Today is a guest post from by oldset blogging friend DB from Florida Hilbilly with an article on dehydrating peppers. Thanks buddy and enjoy this one!
I like peppers, both sweet and hot. I have found a local green grocer, Rorabecks that sells a small sweet peppers that I like to put up for long term storage. And while they end up with a VERY long shelf life when put up this way, even this nine pound batch won’t last more than a few months. But I’ll have peppers to use whenever I want without worrying about having to find some that are in season.
Using them is as simple as adding them to a wet dish like soups or stews, or pouring some hot water over them for 15-20 minutes or so to rehydrate them before using them in dry dishes like stir frying and such. You can crumble them if you need a smaller sized pepper before re-hydrating them.
They also have the added benefit of being a tasty chip substitute for dipping or just eating raw.
So here is a pictorial on how I put up peppers by dehydrating:
Nine pounds of sweet peppers bought at a local green grocer
Slice tops off
Split in half, no more
Remove white ribs and seeds
Place on Excalibur 3900 dehydrator racks, put in dehydrator on low (100-115 degrees)
Leave for 3 days (yes, THREE days!) Makes them CRUNCHY!
Three days later…
Mason jars + lids, and vacuum bags, I use both for peppers
FoodSaver Wide-Mouth Jar Sealer
Accessory port
Connect the hose
Place the sealer on the jar
Press “Accesory”
A sealed jar, ready to store for 10+ years
Vacuum bag double-bagged due to sharp edges, also 10+ year shelf life
Nine pounds of peppers dried, and vacuum sealed.
Peace,
db
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db is a self-employed father of three, living with his wife and two youngest girls along the coast in south Florida. He devotes his time to his family and trying to make them more self-sufficient, from building a fire to turning rabbit manure into carrots.