# storing peppers



## chris_harper (Feb 21, 2007)

what will be the best way to keep the peppers i hope i get out of my garden? i want to be able to just grab a jar/can/whatever and stuff and smoke 'em.


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## lovetosmoke (Feb 21, 2007)

I have the best luck pickling my peppers.  I grow serrano, jalapeno, Indian, and of course bell peppers.  I pickled the peppers and they seam to hold up better.  But maybe someone else has a better idea.


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## squeezy (Feb 21, 2007)

You can make various sauce recipes or string them up to hang dry and then process into a powder that can be added to other dry seasonings or added to your favorite dishes.


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## deejaydebi (Feb 21, 2007)

chris -

You can pickle or freeze them. Keep in mind if you add 1 hot pepper to a quart of  say green bell peppers they'll all be somewhat hot.

Freezing works well if you fry them but they will get limp.


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## chris_harper (Feb 22, 2007)

i guess i better read up on pickling and stuff, eh.


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## deejaydebi (Feb 22, 2007)

I could give you Mama's recipe when your ready.


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## gunslinger (Feb 22, 2007)

Chris, we can ours bread N butter style. We use the same recipe we use for our pickles. They are fantastic. We also freeze them. We don't do anything to them either, and they thaw just fine. The best way we have found is to put them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze them solid, then pack into a zip-lock. This way they don't freeze all stuck together and if we need 2, we take 2 out, if we need more, we take more out. This freezing technique came right from our county extension office. 
Check with your extension office, and ask them about canning classes. Most offer a 1 or 2 day class once a year. They'll teach you the latest canning stuff, and check your gauge on your pressure cooker and your therms to make sure it's accurate. My wife never misses a class.


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## cajunsmoker (Feb 22, 2007)

Gunny is certainly right about the extension service.  They are great folks and will do a lot of things for you.


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## cheech (Feb 28, 2007)

There is nothing like canned meat (i.e. venison) with some bacon grease on the top. Any one else try this?


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## gunslinger (Mar 1, 2007)

Never done that. But I do bow fish and have canned pickled carp. Stop turning up your nose. It's very good. And I've canned salmon I caught on Traverse Bay in Northern MI.


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## cheech (Mar 8, 2007)

A guy from work was telling me to take a jar of dill pickles place a cup of sugar in the jar, mix up the jar once a day for a week and after a week you have some great tasting pickles.

Have you heard of this before?


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## kueh (Mar 8, 2007)

I believe it's called sweet dill pickles.


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## deejaydebi (Mar 8, 2007)

LOL 
Sounds right to me Cheech! 







You take Duh lessons from me or what?

(Debi thankfully takes foot out of her mouth and places it in Cheechs)


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## mrh (Mar 12, 2007)

Another thing you can do is add some horseradish along with the sugar to them, it is very good!!

Mark


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## cheech (Apr 9, 2007)

You must try.

Canned meat (venison or beef) some bacon grease and a bit of salt is absolutely wonderful. It looks awful but tastes great


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## goat (Apr 10, 2007)

I just vaccume seal mine.  Keeps from one season to the next with no freezer burn.


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## deejaydebi (Apr 10, 2007)

Cheech -

I have never canned meat so I am trying to understand this principle ...


I am picturing a Ball jar full of venison covered in bacon grease? This doesn't even make sense to me I must be missing something.


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## kueh (Apr 10, 2007)

The bacon grease seals cooked food inside a container.  Ususally the fat used is clarified butter.  I suppose lard works just as well.

The most notable food preserved this way is potted shrimp.


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## gunslinger (Apr 10, 2007)

Still sounds disgusting.
I've heard of wax to seal, but fat?


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## shellbellc (Apr 10, 2007)

I'm with you Guns...


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## deejaydebi (Apr 10, 2007)

Man your heart doctor must hate seeing you coming Cheech!


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## teacup13 (Apr 10, 2007)

its the same principle of canning a stew... we have canned venison stew and it tastes wonderful..looks like yuck but still tastes great...lol

venison chili and venison stew






BBQ sauce,French onion soup,Chili sauce


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## cheech (Apr 11, 2007)

Here is the plan

1. Take meat (venison, beef) cut into chunks
2. Place 1" size chunks in Ball/Mason jar
3. Add about a Tablespoon of salt
4. Optional add around 4 tablespoons of bacon grease.
5. Follow normal canning procedures.
6. When ready to eat, heat for 15minutes while boiling 
7. Eat and enjoy


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## white cloud (Apr 12, 2007)

I wanted to can some venison this year again but was unlucky. I really should invest in a pressure cooker. The last couple batches we did in a hot water bath canner which takes a few hours but it is just so tender. I never tried the bacon fat, usually just a tsp. salt and a bit of onion in the quart. Next time I will give it a try I allways have some bacon grease in the fridge.


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## smokincowboy (Apr 12, 2007)

going to try that but without the grease  and gunslinger tell me more about the carp sounds interesting may try that too


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## deejaydebi (Apr 12, 2007)

Teacup -

I don't see anything there that looks yucky. Kind of looks like my pantry. Liquids I can see grease? ... well Idon't do grease to well.


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## hammmike (Apr 14, 2007)

My grandparents canned sausage like that when they killed a hog. I have eaten a lot of sausage that was prepared like that. Fry up the patties almost done,pack in sterilized jars and put 1/2 in. grease in the jar and seal.


