truwest,

I have done this often and it works very well.

For small peppers like jals and habs it's easy to cut in half, seed and core, then freeze.

When you thaw them, they'll have become soft, but they keep their flavour very well and will work just fine in anything where they'll be cooked anyway.

One other thing you might find useful is to spread them on a cookie tray and freeze for a few hours, then when they are firm pack them into a Ziploc freezer bag; by getting them frozen somewhat first, you make it easier to take out however many you want later; otherwise they are more likely to clump and stick together in the freezer.

Or else you can freeze them in packages of the size you want to use. (I have a package in the freezer right now that contains chopped sweet and hot peppers in exactly the amount I know I'll need to make a double batch of Annie's salsa, because I've got the tomatoes to make a double batch in there as well.)

Congrats on your harvest!

Z

I freeze many peppers each year. Not only raw ones, but I also like to roast many of them on a dry cookie sheet in the oven and then freeze them that way. Wonderful flavor and great for all kinds of uses -- pasta sauces, pasta salads, pizza topping, panini, antipasto platters, whatever.

Thanks for the suggestions. There is nothing more dissapointing than to go to the trouble of putting something up, only to find that it is tasteless or yucky when you go to use it. Now that I got the green light, I will start coring and seeding tomorrow and pat myself on the back for not letting something go to waste!

truwest,

Agreed! That has happened to me!

You'll not only pat yourself on the back when you freeze them tomorrow, but your future self will really thank your current self when setting out to make something with these and finding them all prepped!

Z

I always just rinse hot peppers, dry, and toss whole into freezer bags. I don't seed them, not that I have anything against it except I am usually trying to get them in the freezer and off the counter as soon as possible, and I am lazy.

If I want to seed them when I use them I just seed them frozen. Or I might want to use them with the seeds, as in jalapeno slices on a pizza or something.

DH and I chop them up and put them in gallon bags, then push them flat so they are about 3/8" thick sheets. For the hot ones, DH uses smaller bags as we don't go through them like bell peppers.

Then when we need them, we open the bag and break off a chunk. It can be tossed in soup/stew/meat that is cooking, or run under warm water to thaw (does not take long) and tossed on pizza or rolled with what ever else we want in a tortilla shell.

We do the same with onions, and don't notice any difference in taste.

Agreed, peppers are one of the best veggies to freeze. I generally go with whole for my hots, and cut in half and cribbed together for my bells and bananas. Grocery store peppers get kinda pricey in the winter, and my buddies wouldnt know what to do if i didn't make sausage and peppers at least a few times during football season. I also take a few of my best, red-ripe bells and make stuffed peppers. Wrap them individually in foil, freeze, thaw when needed.