I have bell peppers coming out of my... :)

(photo via)

This is absolutely how I feel right now!

My hubster picked 50- yeah you heard right- 50

bell peppers from the garden last week.

And that was not the first picking...

or the last.

Guys I just may turn into a bell pepper soon.

I am currently sitting on my couch with my feetsies up

for the first time all day!

I have been using up the bounty of my garden.

Yum!

50 bell peppers down...

and there are still more a-coming!

I wanted to share a quick run down of how I preserve my peppers in case any of you are looking for some ideas.

1. Freeze

I blanch the peppers (though I just read this is not necessary) then I chop them up all different ways- I leave some whole too- lay them out on cookie sheets then pop them in the freezer.

When they are nice and frozen I pop them off the sheet and put them into freezer bags.

This is my favorite way to save them because half the prep work is done when I need to use them in a

 recipe.

2. Roast

Seed and slice the peppers then stick them under the broiler in the oven until their skin is a little chard and bubbly (just a few minutes).

Let them cool and peel the skin off.

Then follow the same freezer instructions as above.

All you have to do is thaw these bad boys out and you have instant yummy-ness for all your sandwiches and pizzas!

3. Cook

Yesterday I made this tortilla soup and popped it in the freezer for a busy day.

Tonight for dinner I made mexican stuffed peppers (recipe below) and I had enough filling for dinner tonight, lunch tommorow, and a batch for the freezer!

4. Preserve

I am a newby in this department so I only tried one this year, green tomato relish.

The recipe is delish-

Now all we have to do is wait and see if I actually canned them right!

mexican stuffed peppers

6 large bell peppers

(I used peppers from my garden and it filled 10)

1 cup of cooked brown rice

1 lb ground beef (local if you can find it)

1 can of black bean rinsed and drained

1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies

1/2 c frozen corn

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1 c. mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Brown the beef in a large skillet. Drain. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer until most of the liquid is gone about 20 minutes. 

While that is cooking cut the tops off of the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Trim a little off the bottom of each bell pepper to help them stand upright.

Find a dish that the peppers fit nice and snug inside of and place them in it. Put a layer of rice in the bottom of each pepper and then fill the rest of the pepper with the filling. Layer the cheese on top of each pepper.

Cover with foil and and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer.

(To freeze complete all the steps, but do not add the cheese. Put in a freezer safe container and store.)

So do you have any tips recipes to  share for my next batch?

I need all the help I can get!