Chili is one of the most popular seasonings all over the world, and although not every one of us can boast of a love for such a fiery vegetable, we all from time to time love to enjoy something spicy as part of certain dishes. Pepper gives dishes a signature spice that cannot be replaced by any other spices or seasonings. In addition, this vegetable is also extremely useful; it turns out that it contains 2 times more ascorbic acid than lemon, as well as vitamins E, P, A, B2, B6, which raises its value to the top ten most valuable vegetables in the world. You can and should eat chili all year round, as it is an excellent prevention of many diseases, including colds, and even insomnia, and besides, storing hot peppers is not at all difficult or labor-intensive.
Storage methods
Hot red pepper, or chili, is an unpretentious plant. With proper care it gives a good harvest. Therefore, housewives with a summer cottage, during the vegetable harvesting season, are wondering how to store hot peppers in winter.
You can use the following methods:
- store indoors;
- place in the refrigerator;
- to freeze;
- dry;
- preserve;
- cook in oil or vinegar.
When the vegetables are harvested, they are laid out and left for 6-7 days to identify poor-quality pods. Then they are sent for further storage or processing.
Fruits of different colors, including green, are often collected from the garden beds. Ripe red peppers are suitable for storage in any form, and green ones can be preserved.
Do you know that…
If you leave fresh green pods in the air, they will gradually ripen.
Harvesting a fragrant harvest
Storing sweet peppers involves collecting fruits that are not fully ripe.
Unlike sweet peppers, it is better to remove bitter peppers for storage when they are completely prepared.
Hot, ripe red peppers, which we usually call “chili,” last longer than green ones and contain more vitamin C and carotene.
It is in ripe pods that there is a high concentration of unique substances, which are also a light preservative.
Only completely healthy peppers are stored well.
To “bring them to clean water,” after harvesting, place the pods in a shady, cool place in one layer and leave for a week. After this, conduct an inspection and discard any damaged specimens found.
Fresh hot peppers
When thinking about how to store hot peppers, you should first think about preserving the beneficial properties of the vegetable. Observant gardeners noticed that it practically does not spoil. Left unattended, chili will simply dry out over time, provided the room is dry.
It is possible to preserve the hot vegetable without processing it, but to do this you need:
- place it in a room where it is dry and cool (7-10 ° C);
- protect from sunlight, as they reduce the beneficial properties of pepper;
- put the vegetable in boxes or plastic bags (stores up to one and a half months);
- dig up a bush with pods and hang it on an insulated balcony, in a storage room (it will remain fresh for three months).
We recommend reading: How to preserve sweet bell peppers for the winter
You can grow a fresh hot vegetable on the windowsill in your apartment if you choose bush pepper.
Bush pepper is a decorative variety of hot pepper that can be grown indoors.
For example:
- “Indian Summer” – bears fruit for 4 months;
- “Splashes of the Sun” - a variety with yellow fruits;
- “Bead” – round orange fruits;
- “Dragon” – very spicy taste;
- "Carmen" - large fruits of universal use;
- "Bride" is a very fragrant variety;
- “Queen of Spades” – large, fragrant fruits of universal use;
- "Rowanushka" - orange fragrant fruits.
2-3 decorative bushes with fragrant pods will not only decorate the interior, but will also provide a sharp taste sensation.
Do you know that…
The highest concentration of beneficial substances is found in a fully ripe pod. This is indicated by a rich color, which can be red, orange, yellow depending on the variety.
Secrets and tips
Experienced housewives share the secrets of preparing hot pepper preparations and give useful tips:
- to give the prepared dish a slight spicy spiciness, add not raw or dried chili to the dish, but canned one - the heat of the dish will be softened;
- so that when canning the pepper is better saturated with the marinade and there are no air voids left in the jar, prick each pepper with a toothpick or knife in several places;
- When freezing fruits, it is advisable to release all excess air from the bag. This will save valuable space in the freezer;
- peppers can be pickled together with other vegetables (for example, cucumbers, tomatoes). But keep in mind that the heat of the pepper will spread to the entire contents of the jar.
How to choose correctly
Red hot peppers can be purchased from the market during the peak summer season. Gardeners who grow this vegetable on their own can save money and instead harvest the burning pods in their own garden. Red peppers are picked at the stage of not technical, but biological, full ripeness. The pod should be completely red.
It is better to harvest in dry, sunny weather. Peppers should be carefully inspected and fruits affected by mold, rot or insects should be discarded. The pods are picked along with the stalks. Then the vegetables are brought to the kitchen and thoroughly washed to remove dirt. Those who don’t like the hot taste of peppers can pour boiling water over them and remove the seeds. True, it’s better not to do this. After all, this vegetable is valued precisely for its pungent and fiery taste.
