Newb pepper harvesting question

[cleo88]

Hi,
With tomatoes, you can pick them as soon as they start to blush, and they will happily continue the process on your countertop until they are perfectly ripe. Is it the same for peppers, or do you have to wait until they are fully ripe to pick them?

(I'm specifically curious about bell peppers, if that makes a difference.)

[Stepheninky]

Originally Posted by cleo88

Hi,
With tomatoes, you can pick them as soon as they start to blush, and they will happily continue the process on your countertop until they are perfectly ripe. Is it the same for peppers, or do you have to wait until they are fully ripe to pick them?

(I'm specifically curious about bell peppers, if that makes a difference.)

bell peppers as long as there is some red on them will turn red just like a tomato

[TZ-OH6]

Although it isn't so much a benefit for bell peppers (because they have a relatively short shelf life), when I pick my chiles and hot peppers at first frost most of the mature green peppers will turn color in a week or so just sitting around in a pile. This is useful for hot peppers that I am going to dry or use fresh for hot sauce.

[RinTinTin]

My experience has been that bell type peppers will lose their crispiness long before any noticeable ripening happens. For raw (or pickled) use, they should be used as soon as possible after picking. For cooking purposes, it shouldn't matter much.