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storing peppers for later use

C

canuckheat

Hey not sure if this is the right area to post, but it seems my peppers will all be ready at different times for example my scotch bonnets are nearing ripe and my reapers are just starting to bloom. Some are just getting blossoms. I will be only using them for sauce so texture isnt an issue but heat is. Can I stem/seed and slice them to freeze? This wouldnt affect the heat or flavor would it? Any other ideas?

Thanks everyone
 
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Many people here dehydrate their peppers for future use.....and many of those people smoke their peppers prior to drying them. I do both now myself and they last me through next harvest.
      I still have about 12 sealed jars of Scotch Bonnets and Jamaican Hot Chocolates stored up. The heat and flavor of the non-smoked dried peppers isn't affected by the drying process and long as you don't remove the insides of the peppers. My personal preference for smoking is apple-wood but your tastes my vary.
   I intend to get a food saver vacuum sealer soon the to help with storage this year because of the quantity and variety I'm growing.
 Do a search on the forums and you'll find alot of info regarding this subject.
 
Hope this helps.
OhioHeat
 
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If you wanna sauce them later...or powder them later...or cook with them later...freeze them as Jamie said. You can seed prior to freezing if you wish and it won't hurt them. Leave the placenta (white spongy part inside) in tact and the heat/flavor will remain the same. I smoke/dehydrate most of mine, but I can't keep up with the harvests so I throw them in the chest freezer until I can get to them.
 
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I freeze them fully intact, and then stem them before making sauce

They will thaw with a more mushy texture than when you froze them, use quickly as they start to ferement fast after thawing, I pickle them also with just vinegar and water for later cooking, they are fine when needing just a few


I love my powders too, each has their own uses, a little ghost or naga viper pepper works well in beef fried rice, sauce just doesnt do the same
 
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Freeze them whole on a tray, then once they are frozen, Vacuum seal them or ziploc bags work too.

A Mash (fermenting) might be something for you to think about also. (use the search feature)
 
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If you're making a vinegar based hot sauce, there is no reason not to pickle them with just vinegar and water. They will stay good for a year or more until you get around to processing them. 

Forgot salt. You will need some salt in there too. 
 
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Thanks I'll read up one pickling but plan to freeze most of them. I have banana peppers and jalapenos as well that o was planning to pickle for sandwiches and nachos etc. And cayenne that I will smoke and dry for powder.
 
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Prehensile said:
I put my extras in a dehydrator them grind em in a coffee grinder, freezing them works if you want to keep their original moisture content. 
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l use a "blinder cup" to do my powders, I've gotten a nice fine grind out of it and you can grab one from WM for about 20 bucks..

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