This is probably a no-brainer for you, dear reader, but I figured I’d post about it anyway, just in case there is anyone out there that doesn’t realize they could preserve their on-sale impulse buy of bell peppers. (Does anyone else out there buy fruits or veggies on sale and wonder what they are going to do with them once they get them home? No? Hmph.)
The other day I picked up some bell peppers on sale and decided to put some up for the next few months. Ideally, I’d like to get to the place where I put up enough for the year at one time, but for now, I’ve probably got enough for 3-6 months’ worth of fajitas and stir fry!
All I do is cut slice them up and lay them on a clean cookie sheet (excuse my grubby looking one–it really is clean!), then pop the cookie sheet into the freezer. It’s ideal if they don’t touch each other on the cookie sheet, but since I grab out a handful anyway, I let mine touch. I never need just one!
Once they are frozen solid, I load them up into bags and store them in my freezer with all the rest of my bags of veggies. Makes dinnertime easy peasy, and that’s what I’m all about between 4 and 5pm each day!
Off to cut up and freeze the rest of my bell peppers!
When you (I mean, we) have pans that look like that, it just means that we cook and live life!
I’ve also dehydrated diced peppers to mix into cooked rice – very easy! You just toss them in with whatever seasonings and the raw rice, and cook as you would plain rice. I only add about a tablespoon of dry peppers, so I don’t even worry about extra water.
Oh yeah? Dehydrating? I thought about doing that, and I do have *some* dehydrated peppers in the cupboards, but I’ve never known how to use them so I skipped it this time. GREAT idea about the rice, tho. I’ve been making rice more lately and peppers would be a great addition. Thanks!
I never froze the peppers. I thought they would get ice crystals, or something, didnt know they would keep frozen.
I also like the dehydrating option and putting them in rice.
They do, Carey, just like any veggies that are kept in the freezer. If you want to avoid that, you could probably try to pull as much of the air out as you can (I used to do that with a straw before I had a vacuum sealer). I haven’t found that it makes a whole lot of difference, ice crystals or no, except for when I’m cooking them—the ice adds water to the dish–so I rinse the ice off of them and proceed. I haven’t noticed a change in flavor, but I think I’ve heard that.
The dehydrating option is a great one–I’m going to do that. MUCH less power being used per piece.
I do something really similar with my peppers. You’re right–having them cut up ahead of time makes dinnertime really easy!
Yes it does, and I’m into easy! Thanks for visiting, and for your comment, Carrie!