When to pull pepper

[GoBrowns]

My first time growing peppers and my carolina reaper peppers are starting to turn red. Im wondering if i pull them off as soon as they turn red or will it be better to leave them on longer?

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

`First off.........

`
`I leave them on.
`

 

[Guatemalan Insanity Pepper]

My first time growing peppers and my carolina reaper peppers are starting to turn red. Im wondering if i pull them off as soon as they turn red or will it be better to leave them on longer?

 
 
 
whenever i grow a pepper i have not grown before (every year more and more new to me ones get added  )
I find it best to let the first ripe pepper go too far until it starts to get soft and overripe.
 
 My reasoning for doing this is because;
I don't always know what the final color is even supposed to be
I'd like to know how long they stay fresh on the plant (some peppers dont last long after ripening, some will last weeks before going soft if left on the plant, some will begin to dry on the plant) 
 
Unless you want to process lots of peppers at once. (Ideal for saucemaking)
In my opinion it helps to know how long they will last if left on the plant. 
(this way you can continue to pick ripe pepper pods at peak ripeness as you need/will use them) 
some peppers will continue to ripen just fine sitting on your counter, but i like knowing it's *fresh picked* plant ripened. 
 
some of the things i do with new to me peppers as they are ripening;
Check them daily visually, as well as giving them a gentle squeeze. Note the differences.
also helpful if you decide you like growing a certain pepper and plan on growing it in quantity in the future is to note those days/weeks temperature and humidity 
(was it a stretch of hot days that week, or rainy?)
this is where having a Glog that you can look back on comes in handy 
 
now lets talk about preference...
 
some people prefer the taste of unripe pods to ripe pods 
 
I personally know a couple people that don't care for the taste of ripe red Jalapenos, but love green Jalapenos 
 
in the end it comes down to preference.
 
but imo it helps to know how long they take to ripen in your climate with your growing conditions (even if it's still just an estimation)
 
keep checking it 
that's part of the fun of growing a new pepper
 
if it's your first reaper, my guess is soon you will have more than enough ripe peppers 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[MikeUSMC]

I personally know a couple people that don't care for the taste of ripe red Jalapenos, but love green Jalapenos 

They don't know what's good for them

 

[cruzzfish]

You can take them off as soon as they're red but peppers last on the plant for a shockingly long time so don't feel rushed unless you're going to use it immediately. I usually wait until use.

 

[AJ Drew]

The taste changes a lot as they ripen.  Why not pull some, leave some on, and compare taste to figure out which you like the best?