08/17/2026
Happy Monday! Let's get spicy.
Nearly all peppers start out green. Green is their "immature" color, but obviously still very edible.
All peppers that I know of turn color as they ripen. A red pepper will turn red. An orange pepper will turn orange. A yellow pepper will turn yellow. Those are not stages they go through.
We start picking them when they get to the size we're looking for. Picking the biggest one or two from a plant allows the plant to give the smaller peppers more energy and hopefully make them bigger.
Changing color enhances the flavor. A sweet pepper - bell, marconi, lunchbox, etc..., gets sweeter when it turns color. It does not ever get spicy.
A spicy pepper - jalapeño, Anaheim, habenero, etc..., may get spicier, not sweeter.
Ripe peppers that have changed color may cost more because the longer they hang on the plant out in the wild, the higher risk of it spoiling from disease, fungus, insect damage, even sunburn.
Pic taken up close to avoid showing ugly parts of the garden we don't want you to see.
Tomatoes are coming. Never early enough!!
