients into vinegar/water brine (dill, celery, coriander, mustard, black pepper), and pour over cucumbers to fill jars.  Make sure each jar gets some of the seeds in them! **Note - your brine should still be really hot since you just prepared it, but if you have to stop the process and restart, or get distracted, make sure that your brine is really hot when you're pouring it over the cucumbers!

Cover tightly, and let pickles sit on the counter until they are at room temperature, or at least until you're easily able to handle the jars.  Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 2-3 days, and up to 3 months.

Not-Too-Sweet Pickles

4 pint jars packed with pickling cucumber spears
1 cup sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 Tablespoons salt

Combine all brine ingredients (sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, and salt) in a large bowl and stir until salt and sugar have dissolved.  Pour over cucumbers in jars.  Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for at least a few days before serving.  Enjoy!

'Unstuffed' Zucchini Squash Skillet

Becca here with a recipe that is one of my family's favorites that I've been making since we were first married.  It is a great use of the abundant zucchini squash that is growing around here due to the huge amount of rain we've gotten lately!  Even if you don't have a garden (as I don't), your local farmer's market is likely a great source of tasty, local squash.  Last week several vendors at our farmer's market were offering really huge zucchini, each well over a foot long, for just $1 apiece.  They were not even tough at all because of the abundant rains, making this a really economical meal as well.  My inspiration meal is the Stuffed Zucchini our Mom made with zucchini from their garden when we were growing up.  This skillet recipe uses the same basic ingredients, just made in one pan on the stove to simplify preparation & clean-up a bit.  The ingredients seem quite simple, but using fresh veggies and a good sausage make it a really tasty & nutritious meal!  Using leftover rice & sausage makes it really quick to pull the meal together.  If you have prepared a large batch of rice & sausage, making Breakfast Fried Rice for breakfast later in the week, as I did today, is always a hit too!  Enjoy!

'Unstuffed Zucchini Squash Skillet

1 Tablespoon olive oil (or butter, coconut oil, etc. your favorite cooking oil!)
3 cups chopped zucchini (bite-sized pieces)
2 cups cooked sausage (DIY Breakfast Sausage works well!)
2 cups cooked rice (I use organic brown, cooked in Homemade Chicken Broth if I have it!)
3 cups chopped tomatoes (bite-sized pieces, I used large cherry tomatoes cut into half this time)
salt & pepper to taste
parmesan cheese to top, optional

1) Add oil & zucchini to a large skillet.  Heat in medium-high, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is starting to soften, but still not bright green (you don't want it falling apart!)

2) Stir in sausage and rice and continue to stir occasionally until heated through, about 5 minutes.

3) Stir in tomatoes and heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are heated and just starting to soften.  Again, you don't want them falling completely apart.

4) Taste, salt and pepper if necessary (this will largely depend on the kind of sausage you used!).  Serve topped with parmesan cheese, if desired.

How do you eat seasonally? Please share!

 Hi everybody! How is your summer wrapping up?  We are still eating the fruits of our labor (or my husband's labor at least!) in our garden and just can't get enough.  Delicious, healthy food right at our fingertips? It's almost too good to be true.  We've also been enjoying eggs from my mom-in-law's chickens and local fruit, like the peaches shown below.

 We've canned quite a bit of vegetables to try to keep the good food going right on into fall.  Here's what I want to know today-what are YOUR tips for continuing to eat local/seasonally once fall arrives?  We have plans for a fall lettuce garden but I'm not quite sure what else to do other than that.

I love feeling better and less sluggish as we fill our tummies with healthy, good tasting food.  I'm just not sure how to keep on during the winter months.  Comments appreciated!

Salmon with Fresh Garden Relish

We sure are enjoying our garden this year!  We also love fish and find it's flavor so enjoyable.  So for this recipe my husband gets all the credit for combining two of our favorite summer eats into one delicious recipe!  Of course, if you don't have a garden you could also buy these supplies at the grocery store or local farmer's market.  Healthy, satisfying, and so pleasing to the taste. Enjoy!

Fresh-Garden Relish

Ingredients:

2 TB EVOO
1 diced tomato
5 fresh basil leaves, diced
1/4 cup green olives

Directions:
1.) First, we prepared our salmon like the recipe found here.  Next, combine the relish ingredients above and top the cooked salmon with it.

*This relish would also be great on top of crusty bread!

Sara :)

Extra Zucchini?

Jana here with a solution to a 'problem' we recently had.  I had a kitchen counter that looked like this:

 

...and we had already been eating squash for several night at dinner!  How was I going to cook this squash in new and creative ways?  I decided to steam some zucchini, puree it in my blender, and add it to the spaghetti sauce that I was cooking for dinner that night. 

And it was a hit!  No one could tell that there were added vegetables in the sauce, the flavor was excellent, and we were able to find a way to eat more of the zucchini from our garden! 
Do you add vegetable purees to anything you cook? 

