Peppers are very easy to put aside for the winter. Remove the seeds and stems. Slice or chop, place in freezer bags and place in the freezer.You can roast the peppers before freezing. Place the peppers on a grill or under a broiler. Let the skins blacken. Turn the peppers so all sides blacken. Remove from heat and place in a paper sack for 15 minutes. This will allow the peppers to steam for a little while and allow the skin to soften. Remove all the skin. Place in freezer bags. Roasted peppers are one of my favorite foods. They liven up many winter sandwiches, homemade pizza and pasta dishes.

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We will all miss tomatoes in the winter. Here are some simple preservation ideas so you can enjoy them during the winter:

1. Freeze tomatoes without cooking them. Simply cut off the splits and put the whole tomato into a freezer bag. Place in the freezer. Remove in January and add to pasta dishes.

2. Dry tomatoes. Spray baking sheets with a baking spray. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. (Romas work best for this). Place tomatoes skin side down on the baking sheets. Roast at 200 degrees until tomatoes are almost dry. (This will take 6 to 8 hours. I like to do this overnight). Then put the almost dry tomatoes into freezer bags and place in the freezer.

3. Make spaghetti sauce. Sauté onions, pepper, basil and thyme. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until it thickens. Put into freezer bags or jars and freeze.

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