Peppers And Onions

As the gardening season begins to wind down in the northeast, it is time to start harvesting everything you have left and prepare to store it for the winter

We were inundated with delicious peppers this year. We had red, yellow and green bell peppers and sweet cubanelle's.  So we decided to make peppers and onions.

 

Start with heating your pan with some olive oil.  Cut your peppers and onions any way you like.  They don't have to be fancy.  Saute them until they are still al dente.  You want the peppers to still have a crunch when you freeze them so when they are defrosted they are not soggy.  No need to add any seasonings here. 

Also, don't forget to save the pepper seeds for your seed bank.

Chill peppers and onion as is in the freezer until they are just frozen.  This will take some of the moisture out so they will be able be food saved.  One item or "gadget" I recommend everyone own is the food saver vacuum sealer.  Meats should not sit in the styrofoam packaging you get from the supermarket.  It is unhealthy.  You might notice meats that have been in your freezer for a while not only have freezer burn but the meat starts to get discolored.  With the food saver, it will stay fresher and longer in your freezer.  It takes all the air out so when you freeze anything there is no freezer burn and the freshness is sealed in.  This enables you to buy in bulk, divide into portions and freeze.   

Now, divide the peppers and onions into dinner size portions and food save for the winter.  With a laundry grade sharpie (other sharpie's tend to run when they are wet), mark the ingredients and date each package. Then you can just  pull one out and cook as normal.  Whether you add sausage or steak, or just serve as a side dish it will be delicious and fresh because it is all from your very own garden!