I wanted to get some input on what strains need to be fully ripened on the plant before picking in order to get the right flavor, and which ones do not. I noticed that pods from my 7 Pot Douglah do not taste very good if its not fully ripened on the plant. I was noticing a bad bitter flavor when I would pull one as soon as its color was almost completely brown. So I tried waiting patiently until they appeared more than ripe, and then when I pulled one it had nice flavor with no bitterness. Interesting... I noticed almost the same thing with my chocolate Habs. Its taste was subpar when picked a bit early, but when I let them go for a while, the same thing happened. So what types can be picked a tad early, verses ones that need to be ripened fully? Which ones have you found to fit in those categories?
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Ripened fully on the plant for great flavor
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AlabamaJack
eXtreme
Casselberry, Florida huh...wow...when I was in the 8th grade (51 years ago) I went with my mom and grandmom to visit some people there...the only real thing I remember is the watermelon festival they had...fond old memories..
now, to your question about which pods taste OK before ripeness...
from my experience, annuum's taste much better green than do chinense...I can't speak to frutescens (other than tobasco), pubescens, and baccatum since I have not grown them...
If you want to know about the heat...a pepper reaches it's peak heat (max capsaicin content) when the first signs of ripening show...after that, some of the capsaicin is metabolized into sugar...that is why ripe pods (in general) taste better than green pods...
so, with that being said
if you want a better tasting pepper....wait until fully ripe
if you want a hotter pepper....pick at first stage of ripening..
some pepper's are so dang hot, they will burn you up even if they ARE fully ripe...
now, to your question about which pods taste OK before ripeness...
from my experience, annuum's taste much better green than do chinense...I can't speak to frutescens (other than tobasco), pubescens, and baccatum since I have not grown them...
If you want to know about the heat...a pepper reaches it's peak heat (max capsaicin content) when the first signs of ripening show...after that, some of the capsaicin is metabolized into sugar...that is why ripe pods (in general) taste better than green pods...
so, with that being said
if you want a better tasting pepper....wait until fully ripe
if you want a hotter pepper....pick at first stage of ripening..
some pepper's are so dang hot, they will burn you up even if they ARE fully ripe...
IMO they all taste better when fully ripened on the plant. Part of why fully ripe tastes better is because the pod has had the opportunity to fully develop its sugars - unripe means no sweetness. However, taste is such an individual thing - no one else can tell you which ones you personally are going to prefer. As an example, some people swear jalapenos "should" be picked while green. I like them well enough green, but to me a ripe one is still the very best, so I always let the ones I grow fully ripen.
All chinense taste better once ripe. Actually are only few peppers i like green.
I just picked about 2 pounds and they are off to the smoker 
Along with some Serrano pods
Along with some Serrano pods
Last week I pulled a bunch of Orange Bhuts that were expressed ripened by the intense heat we are having. Greenies that went orange in a day! They were pretty much dried out on the plant. I ate on one and it was the most awful bitter taste I ever tasted. Not even that hot just bitter. I could not get that taste out of my mouth for the entire day.
Yesterday I pulled some that had finally ripened the right way and they looked plump and juicy. Wow what a difference, I'm so glad I did not judge these by my first experience. Tasted like sweet orange rinds before the heat kicked in. Very nice upfront flavor I did not expect. Much Much hotter, to the point I could only take two small bites. These were obviously the ripeness they were meant to be eaten at.
Just so you know, I never put a entire super-hot in my mouth. That's for the pros. But I always start at the very tip of the pepper so I can really taste the flavor. Then I work my way forward as far as I can handle it. I never eat the seeds or placenta. I find that way I can experience more of the super-hot flavors without blowing a hole in my stomach.
Not sure what is going on but it keeps merging my two posts that I posted separate. Oh well I'm sure you get it..
Yesterday I pulled some that had finally ripened the right way and they looked plump and juicy. Wow what a difference, I'm so glad I did not judge these by my first experience. Tasted like sweet orange rinds before the heat kicked in. Very nice upfront flavor I did not expect. Much Much hotter, to the point I could only take two small bites. These were obviously the ripeness they were meant to be eaten at.
Just so you know, I never put a entire super-hot in my mouth. That's for the pros. But I always start at the very tip of the pepper so I can really taste the flavor. Then I work my way forward as far as I can handle it. I never eat the seeds or placenta. I find that way I can experience more of the super-hot flavors without blowing a hole in my stomach.
I like the corking on that one! Yummm!JoynersHotPeppers said:I just picked about 2 pounds and they are off to the smoker
Along with some Serrano pods
Not sure what is going on but it keeps merging my two posts that I posted separate. Oh well I'm sure you get it..
Now, as for peppers that are eaten before they ripen, Padron is eaten while it is still small and before it gets hot.
