Last Of The Summer....Peppers

For years we have watched the British comedy, Last Of The Summer Wine. Those words came to mind yesterday when Daddy-O walked into the kitchen with an armload of peppers--about the last of the summer garden. He went to see if he could find just one cucumber for our salad. No cukes left, but we still have lots of peppers.

So today after church, I put them in the freezer. Even if you are not into food preservation, you can do this. You might not have a boat load of peppers in your backyard, but maybe you bought a tri-pack of peppers and only used one. Or a big bag of peppers was on sale at the store. You can freeze what you don't use immediately. Here's how:

Dice the peppers and spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. 

I lined the pan with parchment (or use foil) to make pouring into the bag easier.

Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour or so.

Pour peppers into a freezer bag. 

Press out as much air as possible and close. 

Label and date. That's it.

That is a gallon-size freezer bag. I think I'm good for a long time. I had so many peppers that I made layers with foil so each cookie sheet had three layers of peppers. You want the pieces to freeze separately so you can pour them out later. When you have a recipe that starts with sauteed peppers and onions, you'll be glad these are in the freezer. Don't thaw; just use them straight from the freezer.

I thought I might see what else in the yard is hanging on bravely. There are still a few flowers in our yard. Come walk with me and take a look at the last of the summer blossoms...

BONUS TIP:  Years ago when our girls were young and very much into dollhouses, a friend who was a serious about miniature houses told me that if you let bell pepper seeds dry, they look just like tiny potato chips. She was right. So our doll house soon had a couple of bowls of "potato chips" for the doll family.