How to properly store peppers at home, terms and conditions
Not every housewife and gardener knows how to properly store peppers at home. This vegetable has a pleasant taste, contains many nutrients and nutrients. This culture is grown in their own gardens and purchased in stores. Canned foods are prepared from peppers, stuffed, frozen. Each type of storage provides for its own period and its own conditions of detention.
Distinctive features
Peppers have their own distinctive characteristics. It is easy to recognize it on store shelves. Like other crops, it has a great varietal variety. Bell pepper characteristics:
- bright red or yellow;
- large sizes;
- elongated wide cylindrical shape with a rounded base;
- large green tail;
- the vegetable is divided into 4-5 segments;
- the taste is pleasant, sweet.
Important! If you grow peppers and hot peppers in the neighborhood, they will be pollinated. For this reason, the sweet vegetable is spicy in places.
How to choose the right one
If it's not possible to grow your own crop of peppers, then they buy them.The buyer needs a quality product, so there are a few rules to know when choosing vegetables:
- the skin is smooth, without wrinkles and bumps;
- the color is evenly distributed, this indicates the degree of ripeness of the fruit;
- the tail is green, dense, elastic;
- when you press the vegetable, a slight crunch is heard;
- there should be no traces of disease, rot and other damage to the surface;
- the color is red, yellow, green, purple.
It is important to follow all the parameters when choosing vegetables, especially when buying a large amount for the winter harvest. I would like to get a quality product for my own money.
Preparation for long term storage
Fresh, ripe peppers will only keep for 2 weeks. Then they begin to wilt, lose their taste and usefulness. Outwardly they become less attractive, the pulp loses its elasticity. Therefore, many gardeners prefer to remove slightly unripe peppers, so they are stored much longer.
To prolong the life of vegetables, rub them with a paper towel, but do not wash them with water. Then a layer is laid out in a wooden box, covered with a layer of paper, taken to a cool room.
The condition of the fruit is regularly checked, if traces of rot appear on any of them, then it is removed. It is recommended to air the pepper shakers once a week.
The necessary conditions
For the safety of peppers, several conditions must be met. Without them, the result will not be what we would like. It is important to take into account the quality and material of the container, air humidity, room temperature, level of illumination. The container must have holes for air to enter so that the peppers do not rot.
Container
For storing vegetables, wooden boxes or cardboard boxes are suitable. Plastic containers are used only if they have openings for air exchange. Peppers are laid out in a single layer so that they do not stick tightly to each other.
Humidity
The optimum indoor humidity value is 70-80%. It is a common level for a cool cellar or a balcony. At an increased level, putrefactive bacteria develop, at a low level, the peppers dry out.
Temperature
Peppers are stored at room temperature for only 2 weeks. Not fully ripe for 2 months. For long-term storage, the temperature in the cellar must be between 0 and 6°C. This will increase the shelf life up to 4 months.
Lighting
They choose dark places, if this is not possible, then cover the peppers with a cloth and thick paper. It is impossible for direct sunlight to fall on vegetables, because of this they dry out, wrinkle, lose juice.
Storage methods
There are many ways to store peppers. To do this, use a refrigerator, freezer, keep cool or on a bush, someone prefers to dry.
In the fridge
Peppers are placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. There, the temperature is maintained at 2°C. It is designed to store vegetables. Spread the peppers evenly so they don't nest tightly together. In this form, they stay 2-3 months.
In the freezer
There are two ways to prepare peppers: for stuffing and for salads. Vegetables are washed, peeled from seeds. For the stuffing, leave it intact, put it in a container and freeze it. For salads, they are simply cut into thin strips or small pieces.
How to keep fresh
Fresh peppers are stored for 2-4 months, if picked unripe. Then placed in the cellar in a breathable box. Periodically check all vegetables for rot. All damaged fruit is removed. This extends the shelf life.
Important! Fresh peppers can also be stored in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.
on the bush
A very simple and popular way. To carry out such storage, a cellar is necessary. Bushes dug with peppers. They clean the roots of the earth. Transferred to the cellar. Each bush is hooked by the root and stored. At an optimal level of humidity, the bushes can be stored for up to 6 months. Since the fruits are nourished by the plant itself.
Dried
Dried fruits are used to make paprika. It is a condiment made from ground red pepper. It is used by many chefs to make sauces, pizzas, chips, chicken. Drying is done in several ways.
Outside
Vegetables are washed, cleaned of dirt and dried, and seeds are removed. The fruits are cut into thin strips and laid out on a thick layer of newspaper and gauze. The gauze is above. Leave to dry in the sun for 3-4 days. At night, vegetable pallets are washed away, also in wet and rainy weather. Dried raw materials are stored in a glass jar with a lid, since moths are often found in such raw materials.
