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How do I keep peppers to eat all winter?

8 years ago

This is the first year I have really gotten into growing hot peppers and most of my plants are doing quite well. All are out on my driveway in various containers because I didn't have the time or money to build a garden. (This is the first year in this house.)

I have one Bonnie Bell habanero in a clay pot and most of the others are in 2L plastic soft drink bottles with the top sliced off and a hole burned in the bottom for drainage.

The ones in the decapitated soft drink bottles are growing so tall that I had to place them into the holes of cement blocks to prevent them from falling over. Except for the habanero I started all of the plants from seeds. I either got the seeds from fruit I bought or I bought the seeds from eBay sellers.

Now that I have put all of this growing season's effort into producing a nice crop of peppers I would like to enjoy them during the winter. How do I prepare or preserve my peppers to give me some summer heat on cold winter days?

Thank you.

Terry Thomas
Brookhaven Gardens
Brookhaven (Atlanta), Georgia USA

Featured Answer

tomt226

8 years ago

I dehydrate super hots like Ghosts, pickle others like habaneros and lemon drops, or make sauce and salsa. You can freeze, but I don't like the consistency of the peppers after frozen.

Dehydrated peppers don't have the full flavor of fresh, but it'll get the job done...

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Comments (7)

rgreen48
8 years ago
How do you eat them when they are fresh? Do you eat them straight? Do you add them in large cut pieces to stir fries? Do you dice them and add them to dishes and condiments?

How you desire to use them will help determine how to best preserve them.

Also, there is a Harvest forum that is all about preserving your produce.
Terry Thomas thanked rgreen48
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Peter (6b SE NY)
8 years ago
There are four options I know of: freeze, dehydrate, pressure canning, or pickling.

The simplest thing is to just freeze them. They freeze pretty well IMO.
Terry Thomas thanked Peter (6b SE NY)
John A
8 years ago
I stem & seed them and freeze the halves on a baking sheet before I bag them. That way I can take as many out of the bag when I want to use them. I collect them that way until the end of the season, then I make sauce with some, smoke and make powder with some, and keep some to use in cooking. They do get soft after freezing.

John A
Terry Thomas thanked John A
Terry Thomas
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you for the help so far. Freezing a large amount of hot peppers will likely be a problem as space in the freezer is quite limited. Dehydrating and powdering are likely the best things to try. I am also tempted to pickle some and make salsa.

Thanks again,
Terry
stevie
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
you can dice them and they take up less room in the freezer.

i freeze bell peppers and they freeze very well and excellent to throw right in the pot when needed. close to "fresh" as you can get..
Terry Thomas thanked stevie
esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
8 years ago
I have tried freezing. They wind up all mushy when they thaw. Canning is a PIA and they still come out mushier than I like. I cold can a bunch of Hot Hungarian Wax sliced peppers for my sandwiches. But the best bet for me is to dehydrate the other peppers and then either grind them into flakes or all the way to powder and use that to season dishes or let everyone put their own on to their liking. You loose a bit of the taste and texture, but not that much and the heat is still there. Oh, and it takes up very little space. A 4 ounce jar of super hot powder will last a long long time.
Terry Thomas thanked esox07 (4b) Wisconsin

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