Fresh now-Fresh later - Storing Food

I got a terrific deal on peppers. You know how expensive these can be. It’s spring and the produce is plentiful so the prices go down. I love saving money, but I will only save if I end up using what I’ve bought.

So I have a “Food Saver” vacuum sealer. I could store them the peppers in a freezer bag but I know what will happen: freezer burn and ice crystals. No thanks, I want my produce to be as fresh as the day I bought them. Actually, my niece Becky told me about this a long time ago, but I just got around to buying one myself about a year ago - and I love it.

So first I’ll slice the peppers in half and take the seeds out. I’ll blanch the peppers by placing them in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I’ll take them out and dip them in ice water to stop the cooking process. I want to blanch them, not cook them, so that the peppers will stay crunchy and hold their color.

I’ll dry them off and set them in the freezer for about an hour until they get just frozen. Once that’s done I’ll either dice the peppers in one cup increments or keep them halved for stuffing later ~ the Food Saver does the rest.

I can also freeze my ever so popular Gazpacho but first I’ll have to put it into the freezer in ice cube trays to freeze the cubes before I seal it for the winter. Why? The sealer sucks all the air out of the pouch which will also take the liquid away. Once the cubes are frozen I won’t have to worry about loosing the soup.

This is a great way to suck every last penny out of your grocery bill.