How to store pepper?

Choosing peppers for storage

For long-term storage, healthy peppers without cracks or rot are suitable (Fig. 1). Self-grown peppers last longer than store-bought peppers.

According to the degree of maturity, peppers are:

• technically mature;
• biologically mature.

Rice.
1. Peppers with mechanical damage, wrinkled skin, and signs of rotting are not suitable for long-term storage. Technically mature peppers include those fruits that have the mass and size of a mature pepper, but are still green in color. They are suitable for transportation and long-term storage (they can ripen for two months, subject to storage rules).

Biological maturity (physiological maturity) – complete ripeness of the fruit. Such peppers are already brightly colored. It is recommended to use them immediately, because these fruits are not stored for a long time.

During storage, carefully ensure that all peppers are free from damage, mold, rot and other diseases. If such a fruit appears among the general mass, then it should be removed, otherwise all the others will also begin to deteriorate.

Cellar storage

Vegetables that have not reached full maturity are usually stored in basements and cool cellars.

You can store pepper in the cellar for the winter by placing it in wooden boxes covered with paper. Vegetables are laid in layers, while sprinkling them with sawdust. You can also use pre-washed and dried sand. It is not recommended to place a large number of fruits in one box. It will be enough to lay 2 - 3 layers.

A simple way to store bell peppers is to place not fully ripened vegetables in bags or bags in several layers, placing each layer with paper. The bag must be open so that there is constant air access to the pepper.

The first month and a half will undergo a ripening process, as a result of which the vegetables will turn bright colors. After this, the storage temperature of the pepper is reduced to 2°C.

Storing peppers in the refrigerator

Ripe bell peppers are suitable for storage in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen (Fig. 2). It is recommended to place peppers in the vegetable compartment. If there is much more pepper than there is room in the refrigerator, then it is better to choose other places for storing it.

Rice. 2. Sliced ​​peppers (or peppers with the insides removed) are stored only in the refrigerator; if they are not going to cook it in the near future, then this vegetable is placed in the freezer.

Ripe bell peppers can be stored for six months at temperatures from 0 to +2 °C and humidity not exceeding 80–90%. At other temperature conditions, higher temperatures or other humidity, ripe peppers can be stored for no more than 2–3 months.

Tip #1. To keep the pepper fresh longer, rub its surface with vegetable oil, but this is only suitable for storing bell peppers in the refrigerator.

Technically, mature peppers are not suitable for storage in the refrigerator because they quickly begin to deteriorate from the cold.

When stored in the refrigerator, peppers are separated from each other using paper layers. This method is also suitable for storing peppers in boxes.

Sliced ​​bell peppers will keep for a week in the refrigerator. Frozen peppers, when stored for more than six months, change and become too soft when defrosted.

What is the best way to store bell peppers in a city apartment?

There are several simple ways to keep peppers fresh in your apartment:

• Packing in a plastic bag with holes made for air access. The bag is placed in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. You can preserve fruits in this way for up to 4 weeks;
• Before placing vegetables in the refrigerator, they can be greased with vegetable oil. This technique will prevent the fruits from shrinking and preserve their freshness for a long time;
• If the apartment has a glazed balcony, vegetables can be placed in wooden boxes covered with thick paper. Packed fruits should be covered with sawdust on top. The workpieces are not allowed to be exposed to sunlight, so the boxes can be covered with burlap or other materials that allow air to pass through.

The following trick will allow you to increase the shelf life of peppers to 4 months:

• Each vegetable must be wrapped in a separate sheet of paper. Thanks to this, the fruits do not touch and do not infect each other with possible diseases. The disadvantages of this method include the inability to monitor the condition of vegetables, since constant unfolding of the paper will negatively affect the shelf life;
• in the case of a large number of preparations, when it is impossible to wrap each fruit, thick paper is laid out on the bottom of the box in two layers.

If you don’t have space in your apartment to store peppers, you can freeze them. This method will preserve all the beneficial properties and taste of the product.

Bell pepper in the basement or cellar

Rice.
3. Plastic bags are suitable for storing bell peppers in the refrigerator. To prevent condensation from forming, ventilation holes are made in the bags. For the same purposes, cling film is suitable, which adheres much more tightly to the surface of the peppers. To store bell peppers in the basement or cellar, select a suitable container. Boxes or boxes with a volume of 10 liters are suitable for this (Fig. 4). Place paper at the bottom of the box. To keep the pepper as long as possible, it should be sprinkled with sawdust or sand; paper is also used for these purposes.

