The hot chiles that survived the winter are fruiting like crazy right
now, and I have to freeze ripe chiles every few days. That still
leaves me plenty to eat fresh, but the frozen chiles make a perfectly
decent substitute, come winter. I generally run out of frozen chiles
just as I can get a pretty decent stream of fresh chiles from the
greenhouse. I cook something with garlic and chiles maybe six nights a
week.

I rinse the chiles pretty thoroughly in cold water in a colander, and
let them drain briefly before plopping them in a freezer bag,
squeezing out all the air I can, then sealing and freezing the bag.
Today, I froze a large bag with six varieties.

Fwiw.

I was just wondering what to do with ours. We're practically drowning in
peppers. Anything you want but Bells. Ranging from very hot to sweet
banana. I have to find room in the freezer!

-M


"Jon Shemitz" wrote in message
...
The hot chiles that survived the winter are fruiting like crazy right
now, and I have to freeze ripe chiles every few days. That still
leaves me plenty to eat fresh, but the frozen chiles make a perfectly
decent substitute, come winter. I generally run out of frozen chiles
just as I can get a pretty decent stream of fresh chiles from the
greenhouse. I cook something with garlic and chiles maybe six nights a
week.

I rinse the chiles pretty thoroughly in cold water in a colander, and
let them drain briefly before plopping them in a freezer bag,
squeezing out all the air I can, then sealing and freezing the bag.
Today, I froze a large bag with six varieties.

Fwiw.

Same here. Just picked an ice chest full of yellow and red tomaotos I have
bell peppers that are the size of a peanut butter jar.

Can you just freeze them whoel or do you need to take the seeda out?
"Jane Doe" wrote in message
news:aowli.3652$Y_3.69@trnddc04...
I was just wondering what to do with ours. We're practically drowning in
peppers. Anything you want but Bells. Ranging from very hot to sweet
banana. I have to find room in the freezer!

-M


"Jon Shemitz" wrote in message
...
The hot chiles that survived the winter are fruiting like crazy right
now, and I have to freeze ripe chiles every few days. That still
leaves me plenty to eat fresh, but the frozen chiles make a perfectly
decent substitute, come winter. I generally run out of frozen chiles
just as I can get a pretty decent stream of fresh chiles from the
greenhouse. I cook something with garlic and chiles maybe six nights a
week.

I rinse the chiles pretty thoroughly in cold water in a colander, and
let them drain briefly before plopping them in a freezer bag,
squeezing out all the air I can, then sealing and freezing the bag.
Today, I froze a large bag with six varieties.

Fwiw.

Aluckyguess wrote:

Same here. Just picked an ice chest full of yellow and red tomaotos I have
bell peppers that are the size of a peanut butter jar.

Can you just freeze them whoel or do you need to take the seeda out?

I waited to let someone else answer, because I only freeze hot chiles,
so am just guessing, but:

Freezing is hard on texture. That's OK if you're just looking for heat
and color, and are going to slice a still-frozen chile into tiny
pieces, but probably isn't so great for bell peppers. You might lose
all the crunch.

I think I'd roast them before I freeze them. They might hold the
roasted flavor when thawed, and you won't expect any significant
crunch.

"Jon Shemitz" wrote in message
...
Aluckyguess wrote:

Same here. Just picked an ice chest full of yellow and red tomaotos I
have
bell peppers that are the size of a peanut butter jar.

Can you just freeze them whoel or do you need to take the seeda out?

I waited to let someone else answer, because I only freeze hot chiles,
so am just guessing, but:

Freezing is hard on texture. That's OK if you're just looking for heat
and color, and are going to slice a still-frozen chile into tiny
pieces, but probably isn't so great for bell peppers. You might lose
all the crunch.

I think I'd roast them before I freeze them. They might hold the
roasted flavor when thawed, and you won't expect any significant
crunch.

We always roast a batch of New Mexico chiles every year. This causes the
skin to bubble and it can be taken off and the seeds discarded. We freeze
them in small batches and they are wonderful to add flavor to any dish,
burgers, etc.
JF

On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:43:14 -0700, Jon Shemitz
wrote:

The hot chiles that survived the winter are fruiting like crazy right
now, and I have to freeze ripe chiles every few days. That still
leaves me plenty to eat fresh, but the frozen chiles make a perfectly
decent substitute, come winter. I generally run out of frozen chiles
just as I can get a pretty decent stream of fresh chiles from the
greenhouse. I cook something with garlic and chiles maybe six nights a
week.

I rinse the chiles pretty thoroughly in cold water in a colander, and
let them drain briefly before plopping them in a freezer bag,
squeezing out all the air I can, then sealing and freezing the bag.
Today, I froze a large bag with six varieties.

Fwiw.

I've had good luck with just covering them with ice water after
blanching and then placing them in freezer bags with just enough water
to cover and surround them. That way I never get freezer burns and
you can just cook with the water as it melts.

valvejob wrote:

I rinse the chiles pretty thoroughly in cold water in a colander, and
let them drain briefly before plopping them in a freezer bag,
squeezing out all the air I can, then sealing and freezing the bag.
Today, I froze a large bag with six varieties.

I've had good luck with just covering them with ice water after
blanching and then placing them in freezer bags with just enough water
to cover and surround them. That way I never get freezer burns and
you can just cook with the water as it melts.

But then you have to thaw the whole bag at once, right? By wetting
them before I freeze them, I get enough ice glaze to prevent freezer
burn, but the chiles stay separate and I can take out as many or as
few as I like.

"Jon Shemitz" wrote in message
...
valvejob wrote:

I rinse the chiles pretty thoroughly in cold water in a colander, and
let them drain briefly before plopping them in a freezer bag,
squeezing out all the air I can, then sealing and freezing the bag.
Today, I froze a large bag with six varieties.

I've had good luck with just covering them with ice water after
blanching and then placing them in freezer bags with just enough water
to cover and surround them. That way I never get freezer burns and
you can just cook with the water as it melts.

But then you have to thaw the whole bag at once, right? By wetting
them before I freeze them, I get enough ice glaze to prevent freezer
burn, but the chiles stay separate and I can take out as many or as
few as I like.
I think I will try this.