Green bell peppers have invaded our humble abode this week, and the numbers are staggering! We're big fans of stir fry and stuffed peppers - but since there's no way we could possibly consume this bounty before it goes south, it's time to break out the !

In the Dryer: Green Bell Peppers




These beautiful peppers are mostly small and funny-shaped. In fact, I've seen a few that seemed to try to grow in the shapes of the alphabet, like L and P and even an S or too. To me, this screams "dehydrator fodder" because it would be difficult to stuff most of these peppers or cut them into beautiful long strips for stir frying. Luckily, the best way to prepare bell peppers for the dehydrator is to chop them into less-than-bite-sized squares. Pepper skins don't rehydrate easily, so smaller pieces are definitely the way to go.

Once your peppers are seeded and chopped, spread them on your dehydrator trays (lined with parchment paper, right?) skin side up. Juicy peppers, like the ones I have today, will take 24-36 hours to dry on 125°F.

After your pepper pieces are dry, allow them to cool completely before storing in zip-top freezer bags or glass jars.  Store them in your pantry or any cool, dark place for the winter. Dried peppers are great additions to soup, chili, salad and even pizza!

Past editions of In the Dryer:
Persimmons and Apples
Roma tomatoes