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## deejaydebi (Apr 15, 2007)

Whitecloud

I would definately get a pressure coker if I were you. It risky business doing hot water baths for meat and low acid fruits and veggies. It like a crap shoot - sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.


Cheech -

Now that you've explained it it doesn't sound half bad.
Thanks!


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## shellbellc (May 11, 2007)

First...Chris, we just freeze them...for the different kinds we have we just mark what kind of pepper.  I'm going to try the vaccuum sealer this year.  The only thing you'll notice is that they aren't as firm or crisp, the cell walls do break down a little.

Second...I've never heard of a count extension office...what is it?


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## pigcicles (May 11, 2007)

Basically the county extension offices are there to help educate and inform people of ways to do certain things.. in this case the class is on canning.. they usually have several classes or information meetings. Here's a link to one in Colorado that will help describe what it is and then a link to Montgomery County extension. Hope this helps

http://www.yampavalley.info/ag_and_envir7348_2.asp

http://montgomery.extension.psu.edu/directions.html


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## shellbellc (May 11, 2007)

Thanks Pigcicles!!!!!  Earned yourself a point on that one. Heck it's only 10 minutes from my house and tomorrow they are having a master gardener plant sale!!!  Maybe hubby will be rototilling a little further than he thought!!


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## squeezy (May 11, 2007)

....and according to my brother, Triple B, they seem to be hotter after freezing!
That can't be a bad thing!


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## shellbellc (May 11, 2007)

Depends on how hot they are to start with...Some of the ones we are planting should probably be illegal! Look up bhut jolokia..

http://www.chileplants.com/search.as...Button=Pressed


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## az_redneck (May 29, 2007)

ABSOLUTLY GET A PRESSURE CANNER for canning meat and low acid foods! Botulism is no joke. Being paralysed for 2-3 weeks wouldn't be much fun.

Even when you have a pressure canner, you have to follow the recipe to the tee. It always worries me even if I have followed it to a tee because you always retrace your steps to make double sure you did everything correctly. And, when you open that can, boil the food for a solid 15 minutes to kill any nasties. The meat gets super tender..


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## az_redneck (May 29, 2007)

I have pickled them and they come out ok..Kind of like nacho jalapeno's. I have also dehydrated them and then ground them in a coffee mill and made a chili powder. You can also smoke them and make your own chipotle peppers. 

Be sure that if you can them, you use a vinegar solution 5% or better. If you just want water, you will have to pressure can them because they don't have enough acid in them.


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## squeezy (May 29, 2007)

Here is more info on what is hottest ...

In 2000, scientists at India's _Defence Research Laboratory (DRL)_ reported a rating of 855,000 units on the Scoville scale,[1][4] and in 2004 an Indian export company called _Frontal Agritech_ obtained a rating of 1,041,427 units,[5] which would mean it is almost twice as hot as the Red Savina pepper and roughly equal to the similar-looking Dorset Naga,[6] which is derived from the Naga Jolokia. For comparison, pure capsaicin rates at 15,000,000â€“16,000,000 Scoville units.
In 2005 at New Mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute near Las Cruces, New Mexico, Regents Professor Paul Bosland found Naga Jolokia grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHU by HPLC.[2][7]
In February 2007, Guinness World Records certified the Bhut Jolokia (Prof. Bosland's preferred name for the pepper) as the world's hottest chili pepper.[7][8]
The effect of climate on the Scoville rating of Naga Jolokia peppers is dramatic. A 2005 Indian study that compared the percentage availability of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in Naga Jolokia peppers grown in both Tezpur (Assam) and Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) showed that the heat of the pepper is decreased by over 50% in Gwalior's climate (similar temperatures but less humid, much lower rainfall).

I think you should have a permit to grow these babies!


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## goat (May 29, 2007)

I have frozen chilies and other than taking up a bunch of room in the freezer, they were good when thawed.  I have done the same with bell and jalapeÃ±os.  Pickled jalapeÃ±os works well also.


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## smoked (May 29, 2007)

yup, we dehydrate jap's here and do the coffee ginder pulverise thing, makes a great addition to anything needing a "kick"....... remember to search on the threads for chilpoltle and my postings....I still strongly belive the red jap's are the thing to do for chilpoltle......and why I'm building such a big garden this year just to get the red's........


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## az_redneck (May 29, 2007)

Do you dry the peppers before you smoke them? Seems they would take on more smoke when dried... And you do know that they all turn red when kept on the vine, right? 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Like I said in another thread, Chipotle Texas is where I get my chipotle powder for $6.72/lb and they do have green jalapeno chipotle powder. Do you add anything to prevent caking to your powder once you get done whizzing it in the grinder?


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## shellbellc (May 29, 2007)

I agree!!! They sent us two of them, hopefully they don't cross pollinate with the others.


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## cheech (Jun 6, 2007)

Just a thought but how about you smoke them and then freeze them in a vacuum sealer bag? Then when ready to eat again thaw crisp up on the grill and then they should be find right?


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## triple b (Jun 6, 2007)

Sounds  good to me!
Should be yummy that way.


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## deejaydebi (Aug 23, 2007)

They'll still get soft once frozen.

Shell -

My sister (who doesn't like hot much) planted 2 habanero (?) pepers in her garden last year that someone gave her and even the bell peppers were really hot! They were only abour 8 feet from the bells and cross pollenated big time!


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