preservation Preservation thread

YAMracer754

YAMracer754

Anyone that can post or outline their favorite methods and good "old standbys" for preserving peppers (and/or tomatoes) this time of year would be greatly appreciated and would like to see what everyone has in their bag of tricks! This includes pickling, drying, canning, freezing, and anything else you guys/girls might know that I'm not aware of...

I spent so much time, $, blood, sweat, tears on growing not to mention the hundreds of hours of research on perfecting the grow and nutes/techniques, all that-I didn't anticipate that I would have tons and tons of peppers that I actually had to use and boy was that a fatal mistake! I have so much and would like to bulk preserve some things in all different ways as I see no slowing down on the production and that way I can preserve and save everything but what I'm currently using for foods and hot sauces etc.. If it helps I have a kitchenaid. Maybe they got some wicked attachment that would truly aid me? I've been using an old school food mill on the tomatoes for tomato sauce but really need to get the kitchenaid parts for that as it takes forever!

All I have right now for a dehydrator is one of those cheap garage sale ones with all the racks, a heating element, but no fan-junk? Big into the grill as well and would like to smoke some varieties as well..

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YAMracer754 said:
Anyone that can post or outline their favorite methods and good "old standbys" for preserving peppers (and/or tomatoes) this time of year would be greatly appreciated and would like to see what everyone has in their bag of tricks! This includes pickling, drying, canning, freezing, and anything else you guys/girls might know that I'm not aware of...

I spent so much time, $, blood, sweat, tears on growing not to mention the hundreds of hours of research on perfecting the grow and nutes/techniques, all that-I didn't anticipate that I would have tons and tons of peppers that I actually had to use and boy was that a fatal mistake! I have so much and would like to bulk preserve some things in all different ways as I see no slowing down on the production and that way I can preserve and save everything but what I'm currently using for foods and hot sauces etc.. If it helps I have a kitchenaid. Maybe they got some wicked attachment that would truly aid me? I've been using an old school food mill on the tomatoes for tomato sauce but really need to get the kitchenaid parts for that as it takes forever!

All I have right now for a dehydrator is one of those cheap garage sale ones with all the racks, a heating element, but no fan-junk? Big into the grill as well and would like to smoke some varieties as well..

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We dehydrate or freeze or smoke & then freeze or ferment or make hot sauce with our peppers.
 
For tomatoes we pressure can halves for soups & sauces, can salsa and sauce or freeze anything that isn't sliced and eaten fresh.  The green tomatoes still on the vine at the end of the season get pickled.
 
That dehydrator you have should be upgraded - I have a couple of these that have served me well the last 4 years.
 
I'm open to new ideas too, my freezer is filling up with just tomatoes, and I've got quite a lot of peppers coming along. I've got tons of cherry/grape/plum tomatoes, so I'm gonna try halving and dehydrating them. I'm also going to try roasting some before freezing. Halved and cored on a cookie sheet, 1hr at 160F with some olive oil, garlic, herbs. Should reduce the water content without fully dehydrating them, while developing more complex flavor. Use the cores for something else.

edit: er, more like 400F for 1 hr, or 7 hours at 200F.
 
Holy cow, you opened up a whole new worm hole.[emoji16]
Your options are plenty. I make pizza sauce , pasta sauce, sloppy joe sauce with my extra tomatoes. I use water bath canning method. I also eat alot of tomato sandwiches and BLTs[emoji16] with fresh tomatoes.
With my fresh peppers I have freezing them for later use. I just use freezer bags. I also dry peppers to grind up for later use.
You have plenty of options for your maters and peppers [emoji16]


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Process some peepers as a puree similar to tomato puree and pressure can it. Just vinegar and peppers or vinegar water and peppers, cooked down smooth and canned. Can be used in cooking and for a hot sauce base, or BBQ sauce base, etc.
 
Pickling is my favorite way for med to milder heat peppers.

I also pick whole pods and freeze in vacuum pack bags for future sauce making, marinades and other recipes.

Powders is fun...did tons last yr. I probably have enough for the next 10 years I got pretty carried away with it.
 
 
re: freezing peppers-
 
btw- congrats on having such a wonderful dilemma as too many peppers! 
 
When freezing peppers, I wash, trim, cut open every single pepper, and then freeze.  You can freeze whole or half, but that takes up a bunch of space in the freezer.  Take one more step and blitz the fresh chiles in a food processor to just get them down to small mince pieces.  Stuff 'em in flat zipper freezer bags. 
 
The flat bags freeze fast, stackable, defrost fairly quickly, and maximizes freezer space. 
 
 
The AlabamaJack's Puree recipe is really good for a base that can be used for sauces, used straight out of the jar, it could be dehydrated...it's a great way to make a concentrated product that can be used down the road for -whatever- strikes your fancy as you are stuck inside in the winter and drooling over the seed catalogues...
 
 
Dehydrating is fairly light on the time requirement aside from the pepper preparations.
 
Candying is the most time consuming.
 
Pickling is also easy.  Cold packing is the very easiest, but requires room in the fridge to just pack the pickles in brine and stick 'em in the fridge.  Boiling water bath pickling is a little more time consuming, but again, is a quick simple process and can go to the pantry.  Doesn't need reefer space.
 