In the oven
Peppers can be oven dried in just 4 hours. For this, the cabinet is heated to 100°C. The baking sheet is covered with parchment paper, pieces of washed vegetables cut into thin strips are laid out on it.The first 2 hours are dried at 100°C, then the oven is slightly opened and dried at 50°C. The pieces are periodically mixed during drying.
In an electric dryer
The electric dryer has a special mode for drying vegetables. It sets the temperature to 50°C for 4 hours. Sliced fruits are laid out on the baking sheets of the dryer. It usually has several floors. The advantage is that they do not need to be mixed, the device does it all by itself.
On the balcony
Balcony storage is possible up to 4 months after harvest. Choose a wooden or cardboard box for this. All the vegetables are put there and covered with a layer of paper on top. The main thing is that the balcony is glazed and insulated. The air temperature should not drop below 0°C.
Semi-finished products
You can prepare semi-finished products from peppers. This will facilitate the cooking process in the future, save time at the right time. Many housewives choose this particular method, but it requires a lot of free space in the freezer.
Mix of vegetables
For the vegetable mix, cuts from different crops are collected. They are often sold ready-made and packaged in stores. So why not cook it yourself. To do this, take the following ingredients:
- Brussels sprouts;
- diced bell pepper;
- but;
- pea;
- asparagus beans;
- rice, a few tablespoons. spoons.
This mixture is prepared as a side dish, added to the soup. You can store it in this form for an unlimited time.
Padding
Stuffed peppers are a complete dinner. To do this, fresh vegetables are washed with water, peeled from seeds. Minced meat is mixed with onions, eggs, spices. The fruits are stuffed and frozen. They turn off at any convenient time.The finished product is placed in a rooster and poured with water mixed with tomato paste. Dinner is ready in 40 minutes.
Mash potatoes
Pepper puree is prepared to be added to dishes, as a salad dressing. For example, in a salad or soup. Fresh vegetables are peeled from seeds, finely chopped and chopped in a blender. A small amount of water or vegetable broth is added. Grind. The resulting mash is canned or frozen in small jars.
Canning
Peeled fruits are finely chopped, poured with boiling water and boiled for 3 minutes. Then they are laid out in one-liter jars, celery leaves, sweet peas are added. Prepare a brine: dissolve 1 tablespoon in 1 liter of water. I. sugar, 1 tbsp. citric acid and 2 tbsp. salt. Vegetables are poured with the solution and rolled up without sterilization.
in oil
Vegetables are cut in half, the stalk and seeds are removed. Sterilize jars and lids. Slices are laid out in a container so that they fit snugly against each other. For the marinade, take 350 ml of water, 165 ml of vegetable oil, allspice, 165 ml of vinegar, 50 g of sugar, 1 tbsp. salt. All ingredients are mixed and boiled. The resulting solution is poured into the fruits and rolled up with sterilization.
Peppers soften slightly and shrink after being covered in boiling brine.
In the cellar and the basement
Peppers are kept in cool rooms for the winter. A basement or cellar is perfect for this. This method has its own nuances and characteristics:
- the air temperature should not fall below 0 ° C, if the vegetables freeze, they will lose their shape and pleasant taste;
- fruits are stored in boxes with breathable holes, good ventilation prevents rotting;
- ready-to-use preserves are stored in the cellar or basement, which increases the shelf life;
- from above, the boxes are covered with a layer of newspaper or paper;
- once every few days the integrity of the fruits is checked, any damaged ones are removed;
- shelf life 3-4 months.
A cellar or basement is the best option for storing crops. In such rooms, the required level of humidity, temperature and lighting is maintained. If there is such an opportunity, it should definitely be used.
Common Mistakes
Housewives and novice gardeners make mistakes when storing peppers. The most common are:
- the wrong storage temperature for fresh vegetables, they quickly wither in the heat and freeze;
- choose cardboard or wooden boxes, fruits need air exchange;
- during storage, it is important to observe the rule of sterilization, if the lid is not tightly fitted, the boxes will explode;
- the fruits are protected from direct sunlight, so they wither faster;
- during drying, the product is constantly stirred so as not to dry out;
- overripe and overripe vegetables are processed immediately, as they are not enough.
Mistakes happen to everyone, so don't get upset if you can't keep the harvest well. You have to be patient and have more experience.
Additional tips and tricks
Experienced housewives advise you to follow a few simple recommendations:
- when preparing peppers for stuffing, a special knife is used to remove the stem;
- the seeds are easily removed with a stream of warm water;
- for conservation, keep the whole fruit or cut it into large pieces;
- harvest unripe, so it is stored longer for 4-6 weeks;
- for drying vegetables, use gauze and a layer of newspaper, the substrate should absorb juice well;
- when frozen, the harvest year is signed on a package or container to track the expiry date;
- fruits in boxes are not arranged very tightly to avoid rotting.
If you follow all the procurement rules, no errors should occur. Peppers keep best in a cool place. If the harvest is small, the bottom shelf of the refrigerator is an ideal place. You can still enjoy the harvest if you make some preparations for winter.