Do you love the fiery dishes of Mexican cuisine? Then you should definitely cultivate a hot pepper yourself. But did you know that you can also harvest the pods when they are green? Here you can find out what effect the timing of the harvest has.
Can you harvest green peppers?
You can harvest both green and ripe red peppers. Green pods have a milder flavor because they have not yet fully developed their spiciness. Some varieties, such as jalapeno, serrano and poblano, can easily be harvested green.
You can also harvest these varieties green
- Jalapeno
- Serrano
- Anaheim
- sweet peppers
- Poblano
These varieties should fully ripen
- Yellow Hot Wax
- Hungarian Wax
Frequently asked questions about harvesting green pepperoni
Red or green harvested - what's the difference?
You can use both red, ripe and green peppers in cooking. The difference is that pods that are harvested while still green have not yet fully developed their spicy aroma and therefore taste much milder.
What time is best?
You can harvest pepperoni from August. In October, the latest date, you will be completely red. Early frost sometimes makes it necessary to move the fruits to a warm place beforehand and harvest them early, i.e. while they are still green.
What happens after the harvest?
In Mexico, where pepperoni is native, the green pods are roasted over a gas flame so that the tough peel can be removed more easily. In addition, the green peppers develop more flavor this way. But it is important that you only roast them and not cook them. The peppers are then used for stuffing, for example. If you have a bountiful harvest that you won't use immediately, we recommend chopping up the leftover fruit and freezing it.
Do green peppers ripen?
Some varieties continue to turn red even after harvest. With other varieties, however, caution is advised: after picking, they quickly tend to form mold or shrivel up massively, so that they are hardly usable for culinary use.