Peppers of technical maturity are stored at a temperature of +8 °C. For ripe peppers, the optimal temperature range is from zero to +2 °C in the cellar.

Peppers should be checked regularly to remove spoiled fruits. Rooms such as basements and cellars may have musty air. Which negatively affects the storage of crops. Therefore, it is necessary to observe the ventilation regime.

Tip #2. To prevent excessive humidity in the room, boxes with coal or salt are placed in the room for storing peppers. These substances absorb excess moisture. The containers themselves in which they plan to store the pepper harvest are treated with a solution of copper sulfate.

Room, humidity, temperature and lighting

If you need to freeze fruits, it is recommended to choose a freezer with a constant temperature of -10 degrees Celsius. Under these conditions, pepper will retain its qualities for a long time.

It is not recommended to store bell peppers in warm rooms with a lot of light.

Unripe vegetables can be kept in boxes from 8 to 10 degrees. Under these conditions, the fruits will be able to remain fresh and not rot for three months. Humidity should not be higher than 90%.

Ripe vegetables are also stored in boxes, refrigerators at 2. The storage duration under these conditions will be two months, subject to humidity up to 80%.

On the balcony and loggia

The best place for keeping vegetables in urban environments is a balcony or loggia.

If the following rules are observed, the harvest can last three months:

1. It is recommended to add sweet vegetables of medium maturity.
2. Cover wooden containers with paper and place in a dark place.
3. Wrap the pepper in paper.
4. Place in containers.

At a storage temperature of 2 degrees, the family will be able to eat fresh vegetables until January.

At a storage temperature of 2 degrees, the family will be able to eat fresh vegetables until January

At room temperature, the lifespan of pepper is reduced significantly. Therefore, a box filled with fruits from a dacha or store should be placed next to the balcony door. That is, where it is coolest.

It is imperative to cover the boxes with some light material to avoid the appearance of small flies that parasitize vegetables.

Unripe peppers at room temperature will retain their properties for a month, but ripe ones will not last for 12 days.

The product will keep in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for three months or more. You just need to prepare the fruits correctly: you should not put them in the freezer unpeeled. An unripe vegetable will become unusable.

How to properly store peppers in the refrigerator:

1. Wash the vegetables.
2. Let dry.
3. Wrap the fruits in plastic wrap or place them in bags, making small holes for air access.
4. The place where the peppers will lie can be greased with vegetable oil. It helps maintain the elasticity of the fruit.

Be sure to read:

How to store beans at home?

To store in the freezer, cut the pepper into pieces, pack in a plastic bag and place in a freezer container.

The vegetable compartment of the refrigerator will keep the product for three months or more.

"Acute" storage

Many housewives do not know how to store hot chili peppers. Its main difference from sweet pepper is that the vegetable is harvested when it is already ripe.

We invite you to read: How to freeze bell peppers for stuffing and salad for the winter: instructions

Then the chili will gain spiciness and become a preservative.

To store hot chili peppers, you will need to take a few simple steps:

1. Wash and dry the pods.
2. Pierce the dry pods with a needle and pull a thread through them.
3. Hang on the wall like a garland.

Such peppers can be removed at any time, chopped and used to add a spicy taste to the dish.

The shelf life of chopped bell peppers is one week. If peppers are stored frozen for longer than 6 months, they will be too soft after defrosting. Ripe, undamaged vegetables at a temperature of 0-2°C and a relative humidity of 80 to 90% are stored for two to three months.

Varieties of bell peppers suitable for long-term storage

According to the taste characteristics of pepper, there are:

• spicy (popular varieties - Fire Bouquet, Dragon's Tongue, Coral, Ogonyok);
• semi-sharp (Vityaz, Red Lightning F1, Hungarian Yellow);
• sweet (Apricot Favorite, Swallow, Gold Bar, Kolobok, Winnie the Pooh).

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4. Peppers that are stored in boxes in cool places, such as a basement, cellar, pantry, remain fresh for a long time. Depending on the thickness of the walls, peppers can be thick-walled or thin-walled.

Thick-walled bell peppers are valuable because they are juicy and fleshy. Their fruits are quite heavy, most varieties are high-yielding.

Among the representatives of thick-walled peppers are the following varieties: Californian Miracle, Orange Miracle, Agapovsky, Kubyshka, Rhapsody, Kolobok, Sonata, Kudesnik, Atlantic, Fat Baron, Winnie the Pooh.

