How is this possible? My garden is starting to produce but I don't yet have enough to make into hot sauce. It would be easier to mske a large batch at the end of the season. Texture isn't important, just preserving flavor and heat since it will be sauced and canned. I am growing serrano, scotch bonnet, sweet hot cherries, habañero, and ghost peppers.
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The heat in peppers (capsaicin) is quite stable. Any number of preservation options will work, as long as you include the hottest part of the peppers which are the ribs and membranes holding the seeds.
You can choose a method based on your goals and ambition:
- Pressure canning
- Dry them (follow guidelines from a reputable organization, for example links below)
- Freezing
- Pickling (and canning)
For your use case (storage for a few months prior to making hot sauce), freezing may be your best option.
See also:
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1I froze my jalapenos whole and it works great. – Mien Jul 24 '13 at 12:06
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I cut the stems off before freezing. There's less mess after thawing that way. – Wayfaring Stranger Jul 24 '13 at 13:43
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Perfect, that's exactly what I needed. I wasn't sure if the freezing process would damage capsaicin or not. They'll be getting frozen whole (save for the stems being cut off). – Matthew Jul 24 '13 at 14:36
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@Matthew You can generally assume freezing won't damage flavor. The problem is generally texture; flavor's mostly affected if you freeze something badly (exposed to air) or the change in texture changes how you perceive a flavor. – Cascabel Jul 25 '13 at 00:20
