Bulgarian

Bell pepper is not only a storehouse of vitamin C, but also a universal product with which you can prepare a variety of dishes. It is no less tasty fresh or canned.

Although the vegetable is seasonal, progress does not stand still. There are many ways to store bell peppers without losing their taste and nutritional properties.

We will tell you further about how to store bell peppers.

Preparing for winter storage

To keep peppers fresh longer, they need to be prepared before storing. Rules to follow:

1. If peppers are collected from a bush, they are cut with a knife or scissors. Vegetables should not be picked so as not to damage the stalk.
2. There is no need to wash peppers before storing. The natural protective layer serves as a barrier to bacteria that lead to rotting of the product.
3. If there is dirt stuck to the vegetables, remove it with a dry napkin or rag.
4. Before being sent for storage, peppers are sorted and specimens with signs of spoilage are removed. To identify low-quality vegetables, they are left at room temperature for 5-7 days.
5. Be sure to cut off the stalk, but not at the root. It is necessary to leave a small process.

Under what conditions, temperature?

There are general rules for storing vegetables. Universal tips to help prolong the freshness of bell peppers:

• the optimal temperature range for storing bell peppers is from 0 to 11 degrees;
• high air humidity within 90-95%;
• high-quality ventilation - if you do not provide a flow of fresh air, the crop will quickly deteriorate;
• maintaining a stable air temperature - constant fluctuations negatively affect the keeping quality of vegetables.

If the vegetables are ripe, they need to be refrigerated as quickly as possible. Low temperature will slow down metabolic processes and extend the shelf life of the product.

How to properly store bell peppers?

The harvest lasts the longest in frozen or canned form.. Fresh pepper can be consumed until the onset of cold weather. The main thing is to follow storage technologies.

Here's how to preserve sweet peppers for the winter at home for as long as possible. this And this article.

Fresh

Fresh peppers can be preserved the longest in the cellar. Residents of apartment buildings can use the glassed-in loggia.

In this case, a number of conditions must be met:

1. Peppers are placed in boxes with holes for air intake. Containers can be made of thick cardboard, wood or plastic.
2. The bottom of the box is covered with parchment. You should not use old newspapers, as the sheets are covered with printing ink, which will not be beneficial to your health.
3. Vegetables are laid out so that they do not touch each other. To do this, each copy is wrapped in paper or sprinkled with sand.
4. There should not be many layers in the box so that the upper fruits do not exert significant pressure on the lower ones. If the integrity of the vegetable is compromised, it will quickly deteriorate.

In addition to the cellar and loggia, bell peppers can be stored in the refrigerator. Tips to help prolong the freshness of the crop:

1. First, the vegetables need to be cooled. To do this, they are put in the refrigerator for 5-10 hours.This is done in order to avoid the formation of condensation in the future.
2. Chilled peppers are placed in plastic bags with holes made in advance for ventilation. You can also purchase special bags with perforations.
3. You can use cling film to store peppers, but each copy will have to be wrapped separately.
4. Vegetables are placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or put away in a drawer. They should not be placed near the back wall, as they may freeze.

In this form, vegetables will remain fresh for 2-3 months. Read more Here.

There is another extraordinary way to store fresh peppers. It is suitable for those who grow crops on their own plot:

• when the vegetables begin to ripen, you need to dig up the bush - you need to perform the manipulations carefully so as not to damage the root system;
• transplant the bush into a flower pot of a suitable size;
• place the plant on the loggia.

Late varieties of bell peppers can be stored in this way.

If you pick the pepper unripe, it can last for about 2 months in this form. Overripe fruits are stored at room temperature for no longer than 3-5 days..

How to preserve bell peppers for stuffing, read herehow to preserve vegetables at home for the winter - Here.

Freezing

Peppers can be processed at low temperatures. Vegetables are stored both whole and cut. They stay fresh in the freezer for six months. For freezing, you need to choose fruits with dense and thick pulp.If you freeze peppers with a thin wall, they will become deformed.

Features of preparation and storage:

• peppers are cleaned of visible dirt and washed under running water;
• cut off the stalk, remove seeds and films by hand, it is not recommended to use a knife so as not to damage the walls;
• dry the peppers, remove excess moisture from them;
• in order to save space, insert the peppers into each other and place them in the freezer for a day;
• When the vegetables are frozen, they are placed in vacuum bags.

If you plan to freeze the product in pieces, prepare it in a similar way. After removing the moisture, cut the vegetables into slices, put them in a container or bags and store them in the freezer.

This will tell you how to store bell peppers in the freezer this article.

Conservation

Bell peppers can be canned. To prepare a tasty and healthy snack, you can use the following recipes:

1. Grind clean vegetables through a meat grinder, add salt in the amount of 1 tablespoon per 1 kg of product. After 10 minutes, pour the mixture into jars and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. You can store the snack in the refrigerator under a nylon lid.
2. Cut the washed pepper into 2 parts, remove the seeds and pour in a marinade of vinegar, water, salt and sugar. Garlic, bay leaf, and dill can be used as seasonings. Banks must be sterilized. Processing time – 15 minutes. Cover the containers with metal lids.

Some housewives fry the peppers in a frying pan before closing the jars.

Drying

Vegetables can be dried. Possible options:

• in electric dryers - the temperature is adjusted automatically;
• in the oven - the temperature should be set to 50-60 degrees, holding time - about 2 hours;
• in a microwave oven - holding time at a power of 300 W - 2 minutes;
• in the fresh air - this is the most time-consuming method of drying; during processing, the slices must be turned over regularly, drying should be carried out in a shaded place with low air humidity.

You can store the dried product in glass jars with airtight lids and in canvas bags.

Where to keep a vegetable so it turns red?

To make the vegetables turn red, proceed as follows:

1. Harvest the crop and leave it at a temperature of 9-11 degrees in a dark place.
2. If you want vegetables to turn red faster, you can expose them to light.
3. Several red or yellow specimens are placed between the fruits. This will bring the timing of biological maturity closer.

If all conditions are met, the pepper will ripen in about 3-4 weeks. Read more here.

Which way is better?

All storage methods have their advantages and disadvantages:

1. At room temperature, the product quickly gains maturity, but long shelf life cannot be achieved. The harvest must be processed within 1-2 months.
2. Vegetables stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 months, but take up a lot of space.
3. In the freezer, peppers are edible for about 6-8 months, but such a product cannot be called fresh. After freezing, it is used mainly for preparing second courses.
4. Peppers are stored in the cellar for a long time; they can last for about six months. However, not all city residents have underground storage rooms.
5. Canned peppers are tasty, but they are used primarily as a snack.To preserve the product, it requires salt and vinegar.
6. Dried peppers are suitable for boiling and stewing. They are not eaten in their original form.

Helpful information

Storage tips bell pepper:

• It is impossible to store ripe and unripe vegetables in one place - those that are already ripe will spoil faster, which will cause rotting of unripe fruits;
• if condensation has accumulated in a bag of peppers, the vegetables should be transferred to a clean plastic bag;
• Periodically, vegetables need to be sorted out - spoiled specimens should be used immediately; if you neglect this rule, you can lose the entire harvest;
• Vegetables should be frozen in small portions so as not to remove the entire batch from the freezer.

Conclusion

Preserving bell peppers is easy. There are many ways to extend the freshness of a product for several months. You don’t have to stop at just one of them; you can resort to several storage options at once to please yourself with a variety of dishes in winter.