It will be with great pleasure that you watch how your specially bred peppers ripen in the garden. You will soon be able to use the pods for cooking. But when is the right time to reap the rewards? Find out the answers to your questions here.
When should you harvest hot peppers?
Pepperoni can be harvested from August to October. Green and yellow ones are milder in flavor, while red ones are fully developed and spicier. To avoid frost in the garden, harvest the pods on time or bring the potted plant indoors.
The right time
With their fiery spiciness, pepperoni - used in a hearty autumn stew - really heats you up. The harvest time from August to October comes at just the right time. However, it is entirely up to you at what level of ripeness you pick the fruit. Green and yellow peppers are also edible. In this state, the capsaisin content is not yet fully developed, which is why they have a much milder taste than red peppers. However, at room temperature they ripen within a few days.
Protect pepperoni from frost
If you cultivate your plant in the fresh air, it is important to harvest it before the first frost or at least bring it indoors. This is the advantage of keeping things in buckets. Often not all fruits can be used if they inevitably have to be picked. However, if you place the pot on the windowsill, the harvest can also take place gradually.
After the harvest
Growing your own vegetables has two positive effects. On the one hand, it is of course proud to watch the fruits slowly blossom. You also save yourself the trouble of shopping and can use the home-grown vegetables for cooking. The pepperoni is very versatile in this respect. Have you ever tried a delicious chili con carne? Or how about pasta in chili sauce? The vegetables are also delicious filled with cream cheese. Depending on the purpose of processing, there are the following options for storing the pepperoni:
- process freshly harvested straight away
- spread out on kitchen paper and let dry
- Freeze pepperoni (it's best to chop them first so that you can use them immediately after defrosting)
Tip
Before freezing it is a good idea to remove the seeds. But don't throw them away. As with dried fruits, the seeds can be stored in a container in a cool place and used for propagation. However, this can only be achieved with the seeds of red fruits. Seeds from green peppers often do not germinate.
