There it is again

[Blueaussi]

When I took my blue Aussie in for her yearlies today, I took a handful of peppers for one of the techs. As we sat in the waiting room, one of the other folks waiting and I talked gardening and peppers. And, then a third person said "I'm growing red and green bell peppers." Green bell peppers are unripe peppers, I explained. They were incredulous, so I explained again. And again.

*sigh*

I don't know about y'all, but I keep running into this. I've even seen seed packets that are for "green" peppers. I don't know if it's because so many people are so far divorced from the growing of the food they eat, or because we've been conditioned to accept unripe peppers in the grocery stores, but I have to explain that peppers, including sweet green peppers and jalapenos, ripen to a color, generally red, orange, or yellow; but occasionally other colors like purple, brown, or white.

It still surprises me how dumbstruck they are. I don't think of it as specialized or obscure information.

[RJ_Hythloday]

I never ate a red jalapeno till this year, I'll never pick 'em green again.

[Marko]

LOL, that reminds me of my neighbours that think if you plant sweet peppers close to hot, the sweet ones will become hot

[mjc]

At least that one, Marko, has some basis in reality...if you plant seeds saved from those peppers, then the next year you stand a good chance of getting hot peppers that pretty much look like the sweets...

The green/red bells...that's just ignorance perpetuated by marketing weenies...

[ContainerTed]

Green Bell Peppers have a longer shelf life at the grocery store. And, any that turn color and are still edible are sold at a jacked-up price. While I do like the eye-appeal of having some green peppers in the mix when I do my "Almost Home-made Salsa", I also like the REAL sweetness of the peppers when they reach their true ripe color before harvesting.

And, Marko, like MJC says, peppers can cross very easily. This year I thought I was growing Corno di Toro Rosso. I had received the seeds in a trade and the original source of the seed was a commercial seed vendor. What I quickly discovered at first harvest was not a beautiful mild sweet heatless frying pepper. What I got was "Corno di .. Holy Krap!!" I had jokingly made a comment that the plant from which the seeds came was raised in the middle of an acre of habaneros. It was truly hotter than the commercial serrano pepper I gave to my neighbor.

Ted

Yes, BlueAussie, I tasted it to compare. I wanted to know. And, yes, I guess you could say that I'm a bit of a pepper wimp.

[remy]

Blue,
I am not surprised at all. I'm explaining this to adults all the time at work. When the kids come for classes, I make it part of the talk. I also teach them about breeding and how peppers started small and hot, etc. Oh they love when I ask how the bird pepper got its name. Then once some guesses correctly that the birds eat them, I tell them, "Yes, then the birds fly away, go to the bathroom, and then new plants grow in a new spot." It is always fun to have them figure that out and go "ewwww."

Ted,
There's nothing wrong with being a pepper wimp! I like mine mildly hot.
Remy

[montanamato]

Permagreen (offered by Sand Hill) is a sweet bell that never ripens to red....
Many peppers grown in Japan are preferred in the green stage.
New Mexican style peppers are generally eaten green and have an entirely different flavor ripe, that does not work in most of the cooking ...Ex. Chili verde, chili rellenos
I grow 8 or 9 New Mexican chiles from Native Seed Search and I prefer them green ripe also....
Many of us living in less than ideal gardening areas are just lucky to get peppers to green !
I do know what you mean by people not knowing the end stage of peppers, but some have been used/cultivated for their green ripe flavor...Example Shi♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫o, Alcalde, Santo domingo, Anaheim, Fresno etc.

Jeanne