Shrimp Summer Stir fry

Jana here with a recipe I created this week that the whole family loved!  We recently moved into a new house, and the previous owner had a garden planted. This was a fun blessing because we have planted a garden for the past 4 or 5 years, but hadn't been able to this year due to moving. The one vegetable growing in abundance is squash!  I have been cooking zucchini lots of different ways, and was trying to think of a way to incorporate it with some shrimp I had purchased. I started thinking of vegetables that remind me of summer gardens, and was inspired to create this recipe!

Shrimp Summer Stir fry

olive oil for sautéing (about 1 tablespoon)
2-3 medium squash, chopped (you can use any variety...I used zucchini and patty pan squash)
12 ounces frozen shrimp (I like to buy the variety with the tail removed)
3/4 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (or 1 large fresh tomato, diced)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon minced onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 jalapeno, chopped small (optional)

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the squash, allowing to cook for several minutes. If you are using the jalapeno, add now.

2. Add the frozen shrimp and corn, and let cook for 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and seasonings. (cumin, minced onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper) 

3. Simmer on low heat until heated through, and to allow the flavors to blend.

Enjoy! 

We ate some couscous on the side, and it was delicious mixed in with the stir fry!  Brown rice or quinoa would also be great!

Fresh: Summer Eats and Ideas

Hi everyone!  I've discovered a new excitement over food in the last few weeks, as the garden is beginning to produce a beautiful bounty.  Eating outside adds an extra layer of relaxation as well so I thought I'd share some of the fresh eats and ideas we've been experiencing lately.

The pictures above are of one of my top favorite recipes ever.  Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos!  I posted these a long, long time ago on the blog and they're so worth checking out again!  Promise me you'll make them, and load them up with the chipotle sauce. Let it drip on your plate even, they are THAT good. You can find the recipe here:.

Another favorite idea of ours for the summer is to grill just about anything.  I'm not sure what it is about the grill that just seems to make food taste better, but it does somehow.  We like to season chicken or salmon well (a multi-purpose seasoning like Cavender's does the trick) and throw it on the grill.  Sometimes my husband will put a bit of olive oil on top of the salmon first, and then season it.  Delicious!
We also like to grill veggies from our garden.  Do you have a skillet grill like this? You must get one!  So handy to have.

The last idea combines my love of crafting/decorating and our garden.  A few weeks ago we had an overabundance of lettuce in the garden so I decided to share with my neighbor friend. I thought it would look better in a jar and bag embellished with cute washi tape. :)  I also added a piece of cute fabric around the onions.  (For the record, my husband thought this was silly, but my friend loved it)

What fresh eats and ideas have you been up to this summer?
Sara

Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce

Jana here with a recipe that is so good, you won't ever want to buy canned spaghetti sauce again!  I took my inspiration from a blog I found through a search for marinara using fresh tomatoes.  We have more tomatoes from our garden than we can eat, so I wanted to turn them into something yummy!  If you don't have fresh tomatoes, you could substitute canned tomatoes.  I suggest using the seasonings listed, but also seasoning to taste once it has cooked down. 

If you aren't familiar with how to peel fresh tomatoes, it isn't hard!  I get a large pot of boiling water going on the stove, and a sink of cold water ready.  Core the tomatoes first, and slice an 'x' on the bottom.  Put them in the boiling water for 45 seconds to a minute, then place them in the cold water for about the same amount of time.  Once they have cooled, you can easily peel the skin off!

Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce

 

8-10 medium/large garden tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves minced garlic

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1. Peel the tomatoes, as mentioned above.

 

2. Chop the tomatoes into quarters, and put them into a medium sized pot.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer for several hours.  The amount of time it simmers depends on how thick you want the sauce to be.  (longer simmer = thicker sauce)  I have found that 3-4 hours total simmer time is a good amount for us!

 

4. Taste the sauce, and add additional seasonings if necessary!

 

Enjoy!

Jana's Jambalaya

Jana here with a new recipe that has some delicious flavor!  Another great thing about this recipe is the option to change it to suit your family's preferences.  You can use several different types of meat (Chicken, turkey, smoked sausage, shrimp), white or brown rice, and any combination of peppers!  I used peppers that we froze from our summer garden, but you can use any that you have on hand.  The amount of spiciness you want should determine what you use. The recipe I list below should turn out to be slightly spicy, but nothing over the top. If you prefer a more mild flavor, omit the jalapenos and use more sweet peppers. (bell peppers, banana peppers, etc)  You could even leave the peppers out altogether if you don't prefer them.

