Green peppers are used in more than salads.
Green bell peppers add a distinctive flavor to many foods. Preserve that flavor to add the taste of peppers to recipes, especially in canning. Chopped or pureed green bell peppers enhance hot dog and hamburger relishes. Add preserved green peppers to casseroles, relishes, salads, salsas, sauces, soups and stew.
Jelly, Salsa and Sauces
Green pepper jelly made strictly with green bell peppers is an excellent accompaniment to almost any meat dish. Beef, chicken, ham and pork go well with green pepper jelly. Add pureed or chopped green peppers to fresh vegetable salsa recipes, barbecue and green chili as well as regular chili sauces that can be canned for future use, or used within 2 or 3 days.
Chutney, Pickling and Relish
Sweet and sour pepper relish makes hot dogs and hamburgers taste like gourmet foods. Chopped green bell peppers added to the flavors of green cabbage and tomato in piccalilli relish is unforgettable. Green tomato chutney just wouldn't be the same without the addition of green bell peppers. The flavor of green bell peppers enhances the elegance and flavor of Caribbean peach chutney. Mixed vegetable refrigerator pickles only require 1/2 cup of green bell pepper strips. Make mixed mustard pickles with 3 cups of chopped green bell peppers and preserve the last of your garden's vegetables.
Freezing and Refrigeration
For convenience and saving time in the kitchen, green bell peppers can be frozen and kept for six months or more. Freeze them in small containers or plastic freezer bags in portions appropriate for a recipe. One large pepper will equal about 1 1/4 cups of chopped peppers. They keep in the refrigerator for a day or two but it's best to freeze peppers and remove them in time to thaw before you use them. You can quickly blanch peppers in boiling water if you like. They can also be frozen whole, with the seeds removed, to use for stuffed green bell peppers.
Dehydrated Peppers
Dehydrate green bell peppers and keep in closed jars or bottles in the spice cabinet. To freshen them for recipes simply place them in a small amount of water an hour or so before you need them. To dehydrate them in the dehydrator follow the manufacturers directions for the equipment. To dehydrate them without a dehydrator place them on trays in a low 130 to 140 degree oven. Prop the oven door open slightly with a pot holder or wooden spoon so the air can circulate. Remove them when they are completely dry.
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