Every garden season is different and different plants do well each season. Last year was "eggplant palooza" and I harvested tons of eggplant. This year, my peppers are going crazy, and I usually have only fair to middlin' luck with them. I planted and potted anchos, bells and pimentos and am being reward with lots of them! I find the easiest thing to do with peppers to preserve them is to wash, de-seed, slice and freeze them on a cookie sheet. I put them in a one-gallon, resealable plastic bag. Over the winter, I simply pull out what I need to pop the rest back into the freezer. This is good for fleshy, thick-walled sweet peppers. I intend to treat my anchos differently, to roast them whole and freeze them. When I grow other chilies, I string them together in a ristra (bundle) and hang them to dry in a dark closet.
Happy gardening!
* "Lagniappe:" Cajun for something extra
I've wanted to try drying peppers and herbs, but I thought it was just too humid in Central VA for that kind of thing. Do you put a dehumidifier in the room you hang your peppers in, or are they okay by themselves?
ReplyDeleteI hang chilies (not fleshy-walled peppers like bells) in the room with my hot water heater, which stays dry. An airy, well-ventilated room should work, maybe with a fan running, as would a dehydrator (which I have found to be a good investment for a gardener). A dehydrator would work for any kind of pepper.
ReplyDeleteMom didn't have peppers this summer; maybe next. And I will certainly get my share and follow your freezing process.
ReplyDeleteGreat picture - colorful and appetite provoking. :)