How To Store Fresh Peppers From The Garden

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
4	Calories
0g	Fat
1g	Carbs
0g	Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16 to 20
Amount per serving
Calories	4
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 0mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 1g	0%
Dietary Fiber 0g	1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 8mg	41%
Calcium 6mg	0%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 26mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

When fresh peppers are in season, they're quite inexpensive, so buying the sweet surplus is a great idea. Also, if you have a garden, pepper plants are quite the producers, with a dozen or more peppers per plant. If you find yourself with too many peppers in your kitchen and not enough recipes to use them in but plenty of space in your freezer, the best course of action is to freeze them for later use.

Some recipes advise blanching peppers in boiling water for a couple of minutes before freezing, but our method simply cleans, chops, and freezes the vegetables for an extra speedy process. There's no need for fancy equipment; it's just an organized set of steps that will provide you with ready-to-use peppers for the coming months.

Use the frozen peppers in sauces, soups, and stews, or as part of an omelet or quiche. Sweet and spicy peppers add a ton of flavor to many recipes while also providing great nutrition. The benefits of incorporating bell peppers into your diet include vitamin A, folate, iron, and plenty of fiber, at just 15 calories per 3-ounce serving. Other spicy and milder peppers have similar benefits, and their spiciness isn't actually a "taste" but a "feeling;" the capsaicin in the peppers creates a response in our cells that our brain reads as "being burned," so you feel the burn, but don't taste it. To prep hot peppers for freezing, wear disposable gloves and don't touch your face.

While the frozen peppers don't lose flavor, they won't be quite as crispy once defrosted and so are best suited for cooked recipes. Nonetheless, many find that semi-frozen chunks of peppers are delicious when dipped in hummus or ranch. However, if the lack of crispiness doesn't bother you, they're perfectly fine to use uncooked in salads and wraps.

"Freezing fresh peppers is a great way to have them available for cooking year round! It's quick, easy, and fun. The peppers retain their beautiful color when frozen." —Diana Andrews

8 to 10 bell peppers (or 20 small peppers)

Gather the ingredients.
Sort through the peppers and set aside the ones with soft spots. You may be able to immediately use part of these peppers in a recipe, but they won't freeze well. Peppers that present any mold should be discarded.
Wash the freezable healthy peppers thoroughly and dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
Slice the peppers in half and remove all of the seeds. Using an ice cream scooper or a spoon can help with this process.
Slice the peppers into whatever size and shape works best for your needs: thick strips, skinny strips, rings, quarters, or dice.
Pat the pepper strips dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. The drier the peppers are, the less likely they are to suffer from freezer burn.
Spread the pepper pieces out on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze them for at least 12 hours. This will keep the peppers from freezing together in clumps.
Once frozen, transfer the peppers to heavy-duty freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible from the bags before sealing them to help prevent freezer burn. Label with the date of processing or a use-by date of six months ahead, and always keep them in the back of the freezer, usually the coldest part.
Enjoy the peppers in your favorite recipe.

Can I Freeze Whole Peppers?

To freeze whole peppers:

Cut off the tops, scoop out the seeds, and put the tops back on.
Wrap each pepper individually in plastic wrap and freeze in heavy-duty freezer bags.
Label with the date of processing or a use-by date of six months ahead.

These make good stuffed peppers, though it's easier to add the stuffing while they're still frozen.

When to Discard Frozen Peppers

Discard any frozen peppers that:

Are encased in a lot of frost.
Feel mushy and soft. This might indicate that the freezer isn't working at the right temperature—ideally 0 F or less.
Are over six months old after the processing date.
Have a lot of air in the freezer bag.

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