harvesting how ripe before harvesting seeds?

[razyrsharpe]

how "ripe" does a pepper have to be before the seeds are viable? for instance, can the seeds from a green jalapeno be used for planting next season?
i have some poblanos that are appx. 3" long and have not increased in size for 2.5 weeks. they are still green. i picked them and want to keep seeds. will they germinate?

 

[BBQ-Phil]

Sorry,the peppers must be ripe to get seeds,that work.....

 

[razyrsharpe]

so edible does not = ripe, eh?

 

[TXCG]

so edible does not = ripe, eh?

The longer you wait the better, no such thing as too ripe when it comes to seeds. Just pick a pod and leave it on the plant until it stops changing, then you should be good to go. Immature seeds tend to be a little lighter/whiter in color than mature seeds for most plants, pepper seeds are pretty light in color anyways though so that may not be a good indication of the viability of the seed.