Types of sweet peppers:

• early ripening (Ivanhoe, Claudio F1, Seville, Orange Miracle);
• mid-season (Red Giant, Red Bull, California Miracle, Kolobok, Anastasia, Veronica, Yellow Bull);
• late ripening.

Late-ripening varieties are suitable for long-term storage (Table 1).

Tab. 1. Types of late-ripening varieties.

Late varieties also include: Nochka F1, Hottabych F1, Rubinovy, Albatros F1, Kapro F1, Paris F1.

All late varieties of peppers are highly resistant to cold and heat. Therefore, such plants produce a harvest from August to October. The southern regions are well suited for growing late-ripening varieties of pepper, especially for open ground.

Cleaning and storing sweet peppers

There are no special features or difficulties in harvesting pepper. The main thing is to take care of preserving the harvest in a timely manner, correctly determine the timing of harvesting and correctly store vegetables for the winter. In August, noticeable cooling is already possible, so do not miss the moment to harvest. Fruits affected by low temperatures will not last long. For better preservation, you need to harvest peppers at technical ripeness, and to obtain viable seeds, at biological ripeness.

When to harvest sweet peppers?

The timing of harvesting pepper will differ depending on the type of soil - open or protected, and under what climatic conditions it grows.

• For optimal growth and development, peppers require a temperature of 20-28 °C.
• At a temperature of 15 °C the plant stops vegetating, and at a temperature close to zero, the plant dies.
• There are concepts of technical and biological ripeness of pepper.
• Harvesting can be done at any stage.

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CARE OF PEPPERS IN THE GREENHOUSE

The technical harvest is characterized by the fact that the pepper:

• gained weight,
• has reached a certain size for the variety,
• became elastic
• but its seeds have not yet ripened,
• and the fruit did not acquire its varietal color.

1. It is recommended to harvest peppers at technical ripeness, so you will get large yields throughout the season.
2. After all, when we harvest fruits at technical ripeness, new fruits grow faster on the plant, and then the yield increases significantly.
3. To quickly ripen peppers collected at the stage of technical ripeness, place 1-2 ripe fruits in a box with vegetables. In this case, the fruits can be either the pepper itself or other ripe vegetables that release ethylene, which serves as a catalyst for ripening. Both red apples and tomatoes will significantly help the peppers reach biological ripeness.

When the pepper reaches biological ripeness:

• its fruits acquire the full color characteristic of the variety or hybrid - red, orange, yellow, purple, etc.
• Biologically ripe fruits contain more vitamin C and P vitamins, as well as carotenoids (substances important for the body).

Bringing sweet peppers on the bush to biological ripeness adds another 20-25 days to the fruit ripening period

1. Therefore, it makes sense to collect a biological pepper crop only to obtain seeds; it is precisely these peppers that have them fully ripe with good germination. Do not forget that seeds can be collected from varietal peppers, but it is not advisable to collect seeds from hybrids.
2. In general, fruits collected at biological ripeness are stored in the same way as fruits at technical ripeness, it’s just that with technical ripeness they will stay with you longer and can wait for their biological ripeness.
3. Peppers collected at biological maturity are usually immediately consumed.

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HOW TO COLLECT PEPPER SEEDS

How to properly harvest bell peppers

Peppers must be handled carefully; they have a very brittle bush and fragile stems, so try not to damage the plant when harvesting.

1. It is convenient to cut the pepper fruits with a sharp knife or pruning shears, supporting the stem itself.
2. In the greenhouse, it is recommended to harvest fruits 2 times a week, starting in mid-July.
3. Dense fruits with a glossy shine are ready for harvesting - they are technically ripe.
4. The wall thickness of pepper depends more on the variety than on the maturity of the fruit and can range from 5 to 12 mm. It is believed that the thicker the wall, the tastier the peppers.
5. After cutting the fruit, you can remove the lower leaves on the pepper plant.

How to store sweet peppers

• Before storing, inspect all vegetables - the fruits must be healthy, without cracks or other damage from diseases and pests.
• Brushed, gnawed and diseased fruits will not last long; it is better to process them and eat them first in the near future.
• When preparing peppers for long-term storage, you should not wash them; you can simply shake off dirt from them or wipe them with a dry cloth.
• Ripe sweet peppers are stored in plastic bags or boxes, sprinkled with sawdust over the fruits.
• It is best to store peppers in a special room - in a cellar, barn, vegetable store with a temperature of 6 to 12 °C.

