Freeze Your Bell Peppers!

These can get very expensive certain times of the year. Bell peppers add great source of FIBER to you diet so I like to have them all year round. Take advantage of sales, like right now KROGER is having RED BELL PEPPER on sale for .75 cents each. I bought a few and will freeze them up. I am also anxious to get mine growing in the garden :)

7/2010 update: Just bought peppers on sale this year- 5 for $1 !!!!!! The yellow, reds and oranges! Thats HUGE SAVINGS.

Here is how to freeze them:

Bell or Sweet Peppers (Green, Red, Yellow, Orange, Purple)

*Select crisp, tender peppers.
*Wash.
*Cut out stems and cut peppers in half.
*Remove seeds and membrane
*Cut peppers into strips, dice or slice, depending on how you plan to use them.
*Freeze peppers in a single layer on a cookie sheet with sides, about an hour or longer until frozen. This method is often referred to as "tray freezing."

*Transfer to a "freezer" bag when frozen, excluding as much air as possible from the bag. The peppers will remain separated for ease of use in measuring out for recipes.

***For a crisper texture, peppers that will be used in uncooked foods can be frozen without being blanched beforehand. For peppers that will be heated, water-blanch halves for 3 minutes and strips or rings 2 minutes.

****Thawing: Sliced or diced sweet and bell peppers lose their crispness when frozen, however they can still be used for cooking. Add them to dishes directly from the freezer without thawing. (except I would thaw first before using on pizza, it will add more moisture than you want)

***** These should last up to at least eight months in the freezer if stored properly.