Have Fun!!! Post Pics!!! we luuv pics~~  ;)
 
SL
 
 
one more-
SMOKED PEPPERS- and not the rolled in paper kind!  That does NOT end well!  Especially with the superhots~~~ :lol:
 
wash and trim the peppers
use what you have and the wood you have to gently smoke the fresh peppers
Don't want to get them really dry, just enough of a smoke
then-----
 
dehydrate the smoked chiles
-or-
run the gently smoked and still soft peppers through a food processor, then freeze the paste in flat freezer bags or other small plastic containers. 
 
I am in the late part of my pepper off-season . This used to be dark days for a pepper lover , but thanks to preserving, not any more.
 
Here is a guide of what I've used in the last two weeks.
-sauce
-powders
-pickled Jalapenos
-frozen peppers
-jelly
-whole dried Guajillos
 
Just try it and see what works for you.
 
First, a website that will answer most of your questions about canning & preserving and has hundreds of recipes:  http://www.sbcanning.com/
 
I will cook just about anything from SeriousEats.com or CooksIllustrated.com.  Canning on SeriousEats, here:  https://www.seriouseats.com/tags/canning
 
You don't need a subscription to do a search on CooksIllustrated.com, but will to actually get the recipe.  However, much of their content has already been republished in the web.
 
Recipes:  A few of my favorites:
 
Bloody Mary Mix:  http://www.sbcanning.com/2012/07/homemade-bloody-mary-mix.html?m=1
 
Canned, Marinated Peppers, for mild to medium peppers:  https://cookingupastory.com/how-to-can-marinated-red-peppers-video-recipe  (I never seem to make enough of these  :rolleyes: , they are that good)
 
Sweet & Sour Hot Peppers:  http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252965/sweet-pickled-peppers/ (I've used this recipe to pickle green beans, sliced jalapenos, sliced carrots; I think you could pickle just about any veggie with it.)  To hot process it, just prep as stated and, instead of refrigerating, process it in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
 
Red Pepper Relish:  https://www.thespruceeats.com/homemade-sweet-bell-pepper-relish-3059161  (I used my Aleppo flakes instead of paprika.)
 
Fresh Tomato and Caramelized Onion Jam Recipe:  https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/09/fresh-tomato-caramelized-onion-jam-recipe.html
 
Pepper Vinegar, from Cooks Illustrated:
6 ounces tabasco, red Fresno or red jalapeno chiles, halved lengthwise
3 cups distilled white vinegar
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
 

Pepper vinegar is spicy. For a milder vinegar, remove the seeds and ribs from the chiles.

Pack chiles in clean 1-quart glass jar with tight-fitting lid. Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns, and pepper flakes in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Pour brine into jar, making sure chiles are fully submerged. Let cool completely. Affix jar lid and refrigerate for at least 3 weeks before serving. Pepper vinegar will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 months.
 
For the Freezer:
 
Roasted Tomato Soup:  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/roasted-tomato-soup-recipe-1917339  (I prep it through roasting the tomatoes, then portion and freeze it for later use.)
 
Red Sauce:  halve any ripe tomato you have, put on a sheet pan cut side up, toss in some peeled garlic cloves and any fresh or dried herbs you have and like, salt and pepper the lot and drizzle with olive oil.  Slow roast at 225F until the tops of the tomatoes look dry but the meat is still moist.  Put through a food mill on the coarsest setting you can.  Portion and freeze.  To save space, I use FoodSaver bags and freeze them flat.  Same for the Roasted Tomato Soup.
 
If you have a Kitchenaid with the power port on it's front, invest in a KitchenAid FVSFGA Fruit/Vegetable Strainer with the Food Grinder Attachment for it.  If you sign up for Williams-Sonoma emails, they'll eventually send you a 25% off offer, with free shipping.  I have a few attachments for mine, but use this the most.
 
Finally, a couple of books I found that I enjoyed, in no particular order:
 
The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 200 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes
Jarden Home Brands  (The canning BIBLE)
 
Foolproof Preserving: A Guide to Small Batch Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Condiments & More
America's Test Kitchen  (I'll trust just about any recipe from Cooks Illustrated)
 

Preserving by the Pint: Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces from the author of Food in Jars
Marisa McClellan  (Love this for when there's not enough for a big project)
 
The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving: Over 300 Recipes to Use Year-Round
Ellie Topp, Margaret Howard
 
Preserving Italy: Canning, Curing, Infusing, and Bottling Italian Flavors and Traditions
Domenica Marchetti  (Some of the few tested recipes I've found for preserving in oil.  If you make anything from this book, make it the Passata di Pomodoro)
 
Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round Hardcover – May 22, 2012
by Marisa McClellan  (Author)  (More by Marisa;  she has an amazing blog:  http://foodinjars.com/)

 
 
 
I freeze about 1/3 of my pepper harvest and dry the other 2/3, though this year I plan to try some hot sauce making. 
 
Drying or sauces will be the best way if you are limited on space. Peppers shrink in size to about 1/3 or 1/2 their original size when dried and when you powder them it doesn't take up hardly any space at all. +90% of a pepper is air and water.
 
Geeze! How could I forget this? One of my favs!
Michael Symon's Pickled Chillis
http://ruhlman.com/2009/03/michael-symons-pickled-chillis/

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