What to do with extra...

[firegirl969]

What is the world should I do with my abundance of banana peppers? They are sweet ones. I only have 5 plants, but I get about a 2 gallon bucket every week. I froze some to make salsa with later, but I don't know what else to do with them. I did a search, but didn't get really good ideas. DH likes them on subs, so if anyone knows how to pickle them for subs, please advise me of that. Also, any other ideas will be greatly appreciated!

[CarolAnn]

Saute a finely choppped onion and a smashed clove of garlic until it's tender, mix in a cup or so cooked rice, a tsp. of cumin and a chopped tomato. Stuff this mixture in the split and seeded peppers. Sorry that I don't have amounts - this is something I make with leftovers! Pour tomato salsa over the top to cover. Bake the stuffed peppers on a bed of rice for 20 min at 350 degrees and add a handfull of grated cheddar cheese (or whatever kind of cheese I have on hand) over the top and bake another 10 minutes / until the cheese is melted.

I've also added cooked hamburger, chopped celery, chopped zuchini even sweet corn - anything that sounds like it would taste good - and it usually does! It's my basic stuffed pepper, so it gets what I've got on hand. Oh - I forgot - the original recipe said to scorch the peppers over an open flame, put them in a bag to sweat, then skin them. I never do this part and I think they're fine.

If you make tomato sauce, use some of your peppers and an onion to make a batch - you may never go back to plain tomatoes!

I've also had chile relleno's at Mexican restaurants, but I've never tried it at home. They're stuffed with cheese, then battered and deep fried. I did find a recipe: http://www.mexgrocer.com/534-killer-chiles-rellenos.html

[Mom5farmboys]

I can stewed tomatoes, which is tomatoes, onion, peppers, and celery, and various other spices. We love it, in the winter I will heat up a jar and we will eat it just as it is with grilled cheese sandwiches. It is also a great base for chili, goulash (ground beef, noodles, stewed tomatoes).

I also make homemade pickle relish which has shredded sweet peppers in it.

I also cut them in strips, put them on a cookie sheet and freeze. When frozen I put them into a large freezer bag, to add to recipes later. I also steam frozen peppers and use them as pizza toppings, or add them to my spaghetti or lasagna. Frozen peppers are also a great addition to stir fry.

[CanNerd]

Here is a recipe I came across:

PICKLED BANANA PEPPERS


2 pounds Banana peppers
1 teaspoon Dried oregano
4 cups Water -- for soaking
5 cloves garlic -- (5 to 6)
1/3 cup Salt
3 cups Water
1 1/2 cups Vinegar
4 teaspoons Dried basil -- crushed

Slice the banana peppers in half lengthwise. Rinse and discard the seeds as well as any interior pulp. Combine the 4 cups water and the salt. In a large bowl cover peppers with the salt solution. Let stand overnight. Drain;rinse well.

In a large saucepan combine the 3 cups water, the vinegar, basil, and oregano. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile pack banana peppers in hot clean half-pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add one clove of garlic to each jar. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over peppers, stirring the mixture to keep the herbs evenly distributed. Leave 1/2 inch headspace in each jar. Prepare the lids according to manufacturer's directions. Wipe jar rims.
Adjust lids; process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Start timing when water returns to boiling.

Yield: 5 pints

[NCLee]

You can also dehydrate them. If you do, put the dehydrator on the back porch, in the garage, if it's not attached to the house or other protected spot.

Learned that lesson the hardway the first time I dehydrated peppers. The aroma will become so intense you'll be tearing up and leaving the house yourself.

Pickled peppers - does not include bell peppers - When I was growing up, we simply put peppers in a jar and filled it with cider vinegar. (Cut a slit in the side of each pepper so the vinegar could easily penetrate.)

Today, because of the much increased risk of problems, water bath processing is the best way to go. Here's a link for the simplest way to preseve them. Just substitute your pepper for the one in the recipe. http://www.pepperfool.com/recipes/canned/simple_pickled.html

For a lot more info and recipes, go to their homepage. http://www.pepperfool.com/recipes/canned_idx.html

Hope this helps.
Lee