Flavor differences between picked ripe vs. picked underripe

SciurusDoomus

SciurusDoomus

Does anybody have any experience with changing flavor by picking at different times? What about picking a fruit green and letting it go red/orange/yellow/whatever off the vine? Do flavor changes, if they happen, happen differently for different fruits?
 
I know that jalapenos get a lot sweeter and much less "green" tasting when you let them go red and ripen until the pods are almost soft.
 
I had a couple bhuts fall off my plants early last week from a wind storm, while still green. I gave them to a co-worker for his chili. His report was that they were warm, but his face did not melt off.
 
-Thomas
 
All pods get sweeter and much less grassy tasting when you let them get fully ripe. You do not have to let them get to the almost-soft stage for them to reach maximum sweetness; mamma nature lets you know they're fully ripe when they reach their full color potential. You should experiment with different pod varieties. Some you will like just as well, but differently, when green and when ripe. Others you may not care for at all when green.
 
Unripe pods are usually bitter and have more of a Bell pepper flavor. When the pod developes into full size the capsaicin starts to develope. Most unripe pods will have decent heat to them, (at least in my experience.)
and some unripe pods will have very little or no heat at all (first pods.) The heat and flavor of unripe pods doesn't compare to fully ripe pods.
 
Mostly I like fully ripe pods, but a few I like green:
  • Always: NuMex, Poblano
  • Sometimes: Jalapeno, Serrano, Thai
Tabasco goes through an intermediate stage. It turns from green to orange, then eventually it goes full red. I prefer it at the orange stage. 
 
Ripen on the plant vs on the counter. I think the pods end up being a little sweeter if you leave them on the plant for the full run, but there isn't really too much difference. If you pick them too early, the pod will start to rot before it turns color. I had a terrible problem with birds going after red pods this year, so as soon as a pod started to show any hint of color I would pull it and let it ripen the rest of the way inside.
 
I personally think there is a peak moment for flavor and heat, after it is reached it declines rapidly, there is a 0-100 on the green side, then a 100-0 after the peak has been achieved (if I explained that correctly)

Vine ripen is great, fresher picked the better, I think that red bhuts peak when fully orange, and barely turning red

I am sure each variety is different, and even identical varieties vary from region to region
 
I like my jalapenos and serranos green for raw consumption jalapenos green and red for jam making. I have lots of tabascos (new plant this year so I will have to experiment.
 
but in answering the original question. If I had a choice, I prefer vine ripening vs table ripening. on the vine the plant is still pumping nutrients and sugers into the fruit right up to the time you pick it. additionally vine rippened with still be firm and crunchy. I have found that table rippened pods will get a little soft during the process.
 
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