When to harvest chilli peppers

goodwitch

I was given some chilli plants that have been growing away merrily in my greenhouse since June. One plant has several large peppers on that are still green. My question is do I wait for them to go red before I pick them or can I use them now? I don't know what variety they are and neither does the friend who gave them to me.

foreign_correspondent

I generally wait till I see some are starting to turn red - then you can be pretty sure they are ready! However, they may be fine green!

Lotus-eater

Try one, different chillies taste differently at different periods of ripeness.

olly300

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Try one, different chillies taste differently at different periods of ripeness.

Very true.

I eat them red or green.

MakeitandMendit

Why not eat them as you need them? If the green ones look OK now give some a go and leave the rest growing so they have a chance to turn red. If they still look like they're not going to turn you can always pick them later.

Primrose

And when they've finished harvesting, if your greenhouse is unheated, you can try pruning one plant down to the lowest shoots and bring it indoors. With a little liquid fertiliser they will often start growing again, flowering and you could get a second small crop.

goodwitch

Thanks for all the advice. We tried one off each plant and they were great. One was so hot even hubby struggled to eat it. I roasted them with some of our veg in olive oil and they were delish but next time I'll take the seeds out of the super hot ones!

Primrose

I'd take the seeds out anyway because you never know how hot they can be and you don't want your meals ruined. And do be careful to wash your hands immediately afterwards and never to rub your face your eyes after preparing or chopping chillis. You only do this once before you learn this lesson! The pain is incredible and is truly like being tortured.

a11waysindebt

Primrose wrote: »

I'd take the seeds out anyway because you never know how hot they can be and you don't want your meals ruined. And do be careful to wash your hands immediately afterwards and never to rub your face your eyes after preparing or chopping chillis. You only do this once before you learn this lesson! The pain is incredible and is truly like being tortured.

Only once is correct:rotfl::rotfl:

Primrose

I well remember my own "only once". It was in the office cafeteria and I'd foolishly wiped my eye after finger-picking one or two raw bits from a mixed salad. The wail I let out bought the whole place to a halt while they looked on in amazement as if I'd swallowed a cyanide capsule or something. I kept shouting "Get me some cold water, Get me some cold water" and everybody kept trying to force the bl**dy stuff down my throat instead of wiping my face!

a11waysindebt

Primrose wrote: »

I well remember my own "only once". It was in the office cafeteria and I'd foolishly wiped my eye after finger-picking one or two raw bits from a mixed salad. The wail I let out bought the whole place to a halt while they looked on in amazement as if I'd swallowed a cyanide capsule or something. I kept shouting "Get me some cold water, Get me some cold water" and everybody kept trying to force the bl**dy stuff down my throat instead of wiping my face!

:rotfl::rotfl: