Red Pepper Plant

chirpchirp

I bought a red pepper plant the other week. It's been quite windy here and the peppers have been blown off but they are still green. What I am wondering is, is a green pepper merely a red pepper that hasn't ripened?

CCP

Yes, it is.

Simple answer!

CCP

Sorry, chirpchirp - that was a bit abrupt - the perils of trying to post while cooking dinner!

Yes, a green pepper is just an unripe red one, but I think the green peppers you buy are bred to be eaten while green. The ones from your plant presumably weren't bred for that and might be a bit bitter to eat raw - you'll just have to try them and see, I'm afraid.

blueberrypie

Would they ripen off the plant, if you put them on a windowsill, for example - like you can do with tomatoes?

floyd

Put them on a windowsill with a ripe banana, the banana gives off ethylene gas which should aid ripening. Just be careful the peppers dont start to dry out, better to eat slightly greener than end up with something like shoe leather

chirpchirp

Thank you all for your replies. I thought there may be a difference but I had thought that they would be ok to add to spag bol etc unripened. I will have to hide them in casseroles etc as no way I can get a green one past the children. I think I have managed a red one in the past as I have told them they are sweeter but they would never eat them raw. I was hoping that growing them might bring the children round to eating them - trying to extend their vegetable intake.

The kids found they had dropped off and put them on the windowsill as an experiment to see if they would ripen. Shame about the Banana, I had two which were ideal and over ripe so I put them in a smoothie to use up some old stuff out the freezer and some yogurt which was a day over the use by but no one liked it. Now wishing I had saved it and put it next to the peppers. Oh well.

Another quick questions about peppers, when it has finished flowering, what happens? Does it die or will it grow again next year? I've never really grown anything before!

Money_saving_Diva_2

chirpchirp wrote: »

Thank you all for your replies. I thought there may be a difference but I had thought that they would be ok to add to spag bol etc unripened.

Another quick questions about peppers, when it has finished flowering, what happens? Does it die or will it grow again next year? I've never really grown anything before!

Hi Chirp!

Sorry to hear you lost your peppers!

If there are no more flowers on the plant then it has ended its useful life. I have heard of people nurturing and loving them over the winter but I think it's just as easy to grow from seed next year.

And as everyone has said - a green pepper is just an unripe red pepper and they will taste absolutely fine in any mince or rice dish. I have already picked and eaten a couple of large green peppers from one of my plants to give more room to the others which will hopefully get a bit more sun now!

Keep going with the growing, it really is great fun and very satisfying! Pop onto the Greenfingered board, they have lots of helpful tips for novices too.

Diva.x