Storing a Surplus of Bell Peppers

I use bell peppers in my meals several times a week so I like to always have them on hand. Bell Peppers last longer than lettuce in the refrigerator but still they don’t last indefinitely so when they go on sale at my grocery store and I stock up I need to have a way to keep them on hand.

Storing Bell Peppers in the Freezer

My main way of keeping a stash of Bell Peppers is in the freezer. Unlike other vegetables you don’t have to blanch (put in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes) Bell Peppers before freezing.

To prepare peppers for freezing

1. Cut off the top of the pepper where the stem is first. Just slice it off so that the pepper, turned upside down, can lie flat.
2. Next start slicing off the sides. Just slice down all the way around until all you’re left with is a little bottom part and the core with the seeds.
3. Then cut the last bottom piece to disconnect it from the core.
4. Now slice all your sides and bottom into slivers.

Once my husband cut up about 8 peppers for me in huge chunks. This made them hard to use once they were frozen. As I was trying to cut them into more useable slices the frozen pieces were flying all over the kitchen. So now we make sure to cut them into slices BEFORE freezing.

After slicing up the peppers I pat them dry and then bag them up. I could lay them flat on a pan and freeze them that way first to make it easier to separate them once frozen but dumping them all in a bag hasn’t proven to be too troublesome.

I also don’t use my [simpleazon-link asin=”B00DI342IW” locale=”us”]FoodSaver[/simpleazon-link] to store my peppers because when I use them in recipes I tend to just grab a handful from the freezer at a time but sometimes I need more or less so I just keep a running bag. I just dump all the slices in a freezer bag and place in the freezer.

Storing Bell Peppers in the Finished Dish

Another way I store my peppers is directly in meals for the freezer. I fall off and on the Freezer Meal bandwagon often but one dish I make consistently every month is a ground turkey/ground beef mix.

This ground turkey/beef mix is what I use to make spaghetti sauce and taco filling. I saute the meat with onions and peppers until done then cool and freeze in small freezer containers.

Drying Bell Peppers

IF I had a dehydrator this is another way to store an excess of Bell Peppers. I purchased them this way and it’s wonderful for making dried soup mixes. Follow the directions on your dehydrator and store correctly.

Canning Bell Peppers

If you’re comfortable using a Pressure Canner you can preserve your Bell Peppers by canning. Pick Your Own has step by step instructions for using a pressure canner and canning your Bell Peppers.

Peppers are a great addition to many an evening meal. It pays to stock up on them when they’re in season so you can add that zippy taste whenever you want to.

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