Preserving Sweet (Bell) Peppers – Freezing

Peppers as a gift from a friend

DO NOT EVER THROW AWAY ANOTHER PEPPER AGAIN – NOT EVEN A USED PIECE OF A PEPPER!  FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS AND SAVE YOUR MONEY AND YOUR PEPPERS!

A friend asked me the other day if I would like to have some peppers fresh from the garden. My response? OF COURSE! I had no idea that she would show up with a grocery bag full of bell peppers and hot peppers!

The only possible thing for me to do with this many peppers is to freeze them! At some future date – I’ll show you how to make Hot Pepper Jelly (YUM!) – however, I just have more on my dishes than I can do right  now. (There are any number of other options for peppers – pickling, etc – but freezing is what I know how to do – and for right now –my brain is full with big learning curves! – learning how to operate a blog is big!).

The reason I wanted to show you how to preserve these peppers is because you can do this with ANY AMOUNT OF PEPPERS – EVEN JUST ONE! Did you find a sale on peppers at the store? Great – you can freeze some! Did you buy more peppers than you needed and now you won’t be able to use them all? GREAT! Freeze the rest! You can freeze any type of pepper this way. I must caution you – if you are cutting up HOT peppers – WEAR gloves. You will be so sorry if you don’t (ask me how I know). Last year I made hot pepper jelly with my bare hands – and I felt like I had huge Mickey Mouse hands for days – I had no idea that my heart beats in my hands!  However, if you are dealing with HOT peppers – you might want to wait for part 2  because I have some good news for you!

There are a few more pictures in this post than usual because I want to make sure that every step is clear. When I first started preserving foods – even some of the most simple things were a mystery to me because I had never been around or seen anyone do these things. I don’t want it to be mysterious to you.

You will see that at the end of the instructions – I have added an easy to use print option recipe so that you can easily carry the instructions with you to the kitchen.  I hope this helps.

So – go and preserve your peppers and share them with your family and friends at some future meal.  You will be blessed by it.  Pay forward with love.

“Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.” Proverbs 15:17

Bell Peppers ready to be seeded

Preserving Peppers by Freezing

1. Wash your peppers (you don’t know where they have been or what has been sprayed on them – so give them a little bath).

2. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and white veins with a spoon then cut into equal sized small pieces.

Cut Pepper Pieces

3. Spread out onto a baking sheet – give them enough room that they don’t touch and can freeze individually without sticking together.  You don’t have to get too tight about it – just generally spread them out.

Peppers spread out on baking sheet

4. Place into the freezer and allow to stay there for about an hour until they feel completely frozen

Placing peppers in freezer

5. Remove from freezer and place in resealable FREEZER bags. Squeeze out as much air as you can before sealing

Peppers ready to go in zip lock bags in the freezer

6. Place back in the freezer and you can use as much as you need from the container when cooking. The peppers are usable for about 8-9 months. You can simply scoop out what you need and put it right in what you are cooking. See, it’s SUPER simple!

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Print

Preserving Sweet (Bell) Peppers - Freezing

Prep Time

45 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Preserve any amount of Bell Peppers this way - its easy to do.

Course: Preserving

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 Servings

Calories: 20 kcal

Author: Loaves and Dishes

Ingredients

• Any amount of Bell Pepper any pepper can be preserved this way, however.

Instructions

1. Wash your peppers (you don’t know where they have been or what has been sprayed on them – so give them a little bath).
2. Remove the tops, cut in half and remove the seeds and ribs. Cut the peppers into equal sized small pieces.
3. Spread out onto a baking sheet
4. Place into the freezer and allow to stay there for about an hour until they feel completely frozen
5. Remove from freezer and place in zip lock FREEZER bags. Squeeze out as much air as you can before sealing
6. Place back in the freezer and you can use as much as you need from the container. According to what I have read – the peppers will stay good and fresh this way for about 8-9 months. You can simply scoop out what you need and put it right in what you are cooking. That is SUPER simple!

Nutrition Facts

Preserving Sweet (Bell) Peppers - Freezing

Amount Per Serving

Calories 20

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Serving suggestions:

Add to hamburgers, taco meat, burritos, lasagna, any dish that calls for green peppers.

And now for my faithful readers, a special treat.  I carried these peppers out to the big Maple tree in my back yard.  The sun was shining and the ground was sun-dappled with amazing spears of light.  I KNEW that the perfect place to photograph these peppers would be on my children’s old wooden picnic table that is out under that majestic tree.  I am sure that my entire neighborhood heard my SCREAM!!!  This little guy was waiting for me.  I am terrified by snakes in a way that is almost indescribable.  Although I moved to a different part of the yard, I couldn’t stop thinking about the snake and so, I gave up photographing the peppers and instead photographed the snake (that way I could keep an eye on him). He was the color of the most brilliant Granny Smith apple – and only about as big around as a pencil.  I figured he couldn’t eat much of me if he tried.  So, with that confession I present to you my most local, friendly and non-plussed Rough Green Snake or if you are really fancy about it,  Opheodrys aestivus.  Maybe he was having a hard day since the Stink Bug seems to be giving him a little arm around the shoulder.  It’s tough to be so misunderstood!

Rough Green Snake

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Wendi Spraker

Wendi is the writer, CEO and dishwasher at Loaves and Dishes! When not in the kitchen or behind the computer, you can find Wendi serving on International Food Conference Boards, Speaking at various conferences, Leading and Cooking for the local Arts Council's "Taste of Stokes" events or donating home cooked goodies to various local non profits such as the Danbury Songwriters and Stokes Partnership for Children. Wendi is also a Registered Nurse and serves on her town's board of councilmen.