Peppers

[Dirtmechanic]

Herbs can be a problem too, especially cilantro if you use that. I dehydrate my herbs, including cilantro, basil, oregano, thyme, sage, parsley, dill, rosemary, even chives occasionally. It's not the same as fresh but I'd rather use my dried than buy stuff at the store.

I freeze tomatoes and peppers all the time. I don't get enough tomatoes at a time to make my spaghetti sauce, puree, or anything else to make a good canning batch, so I rinse and freeze them in gallon zip-loc bags until I have enough and the time to do it. That's usually when I need the freezer space to butcher chickens. If the tomatoes are perfect, I just rinse and freeze. When these come out let them thaw. The skin peels off easily. I find it easier to core them before I freeze them if i want to core them. They are so mushy when they thaw I find it a pain, but you can manage.

If the tomatoes need trimming I trim and freeze chunks. You can blanch them in boiling water first so the skin peels off, but this gets them a bit mushy which makes them harder to trim the bad parts off but you can do it. Sharpen your knife first. Since mine will go through a strainer the skin gets removed anyway so I don't bother.

For peppers I just cut them into chunks and freeze, no blanching. What size chunks depends on how I'm going to use them. Some I peel, some I don't. I've also been known to grill the peppers like @ninnymary and peel them. I find it a pain in the butt to peel them but those grilled peppers are great on a pizza. They can add a grilled taste to your salsa too.

I spent an afternoon yesterday with tomato going into the bags and being frozen. We ..lol wait..my good wife has canned, pickled, sauced and chilied the buckets of tomato I have presented to her.

 

[Crazy Gardner]

Wait a sec, don't ALL peppers turn color eventually?

I ask seriously. My Amazonian Muskmelon peppers are all now rather close to full size (or what I think is full size) but I can't help but notice they are being REALLY slow to turn color (some of them have purple shoulders, but I assume that is sun related). Are there peppers that stay green FOREVER?

https://www.snapfish.com/library/sh...DopduRRy1dONKR6zg/AUS/27950481690070/SNAPFISH

I'd like to know as well, my sweet banana peppers are yellow, and haven't changed colour at all, though it is likely early here. I don't know what colour they would turn into. Be nice to know.

 

[seedcorn]

Banana’s tend to stay yellow. They will eventually turn red but it will take a while.

 

[Crazy Gardner]

Banana’s tend to stay yellow. They will eventually turn red but it will take a while.

The reading I'm finding online says as they turn red they will sweeten as well, is that your experience?
Picked some chili peppers and discovered that I do indeed have jalapenos as well. I don't recall my chilis ever being so robust looking, some are nearly 3\4" in diameter at the stem. Also, what gives with the 2 yellowish chilis? Came off a struggling plant, mind you.

 

[seedcorn]

Couldn’t tell you as we eat them as soon as they are full size and yellow.

 

[catjac1975]

The reading I'm finding online says as they turn red they will sweeten as well, is that your experience?
Picked some chili peppers and discovered that I do indeed have jalapenos as well. I don't recall my chilis ever being so robust looking, some are nearly 3\4" in diameter at the stem. Also, what gives with the 2 yellowish chilis? Came off a struggling plant, mind you.

The Fushimi's that I grow turn red. And are they ever sweet. I thought they would be hot when I first grew them. Perhaps they are the same as your yellows in that way.

 

[Crazy Gardner]

The Fushimi's that I grow turn red. And are they ever sweet. I thought they would be hot when I first grew them. Perhaps they are the same as your yellows in that way.

Where do you buy your seed for them?

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Okay my Amazons have FINALLY started turning red.

 

[Prairie Rose]

This year I grew hot hungarian wax, a handful of regular jalapenos for salsa, and a couple of the bonnie hybrid sweet peppers the farm & home next door carried after the deer at all my seedlings for the third time. I did get one of the coolapenos because my father has diverculitis and can't stomach the hot peppers at all.

The sweet peppers are now turning ripe, and for all their pretty colors, they don't have much flavor at all. The jalapenos are producing more than I will ever eat, but I will make candied jalapenos in half pints for tacos and eating on crackers with cream cheese all winter. I actually really like the cool-a-peno, more than I thought I would. There is a lot to be said for enjoying the flavor of a pepper without the waiting out the burn, and my father has been thrilled he can get 'his' peppers in everything without any stomach upset.

Baker Seed has a heatless jalapeno I will probably order for next year; I really miss the poblanos, but the critters chewed off every single one of them I planted this year.

 

[catjac1975]

Where do you buy your seed for them?

I got them years ago from Hotpepperqueen. They are not hot.. I just keep saving seed from my best looking peppers. I can send you some if you remind me a FEW TIMES!!!