Sources
- https://PolzaVsVred.ru/produkty-hranenie/kak-sohranit-ostryj-perec.html
- https://kakxranit.ru/produkti/kak-xranit-gorkij-perec.html
- https://povar24.info/kak-sohranit-gorkij-perec-svezim-na-zimu.html
- https://hozzi.ru/hranenie/gorkij-perets-v-struchkah
- https://rostiada.ru/vyrashchivaem-ovoshchi/kak-hranit-ostryj-perec-doma
- https://vusadebke.com/hranenie-uroghaya/hranenie/sohranity-gorykiy-perec.html
- https://agronom.expert/posadka/ogorod/paslenovye/perets/kak-sohranit-gorkiy-na-zimu.html
Cold storage
Hot peppers in pods can be stored in the refrigerator, but not for long. It is placed in bags and laid out on the middle shelf. So it can lie for 2 weeks.
Freezing
Storing hot peppers by freezing is another option for using a hot vegetable in the winter.
You can freeze both whole and chopped pods:
- In general, it is better to freeze small specimens so that they can be added to dishes in winter without cutting. To do this, place the vegetables on a tray and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, place in bags.
- Also place the crushed mass on a tray for freezing, then pour into bags or containers in small portions and store in the freezer.
In this form, the vegetable can be stored for a year.
If the whole pepper is stored fresh, its bitterness gradually increases.
Tip of the day
A cut pod can burn your skin, so use medical gloves when handling it. While working, do not touch your face and especially take care of your eyes.
Preparation
How to prepare hot peppers for long-term storage? Red hot pepper is everyone's favorite. It is what gives a special piquancy to any dish , and can easily become an excellent addition to any meal. Red pepper is used in cooking, in making sauces, and also as an independent seasoning .
It's no secret that red peppers keep well for a long time.
But our task is to preserve the vegetable during the winter so that it can delight us not only with its pleasant taste, but also with its properties .
Pepper is a type of fruit that does not need to be prepared for consumption.
That is, you just need to wash the capsicum and dry it a little from moisture, and the preparation is complete.
But some types of conservation and storage still require a different approach. If you don't want the pepper to become even more bitter by the time you decide to eat it, you will have to remove its seeds . They are the ones who contribute to the appearance of bitterness.
A quick and easy way to remove seeds from red peppers in this video:
Also remember that properly prepared peppers must be thoroughly washed . Insects, rain, soil residues - all this should not remain on the vegetable.
The best way to wash peppers is to place them for a few minutes . During this time, pieces of dirt, harmful microbes and bacteria will come off the surface.
Then the pepper must be rinsed with cool water and dried with a towel. If the recipe requires, cut the pepper lengthwise into two parts and scrape out the seeds. After this, the hot pepper is ready for subsequent preparations.
Drying hot peppers
The easiest way to store spicy vegetables for the winter is drying. How to dry hot peppers? This procedure can be done in different ways:
- in limbo;
- spread out horizontally;
- in the oven;
- in an electric dryer.
The methods discussed below will tell housewives how to dry chili peppers correctly.
In limbo
It is worth taking a closer look at how to properly dry hot peppers in a suspended state. This method is familiar to the grandmothers and great-grandmothers of modern housewives.
- Using a needle, string the vegetables by the tail onto a strong thread. You will get a kind of garland of pods.
- Hang it in a darkened room and wait until the pods are completely dry. If the peppers break when pressed, this indicates their readiness.
You can hang vegetables, which are previously secured with a needle and thread in groups of three, on a thick fishing line or rope.
Place the finished pepper in closed glass jars. Or leave it in bundles that will decorate the interior of the kitchen.
Horizontal drying
If space allows, you can dry chili peppers for the winter by laying them out on paper, turning them over periodically to dry evenly.
In the oven
To dry peppers in the oven, place baking paper on a baking sheet and arrange the vegetables whole or chopped.
- Dry the vegetables in the oven at a temperature of no more than 50 °C. Keep the door slightly open.
- Turn the peppers over from time to time to prevent them from overcooking.
- Dry for about 2 hours. After 24 hours, repeat the process.
Do the same with the crushed pods.
In an electric dryer
Answering the question of how to dry hot peppers, you can suggest doing it in an electric dryer. True, this procedure is longer. We recommend that you read the instructions to avoid trouble.
Dried hot pepper is used in wigs, curries, khmeli-suneli and other seasonings.
Dried pods are used in winter to prepare sauces, stews, borscht and add spiciness and flavor to dishes. To do this, some of them are ground in a coffee grinder or blender.
Tip of the day
Grind the dried semi-finished product not all at once, but as needed, so that the resulting spice does not lose its properties and does not fizzle out.
How to dry peppers?
Before drying, vegetables are washed and dried on a towel. To speed up the process, cut the pepper into small pieces with a sharp knife. The easiest drying option is in an electric dryer. The fruits are washed and laid out on a wire rack. The device is turned on at full power and the vegetables are dried for 10-12 hours. To prevent the peppers from burning, they must be stirred periodically. Drying is complete when the fruits become brittle.
In the oven
Use a gas or electric oven. The baking sheet is covered with parchment, the chopped vegetables are placed in 1 layer. The temperature on the device is set to 50ºС. The oven door must be opened slightly so that the vegetables do not bake, but dry. The drying time depends on the number and size of the fruit and the design of the oven. As a rule, the process takes no more than 8 hours.
