Peppers are one of the healthiest types of vegetables and they also taste delicious - whether in colorful salads, on pizza or in rice, pasta or potato dishes. But: Peppers usually become soft and wrinkled just a few days after purchase. You can prevent this by storing it correctly. We will explain to you how best to store peppers in order to preserve the vital substances, the crunchy consistency and the good aroma.

Peppers should not be stored in the refrigerator

Store peppers in the fridge?

Many people store their peppers in the fridge. However, this is counterproductive, because the vegetables originally come from warmer regions, which makes them extremely sensitive to cold. When stored in this way, it usually only takes a few days for peppers to literally give up the ghost: they become mushy, lose a large part of their healthy ingredients and may even begin to rot. So we advise you not to store the vegetables in the fridge.

Exception: Wrap the peppers that have been cut open or cut into kitchen paper and put them in an airtight box so that you can finally put the whole thing in the fridge. The pepper pieces will keep there for a maximum of two to three days.

Store peppers properly

Ideally, you should store peppers at temperatures of eight to ten degrees Celsius. Furthermore, the selected storage location should be as dark as possible. In order to ensure such conditions, basements, storage rooms and pantries are ideal locations - provided they are unheated and dry.

tips

If you cannot guarantee darkness, it is best to cover the peppers with a cloth (dishcloth or towel).

Attention: Always choose a place with low humidity. Otherwise, the risk of rapid mold infestation is very high.

Once you have found a suitable location for storage, it is advisable to simply place the peppers in a vegetable basket there. Special containers are not required.

In this way, peppers generally stay nice and fresh for at least a week or two.

Choose fresh peppers

In order to achieve the longest possible shelf life, you have to be careful when harvesting or buying and choosing fresh peppers. The main features are as follows:

  • crisp, firm and shiny skin
  • green, fresh looking stem

tips

Do not use peppers whose outer skin has already visibly and noticeably lost its elasticity.

Freeze peppers

If you have harvested or bought too many peppers, you can also freeze some of them and keep them for months. Here is a short guide:

  1. Wash the peppers thoroughly and dry them carefully.
  2. Deseed and cut into pieces (e.g. cubes or strips).
  3. Portion the pepper pieces into freezer bags or freezer containers.
  4. Seal container(s) airtight.
  5. Put in the freezer.

tips

Frozen peppers are nowhere near as crisp as fresh ones. It is therefore advisable to only use them for cooking (not thawed!).

General information about storing peppers

Do not keep peppers in the immediate vicinity of apples and other fruit that will ripen later. These release the ripening gas ethylene and ensure that your peppers and other vegetables spoil faster.

Unlike red peppers, green versions ripen afterward. Keep this in mind both when buying and when storing.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Vegetable garden