What will happen to peppers hit by frost?

[garden5]

OK, I know I posted this in another thread, but I figured it would be better to start it into a new one.

I had a frost last night and had bell peppers, chili peppers, and jalapenos hit by frost. What will happen to the actual peppers (I know that the plants are probably dead)? How long will I have before they rot if I bring them in today?

Thanks a lot for any help!

[jal_ut]

You can soon tell if the fruit is frozen. It will change color and look watery where it was frozen. These frozen fruits won't keep. Hopefully the leaves got frozen but the fruit didn't . This is sometimes the case.

I don't know if you can use the frozen fruit immediately or not. I just call it a loss if its frozen.

[garden5]

Thanks a lot for the input, Jal. At first glance, all the peppers seem solid. Hopefully more folks will come in with their experiences. I would think that even if they got hit by frost, they would still be edible for a few days .

[applestar]

Unless I have way too many good vegs to bother, I use the frost/freeze damaged produce right away or cut them up and freeze them for use later, or sometimes, put them in the "stock pot veg" freezer bag.

I wonder if the plants themselves might be salvageable if only the foliage were frost bitten. I would stll dig them up, short prune them, pot them up, and bring them in. You'll probably know in a couple of weeks if they will recover or not.

[garden5]

Unless I have way too many good vegs to bother, I use the frost/freeze damaged produce right away or cut them up and freeze them for use later, or sometimes, put them in the "stock pot veg" freezer bag.

I wonder if the plants themselves might be salvageable if only the foliage were frost bitten. I would stll dig them up, short prune them, pot them up, and bring them in. You'll probably know in a couple of weeks if they will recover or not.

That's exactly what I did. I cooked up most of the peppers and potted up the plants and brought them indoors. Your right about the waiting period. They don't show much difference after only a day, so I'll probably have to give it at least a week.

Are the peppers still good if they have a soft spot? I'm talking about one that was created by a frost, not from disease. I would think that it's only soft because it was frozen over night and then was thawed out. It should still be edible, don't you think?

Thanks for your input.