Pepperoncinis are typically picked early, especially if they're going to be pickled. The reason being that they are more tender when young. I think that's about the only case where I'd consider picking early (aside from impatience 
). I can't think of one variety that I think has better flavor when unripe.
I try to wait until the pods get as ripe as they're gonna get on the plant. Even then, I usually put all the pods I pick in a paper grocery bag to get REALLY ripe - especially if I'm going to dehydrate them (texture is not a concern). The difference is pretty significant. I dried a bunch of Caribbean reds one year that appeared ripe - so I didn't bag ripen them. They turned out really good. Then I started to bag ripen all my pods before dehydrating them. Although the pods only appeared slightly darker red before drying, the dried pods were remarkably darker and redder. And the flavor was much sweeter and fruitier - I swear they smelled like Starburst candy!
That little anecdotal test sold me. IMHO, allowing a pod to ripen completely is one of the most important things a grower can do to ensure that their pods have the best flavor. I am now a ripeness snob. I cringe a little when I see people cooking with unripe pods.
). I can't think of one variety that I think has better flavor when unripe. I try to wait until the pods get as ripe as they're gonna get on the plant. Even then, I usually put all the pods I pick in a paper grocery bag to get REALLY ripe - especially if I'm going to dehydrate them (texture is not a concern). The difference is pretty significant. I dried a bunch of Caribbean reds one year that appeared ripe - so I didn't bag ripen them. They turned out really good. Then I started to bag ripen all my pods before dehydrating them. Although the pods only appeared slightly darker red before drying, the dried pods were remarkably darker and redder. And the flavor was much sweeter and fruitier - I swear they smelled like Starburst candy!
That little anecdotal test sold me. IMHO, allowing a pod to ripen completely is one of the most important things a grower can do to ensure that their pods have the best flavor. I am now a ripeness snob. I cringe a little when I see people cooking with unripe pods.
dash 2 said:I am now a ripeness snob. I cringe a little when I see people cooking with unripe pods.
I make an exception to this for one reason only - sometimes a dish can benefit from the "grassy" taste of an unripe pod (assuming you are using one that tastes grassy, of course.) It's one of those fine balance things about cooking.
geeme said:
Sometimes I see jerk purees made with ripe and unripe scotch bonnets. Is this ^ the case here?
I cant speak for all annuums,yet. But as far as serranos and jalapenos, I prefer them green for fresh consumption. I will and do use jalapenos both green and red when I make jam for the different heat and flavor profiles. I am in the interest of first hand knowledge removing some immature pods from my plants that are producing in abundance to answer for myself your very question. However, this being my first serious year growing, I have not yet ripened the crop to make a distinction between unripe and ripe. If all goes as planned and time permits, I will hopefully be able to answer the question as it pertains to my current glog.
Thanks for all the comments. Makes a lot of sense, although its quite interesting on the taste difference between what is a seemingly ripe pepper, and one that is truly ripe. i have seen some on here mention that the Douglah is bitter tasting, and of course there is significant difference between taste and likes, but I wonder if some who felt this way were perhaps eating pods that have not developed their flavor completely. Now all my pods stay on until they are either a bit soft, or the stems drys up completely, before picking. Instead of bitterness, now I get good flavor.
Some things I pick half ripe, like banana peppers being yellow instead of orange... but then I don't grow many banana peppers these days, at one time I grew them to use in meals for people who can't tolerate very spicy food but there was too much variation in heat level from one pepper to the next to count on using them for that. It might've been that one plant had hotter peppers than another while they were both from the same seed.
AaronTT said:
Note that you don't have to wait that long, just wait until they come to their final color. Douglahs go from green to brown to a rusty red - brown is not ripe, as evidenced by what one sees when a brown pod is cut open: they're still green inside. Similarly, most (if not all) purples ripen to red; cut a purple one open and you find green inside. Once you know for sure what the final color is, you don't have to wait longer than until it reaches that color.
If you want the absolute best flavor possible for eating fresh instead of cooking, don't just wait till fully ripe on the plant but instead leave them there until they start to soften ever so slightly, not to the point that they start to rot (usually at the stem end first) but just until there's a less rubbery feel which ballparking it, would be around a week before they start to rot (but is temperature dependent).
For me, it depends on the pepper. For Thai types, completely green pods have one use, and fully red pods have another. Same with Jalapenos (though I prefer fully ripe red!!). For all chinense, I prefer pods to be completely ripe before consumption. Tabasco (frutescens) are a special case; they go through an extended ripening phase where they are orange for a long time before they turn fully red, and this is where I think they have their peak flavor. I always pull my Tabascos orange; not green, not red; orange.
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
PepperWhisperer said:
this goes with what I say about the heat level of the pods too...they are the hottest at their first part of the ripening stage...