– temperatures 8-10 °C; – high humidity 95-97%.

How to store sweet peppers at home

1. If you store peppers at home, choose a well-ventilated place with high humidity.
2. This could be a box or a rack standing near the balcony.
3. In this case, it is better to place the pepper closer to the floor, where presumably the humidity is higher and there is a draft.
4. You can additionally wrap each pepper in a napkin or paper - this will preserve the vegetables even longer.

Selection of bell pepper varieties for planting

When choosing varietal seeds, carefully study the conditions in which the pepper should grow. If a certain species requires a greenhouse, but only open ground is available, then it is better to choose another variety (Table 2).

Tab. 2. Examples of bell pepper varieties for open and closed ground.

You should also study the timing of ripening and the possibility of planting plants of other growing seasons nearby. If you properly grow peppers of early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening varieties, then you can pamper yourself with fresh peppers even in winter. When purchasing seeds, the height of the bush is also taken into account. This parameter is especially important for greenhouse crops where space is limited.

Depending on climatic conditions, when choosing pepper seeds, you can give preference to hybrid varieties that are resistant to certain diseases and pests. At the moment there is a wide range of such varieties: drought-resistant, cold-resistant and others.

An important point is the light regime, which must be observed when growing bell peppers in order to obtain rich harvests.

Mistakes gardeners make when storing bell peppers

1. Ripe bell peppers are stored in the light. This is wrong, because exposure to light causes rotting. It all starts with the pepper appearing darkened areas, which then become soft.
2. The peppers rotted while ripening on the windowsill. The following mistake was made - they forgot to turn the peppers so that all sides of the pepper would ripen.
3. The surface of the pepper is wrinkled (Fig. 5). This could happen if the pepper was not kept in the refrigerator for a long time or if the fruit was damaged to begin with. Wrinkled peppers contain less juice in their pulp. It is used as an addition to dishes, canned or dried.
4. Each fruit was wrapped in paper, but some of the peppers still spoiled. This reliable storage method has the disadvantage of making it difficult to visualize spoiled fruit. If you do not inspect the peppers in time, some begin to deteriorate.

Rice. 5. Peppers whose surface has wrinkled will not be stored fresh for a long time and will quickly deteriorate. It is frozen or dried if it is not possible to eat it immediately

How to preserve bell peppers for the winter?

Freezing

It is recommended to keep the pepper fresh so that it does not lose its beneficial substances and taste in glass jars.

To prepare for storing peppers in jars, do the following:

1. Wash and remove seeds from fruits.
2. Cut into two halves.
3. Place in a dry jar and close with a lid.

For salads, it is recommended to cut the pepper into pieces and wrap it in a plastic bag, after releasing the air, put it in the freezer at a temperature of -15 degrees.

Drying vegetables for the winter

Dried bell peppers are summer-like and full of vitamins. There are several ways to prepare original seasoning for various dishes. For example, in an oven, electric dryer or outdoors.

Whatever drying method you choose, the peppers must be properly prepared by thoroughly washing, coreing and wiping dry. It is best to use fleshy, ripe and brightly colored fruits for drying.

No matter what beneficial properties frozen or fresh pepper has, you cannot do without preserved food rich in bright flavors, which includes a popular vegetable. Bright salads will decorate the festive table and will be an excellent side dish for meat. When choosing peppers for preservation, you should give preference to thick-skinned varieties that have reached biological maturity.

Winter preparation

Unlike bell peppers, hot chili peppers are usually stored at biological ripeness. It contains a larger amount of hot substance, which helps the pepper to be stored for a long time. The riper the vegetable, the more pungent substance it contains.

Hot peppers in the process of ripeningBut from personal experience I can say that hot peppers with technical ripeness are also stored, and I usually hang them in a cool place. Gradually, what is not eaten becomes dried pepper. Drying out is not a hindrance for this type of pepper, unlike Bulgarian, it tastes better this way, while the spiciness, shape, and all its beneficial properties are preserved.

• Drying in bundles or on a line

I pick hot peppers directly from the bush and hang them from the ceiling in the garage, where it’s warm, but there is an influx of fresh air and diffused light. You can simply tie the peppers with a thread by their tails and hang them in bunches in a cool, dry place, or you can string them on a string.

Drying hot peppers in a bunch I believe that the essence of hot pepper is in its grains, so even in dry form it makes me incredibly happy, and the beautiful red fruits can be placed in an airtight jar with an unusual lid, and your pepper will also become a decorative item.

