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harvesting Keeping peppers fresh after harvest?

obeychase

obeychase

When everything's all said and done, you're ready to harvest and share among all your family and friends. How do you go about keeping your peppers fresh? How you preserve them (no additives or chemicals obviously.)? I hear freezing and thawing is the way to go.
 
 
I understand you can dehydrate the pepper and it will last many years. But I want to know how to keep a fresh pod alive and fresh (if that's even possible). Avoiding mold, etc.
 
 
I will be dehydrating a lot of my chilies this year to make powders with.
 
 
Anyone know of any methods on keeping a fresh chili?
 
Hey Obey,
 
i think it's impossible to keep a fresh chili. People freeze em which should keep the flavor "fresh" but from what I understand, they turn into mush when thawed.
 
For long term use you have to dehydrate, can or freeze, and all will affect flavor and consistency to some degree or another. 
 
Do not wash after harvest. washing will take away its shelf life. but for long term fresh pods not sure.
 
From my first harvest ever on July 1st, I soaked my peppers for 10 min in a vinegar:water solution to get rid of any pathogens. I then rinsed with water, dried them and placed them in a small paper bag.  I keep this bag in the fridge and have been enjoying fresh peppers daily.  The brown paper bag helps to keep water in the peppers as opposed to plastic bags that dry them out.  
 
I froze some and thawed them and they really do turn into mush.  Although, the mushy ones are good to throw on the grill. 
 
So it has been three weeks and I can't tell a difference in the peppers.  They are much more fresh than any that I've bought from the store.  I don't know how long they will keep fresh in the paper bag in the fridge, so we shall see. 
 
Smob said:
From my first harvest ever on July 1st, I soaked my peppers for 10 min in a vinegar:water solution to get rid of any pathogens. I then rinsed with water, dried them and placed them in a small paper bag.  I keep this bag in the fridge and have been enjoying fresh peppers daily.  The brown paper bag helps to keep water in the peppers as opposed to plastic bags that dry them out.  
 
I froze some and thawed them and they really do turn into mush.  Although, the mushy ones are good to throw on the grill. 
 
So it has been three weeks and I can't tell a difference in the peppers.  They are much more fresh than any that I've bought from the store.  I don't know how long they will keep fresh in the paper bag in the fridge, so we shall see. 
Click to expand...
 
That's interesting man
 
Freezing keeps the flavor, but not the texture. Peppers are one of the few veges that need no blanching to denature enzymes that break down veges in storage. So it's easy.  If you cook with these peppers it is difficult telling them from fresh.  Uncooked they are not appetizing however.
 
Unblemished peppers will last a long time in a cool dry place - much longer than you would ever suspect.  I think it's the low humidity, and cool temps in the Fall here that helps, but peppers often last a few months - sometimes never rotting and simply drying.  The more they touch, and moldy ones leak, and this liquid hits another pepper, the more they will all start to rot. So putting them in a single layer on absorbent material, and removing moldy ones will allow them to last for a long time.  The above statement about not washing them is also important - the more you handle them the less-likely they are to last. It they are dirty and touched the ground - and need to be washed - then don't try to store them anyway - they are likely not going to last very long.
 
Dried peppers, especially hot ones, reconstituted are also quite nice.  Some of these are also quite fresh-tasting if done properly.  Slice them open so they dry quickly.
 
I know people say here that you can harvest the grapes with a piece of branch and stick the branch in a potato,and keep the grapes for longer time. Never did nor saw this, so no idea if works. And not so sure how to do this with a pepper plant (yes, this works only in the autumn, when the plant will die).
But what smob shared to us, it is really interesting, and worth to try.
 
nothing last forever.  peppers are like anything else they an only stay "fresh' for so long.  the answer you are looking for does not exist :mope:
 
 
they will not stay fresh.

you will have to freeze or dry. pick your weapon.
 
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AlabamaJack said:
I also was looking for that answer and found out keeping them fresh, well, you just can't....so I started making puree...it keeps the fresh taste and if prepared right, will last for years...
 
if you are interested, here is my puree recipe (that I got from another member a few years ago)
 
here is a link to the recipe and the process 
 
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/32602-making-some-puree-todaywill-post-pics-of-the-processits-easy/?hl=+alabamajacks%20+puree
Click to expand...
 
Nice Bama Jack. 
 
I couldn't help but notice the grey ghost calander.  Do you have any?
 
from my experience peppers turn mushy when thawed when they were frozen. my cousin actually sliced into a thawed pepper and it made a "pop" moise and deflated like a balloon. it ended up looking rotten so we just saved the seeds from it
 
I've had them keep well for over a month in the fridge...

For the long term though I bag box and freeze. Yes they turn mushy once defrosted so it's best to slice whilst still frozen... Once defrosted they don't last long at all so only defrost what you are about to cook with.

This year I am sun drying all of my frozen Savina's from last years crop, and making chilli powder for them ;)
 
Smob said:
 I keep this bag in the fridge and have been enjoying fresh peppers daily.  The brown paper bag helps to keep water in the peppers as opposed to plastic bags that dry them out.  
 
Click to expand...
 
This is not true.   You  may observe moisture condensing in the plastic bag but this was moisture the peppers were going to lose anyway, but at a slower rate because the plastic bag environment has higher humidity.  That moisture escapes the paper bag so peppers dry out faster.
 
However, that's not a bad thing.  It is better for the pepper to wrinkle a bit than to mold which will happen faster in a plastic bag.
 
Another thing that can be done is to cut the pepper off at the stem, not removing the portion of the stem that attaches to the pod until it's time to eat or cook it.
 
JoeFish said:
 
I couldn't help but notice the grey ghost calander.  Do you have any?
Click to expand...
 
not at the present....I have had two....first one was with me for 11 years almost to the day (passed Oct 2011) and was the best friend a man could ever want....second one bonded with the ex-wife and went with her upon our divorce....
 
I will be getting another one sometime this coming spring...
 
here is a link to Roscoe Walley's Rainbow Bridge page if you are interested...
 
http://rainbowsbridge.com/residents/ROSCO041/Resident.htm
 
has anyone run a short dehydrate cycle and then frozen their pods?   I wonder if you remove some of the moisture, if you could later thaw without the mush factor.   May have to give it a try.
 
makes no difference jwalk...freezing causes the cell walls to burst, thus eliminating the actual structure of the pod....
 
here's a question....has anyone ever vacuum packed a fresh pepper and put it in the refrigerator to just see how long it will last without being frozen...think I will get a fresh jalapeno and a fresh habanero at the store and try it....photo acompanied of course...
 
Unfortunately, I don't have a photograph. I think I got to 3-5 weeks before they started getting gross. Will have to try it again this year to verify it though.
 
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