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When to pick?

razyrsharpe

razyrsharpe

When can i begin to harvest these peppers? i have not grown these varieties prior to this season. My hand is there strictly for scale.
Cayenne:
photo
 
You pick them when they're ripe, unless you're some sort of booger picking, infant pepper eating savage barbarian, and I'm of far too delicate a temperament to even think about that kind of uncivilized behavior.
 
the cayennes will be ripe when they turn fully red.
the early jalapeno looks ready for eating, since you said its a early strain plus jalapenos stay green & they look big enough, unless that strain is suppose to be really large pods ?
the serranos can be eaten when green, which this is normal for this kind of chile (eating them green) or you can also let them sit on the plant longer until they turn red. try to wait until they get finger size for picking.
 
At the risk of beating a dead horse.......

You will find with time that you can eat chiles when green (xalapa, serrano, chilaca, habanero, poblano) or when they are ripe. Most green chiles are used in salsa fresca in Mexico.

xalapa (jalapeno) ripens red
serrano ripens red
chilaca ripens deep brown=pasilla
poblano ripens red/brown=ancho

Most chiles become more picante the more they ripen and their culinary use changes as they ripen.
 
wow I cant believe I said that!
I guess mark it up as a brainfart ;) I dont even know why I said that, since I know jalapenos can & do turn red. I guess I wasnt really thinking when I wrote that.
also I'm a blond so I'm entitled to say some stupid things every now & then ;)
 
razyrsharpe said:
whoa there young missy! i haven't heard the word visigoth since college. you must have taken the S.A.T!
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STAND BACK! I HAVE A THESAURUS AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE IT!!
 
Slinter said:
You can eat them from here on out. More heat/flavor the longer you wait though.
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Ok, ok. All this talk about eating peppers...I couldn't wait any longer and chose one of my cayenne plants which has had half a dozen green peppers on it for weeks. Took a bite and blecchhh! Tasted like grass. And my empty stomach wasn't too happy either. Makes me wonder what a jalapeno, which is an ok tasting pepper, would taste like when ripe (red).

I just might buy a plant next year to find out. I don't think I've ever seen a pod sold anywhere that is fully ripe (but maybe I just wouldn't have recognized it).
 
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