Many people store fresh hot peppers in oil. And the pepper is preserved, and the oil acquires a certain amount of pepper. Although most often you can find seeded peppers in oil, which makes them less hot. In our market, which unites large online stores, you can choose an electric assistant for your kitchen. Take a look at the selection of Dryers for fruits and vegetables.

Self-assembled dryer 50x50 cm 1,100 RURVIEWRussian Vegetable Garden Vegetable and fruit dryer vitek vt-5053w 3,390 RURVIEWAll tools new Vegetable dryer centek ct-1657 2,460 RURVIEWAll tools new Vegetable dryer centek ct-1656 3,536 RURVIEWAll tools new

You can also dry the right amount of hot pepper in an electric dryer. I think that you shouldn’t cut it, you can dry small peppers whole, but this is quite a long task. It took me over 8 hours!

Dried chili peppers in a jar In any case, whatever method you like, the main thing is the result! That is, a lot of delicious vitamins from your plot in winter. What all of the above methods allow.

I’d love to know how you store your pepper harvest.

In a plastic container where vegetables are usually kept, peppers can be stored for up to 60 days. It should not be washed beforehand - just wipe it with a damp cloth and then put it in plastic bags.

Condensation is the most damaging to sweet pepper supplies. Therefore, each fruit is wrapped in paper and stored in the refrigerator, in a vegetable container.

Many housewives rub the pepper with sunflower oil - this will help it stay fresh for a long time.

If, after purchasing sweet peppers, it turns out that they are not yet ripe, you can lay them out on the windowsill and wait 2 to 3 days. In this case, vegetables need to be turned over periodically so that sunlight hits them from all sides.

The winter diet becomes richer with the presence of vegetables in it. They can fully replenish the vitamins the body lacks at this time, which will help strengthen the immune system. And if you store pepper properly, you can use dishes with it throughout the winter.

We suggest you read: Diseases of carrots during storage

Rules for freezing the product

A very convenient form of preparation for the winter. Fresh frozen peppers retain their aroma, which is a godsend for winter dishes: on a February day, the smell of fresh peppers will be akin to a holiday). Peppers are frozen for different purposes, which determine the method of preparation. What are the possible options?

Before you begin manipulations, you need to decide whether the pepper will be used for stuffing in the future, or whether your plans only include providing the family with an ingredient for various salads and other multi-component dishes for the winter.

Peppers for stuffing are prepared for the winter as follows:

• Wash the fruits that have reached biological ripeness, carefully cut out the stalk, and remove all the seeds.
• We put the resulting cones into each other to form “towers” ​​of 7-8 pieces.
• We wrap each design in a separate plastic bag or cling film and place it in the freezer. Bell peppers prepared in this way will last all winter and retain their taste until the new harvest.

The freezer also stores those vegetables that will serve as ingredients for salads and various dishes. To prepare the blanks, you can use products that have already suffered minor damage and are not suitable for stuffing. We also clean them, remove everything unnecessary, cut them into strips or cubes.

You can lightly dry the products on a towel to remove excess moisture. After that, put them in containers and put them in the freezer. If there are a lot of blanks, then first it is better to freeze them on stands or in plastic bags, spreading them out in one layer.

Peppers for stuffing

A very popular and profitable product. Stuffed peppers have become a favorite dish for many, so such recipes are always relevant. We present the two simplest options.

We invite you to read: How to grow bell peppers from seeds at home?

Recipe 1:

1. Wash not very large fruits, remove stems and seeds, boil in salted water for 3 minutes, making sure that the pepper does not lose its elasticity.
2. Place in 2- or 3-liter jars, fill to the top with the brine in which the peppers were boiled, add 9% table vinegar (2 tablespoons per 2-liter jar, 3 tablespoons per 3-liter jar) and roll up.

Recipe 2:

1
. Prepare

filling

based on:

• water - 1 l;
• sugar - 70 g;
• salt - 35 g;
• citric acid - 8 g.

2.

Place the peppers, peeled from stems and seeds, in boiling water for 2 minutes and immediately cool.

in cold water. Place them one inside the other and place them in a jar or, flattening them, place the peppers

sideways one on top of the other.

3. Pour boiling brine and sterilize: jars with a capacity of:

• 1 l - 10-15 min.:
• 2 l - 20 min.;
• 3 l - 25 min.

4

. Roll up immediately.

Peppers for stuffing

In winter, just open a jar like this and you can immediately stuff the peppers! Convenient, fast and tasty!