Canning hot peppers
Canning is another way to preserve crops. Fans of spicy food try to make preparations in order to delight loved ones with delicious dishes during the long winter.
Along with the peppers, peeled garlic, peppercorns, and spicy herbs are added to the jars. Depending on the preservative content in the filling, the vegetable turns out to be salted or pickled.
Adding fleshy red tomatoes or tomato juice makes the recipe original, and the contents of the jar add an unforgettable taste.
In the marinade
Hot peppers for the winter can be prepared according to this recipe:
Components:
- 150 ml water (boiling water);
- 150 ml vinegar;
- 10 pieces. sharp pods.
Process description:
- Rinse the vegetables and dry them overnight.
- Trim the stems without removing the seeds.
- Place tightly in a clean jar.
- Fill the jar with boiling water to the very top.
- After 5 minutes, drain half the water and add 9% vinegar to the jar.
- Screw on the lid, turn over and leave until completely cool.
You can use either red or green pods for this simple recipe. Green peppers will be less spicy.
The severity of hot peppers is affected by the degree of their ripening; green vegetables are always less hot
Caucasian
It wouldn’t hurt to prepare hot peppers for the winter using the following recipe:
- Wash the pods with stalks. Pierce each peppercorn with a knife and place in a jar.
- Fill a jar of peppers with cold water to determine its quantity, pour into a saucepan.
- Add a small amount of salt to the water. Check the saturation of the brine with a raw egg: place a clean egg in salt water; if there is enough salt, the egg will float on the surface of the water.
- Fill the jar to cover the vegetables, close with a nylon lid.
For pickling, it is best to take a green vegetable.
Store this preservation in the refrigerator, cellar, basement. Pickled peppers are an indispensable appetizer on the holiday table.
In tomato juice
Here's how you can preserve hot peppers for the winter:
- Wash the vegetables, dry them, cut off the stems.
- Using a toothpick, pierce each pod several times.
- Add 1 tsp to 2 liters of tomato juice. salt and 2 tsp. sugar (the amount of salt and sugar can be changed to taste).
- Place the pods in boiling tomato juice and boil for 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer the contents into sterilized jars and fill with juice to the very top.
- Roll up the jars with metal lids.
In oil
Hot peppers are effectively preserved in oil.
- Place the prepared pods without stalks in sterile jars.
- Fill them with warm oil: olive, sunflower or rapeseed.
This method is good because the vegetable retains all its beneficial properties and enhances its taste, and the smell becomes more intense.
Unlike previous methods, storage in oil requires some financial costs. But despite this, housewives use it to diversify their winter supplies.
Drying
Dried pepper does not lose its pungency and pungency. Dried fruits can be stored for up to several years.
On air
You can air dry hot peppers either in pieces or whole. Housewives often prefer to dry peppers without damaging the integrity of the fruit. Peppers are collected in bunches, tied with twine or threads by the stalk and hung to dry in a cool, dry, ventilated place.
Drying takes about 1-2 weeks. Bundles are subsequently used not only for culinary purposes, but also as interior decoration for the kitchen or home.
In the oven
Hot peppers dry faster in the oven than in air. The whole process takes from 2.5 to 5 hours.
To dry the pepper, preheat the oven to 40-50°C. Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and place clean fruits (whole or cut) on top. They are turned over every 30 minutes to ensure even drying.
In an electric dryer
In an electric dryer, peppers will dry out faster than in an oven. Depending on the drying power and the thickness of the fruit walls, a product ready for storage can be obtained within 1-2 hours.
The peppercorns, whole or in pieces, are laid out on drying tiers, then the device is plugged into the mains. The tiers are swapped every 15 minutes. Dry pods are placed in a glass jar.
One of the common ways to store dried pepper is to grind it into powder (twist it in a meat grinder), put the ground mass in a sterile glass jar and put it in a dry place (optionally in the refrigerator).
Pepper in a jar
Canned hot peppers are a wonderful treat and a convenient way to store the harvest, especially if it is placed in beautiful mini-jars that do not take up much space.
Containers in which red and green pods coexist are a real decor for the kitchen.
Whole or chopped (with the testes removed) fruits are preserved in a marinade (base: vinegar or lemon juice), salted or simply doused with vegetable oil.
It is customary to add horseradish, currant or cherry leaves and spices to taste (cloves, basil, garlic) to pickled peppers. The amount of acid in the marinade depends only on your taste; for storage itself, a very small volume is enough (for a liter jar - 1 tsp).
Pickled bitter peppers will acquire an excellent taste if you choose garlic, dill and celery as companions. For 1 liter of water, 50-60 g of salt is enough. At room temperature, the snack will be ready in 3 weeks. Before storing hot peppers in jars, it is advisable to move them to a cooler place.
The most delicious preparation is chili in vegetable oil, especially olive oil. But you will need a lot of oil. The pepper must be completely filled and placed in a dark place. No spices are added, salt is at your discretion.