Jana's Jambalaya

2 cups meat (shrimp, cooked/diced chicken, smoked sausage)
2 cups rice, uncooked (I prefer brown)
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
3-4 cups frozen okra (not breaded)
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 jalapenos (fresh or frozen), diced finely
4 banana peppers (fresh or frozen), diced
1/4-1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped (red or green)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder

1. Cook rice according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, warm the oil over medium heat in a large skillet.   Add the okra, peppers, garlic, and onion. After it has cooked for 5 minutes, add the diced tomatoes, salt, onion powder, paprika, and chili powder. Allow to simmer for 5 more minutes.

3. Stir in the meat (cooked if you are using chicken or turkey), rice, and tomato sauce.  Stir until well combined.  Allow to simmer for as long as you would like. Simmering longer will allow the flavors to become stronger!

This meal would be great as a freezer meal!

Enjoy!

Sauteed Okra with Tomatoes & Peppers

This side dish is one that is healthy, flavorful, and goes great with many different things!  It is really versatile also...you can use as many or as few peppers as you prefer, and also change the type of peppers for what you have on hand!  Even if you aren't sure if you like okra, this is a great dish to try.  I think most people will enjoy this!  When you add the tomatoes and peppers to the okra, it takes away the stringiness that okra can tend to have when cooked alone.

2-3 cups okra, cut into bite sized pieces (frozen, unbreaded may be used)
peppers, chopped or sliced (I used 4 banana peppers, and 2 jalapenos)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes (I used sliced stewed, but diced or any other cut would work fine!)

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet, over medium heat.

2. Add okra (can still be frozen), peppers, and garlic.  Let cook over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes (drain most of the juice), salt, and onion powder.  Turn to low heat, and let simmer until you are satisfied with the softness of the okra.

Enjoy!

Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad

Becca here with a pretty 'clean' pasta salad recipe that is easy to adapt to you family's favorite veggies, or what you garden is producing right now & you have on hand.  I used mostly leftover leftover veggies I had from a veggie tray I had made for my daughter's seventh birthday party, with the addition of frozen green peas because their my favorite pasta salad veggie :)  I got the idea for the dressing here, and I really enjoyed the flavor.  Using Greek Yogurt as the base, and a bit of mayo for depth of flavor, and the addition of red wine vinegar to spice it up a bit, I think you'll love this salad!  Feel free to substitute any combination of your favorite veggies, although remember to vary the color & texture for variety!  We like having this for a main dish one night, and having the leftovers as a side dish later.  Enjoy!

Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad

16 ounces your favorite pasta, cooked, drained, & rinsed with cool water. I like using tri-color pasta
2 cans chunk light tuna in water, drained well
1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt (I use fat free, Fage 0% from Sam's Club)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup raw broccoli, finely chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup (1 large) orange bell pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and gently stir to mix everything thoroughly.  Enjoy!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Jana here with a delicious way to use the seeds from a pumpkin that you have baked!  This is so easy, and a snack that is definitely worth making!  The pumpkin seeds turn out so light and crispy....you will not be disappointed!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup (or however many you have!) pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons (appoximately) olive oil
season salt

1. Once seeds have been removed from pumpkin, place on a cookie sheet to dry for 24 hours. 

2.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

3. Using a brush, coat seeds with a thin layer of olive oil.  Sprinkle season salt lightly on seeds.

4. Bake for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

How to Bake a Whole Pumpkin

For most of you, this post will be a great one to pin on Pinterest for this Fall.  You can also utilize our 'search box' on the right hand side of the blog anytime you remember reading about a recipe or topic, but don't know how to quickly find it.  Once you type in your search words and hit enter, the search results will be displayed at the top of the blog, and you can easily find the recipe you were wanting!

Our garden produced pumpkins earlier than we expected this year, and I still wanted to utilize the pumpkins we had!  There are many great recipes that use pureed pumpkin!  We have cooked pumpkins in the past, but we cut them into chunks first.  Not only was this difficult and time consuming, it was also a messy clean-up process.  When I read about cooking the pumpkin whole on Heavenly Homemakers blog, I knew this was something I needed to try.  I was so happy with the results, and pleased with how little effort it took to get yummy pumpkin puree!

How to Bake a Whole Pumpkin

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place pumpkin in a baking dish.  Poke the pumpkin 8 or 10 times with a knife, around the outside.

2. Bake the pumpkin for approximately an hour and a half.  It should be easy to poke with a fork when it is finished cooking.

3. Cut the pumpkin in half, and allow to cool.

4. Once cooled, use a metal spoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy parts.  Save the seeds if you would like to make delicious roasted pumpkin seeds!  (post coming soon about those!)

5. Cut the rind from the pumpkin.  Put chunks of cooked pumpkin into a blender or food processor until smooth. 

At this point, you can either use the pureed pumpkin, or freeze it to save for future recipes.  If you choose to freeze it, it is nice to know what you might use it for (pumpkin bread, muffins, etc.) so you can freeze it into appropriate amounts. It is much easier to pull out a bag of frozen puree in the exact amount you will need for a recipe!

Enjoy!

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!