other ways besides freezing or pickling to preserve them

Dehydrating them. Fast, easy to do, and long storage time. You can even grind them into powders, fill a jar with the powder (1 samll jar = a bushel of peppers :) and use in infinite # of ways.

Or just leave them in the freezer them for now so that you can use them mixed in with other canning recipes as those fruits/vegetables come into season. ie: Caribean Peach & Hot Pepper Chutney, Jamacian Jerk Sauce, etc.

You can also use some of them to make Hot Pepper Jelly.

Dave

I used a load of ripe jalapenos in a red pepper marmelade recipe a few years back, and it was completely awesome. On crackers with cream cheese, or mixed in with sour cream to make a dip, and lots of other choices. It actually made something that was far tastier than when it was made with sweet peppers, and the sugar mellowed it all out so it's not smoking. I even made it again at end of season with a mix of red and green peppers, and it was still great.