A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Vegetable Gardening When to pick chili peppers?

Hey newb chili gardener...I'm curious when's a good time to pick Big Jim peppers? Mine are getting pretty good size. Any ideas of what to look for when they're ready for picking?

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No idea but I've got an email into a friend who might.

Try one now!

You can pick chili peppers when they're green, and they will have a milder flavor. YOu can let them hang on the vine until they are red, and they'll have a hotter flavor. I think Big Jims don't get super hot at all so it's up to you when to pick them. Just for your own information, I'd let at least a couple get really red so you'll know how they taste when fully mature.

Right, M. There is no such thing as an unripe pepper, but there is a fully ripe pepper. If you want the biggest pepper possible, watch for a slight color change on one and then pick others about that size. Big Jim will be 2 to 3 sizes larger than the storebought anaheims gefore they start to redden or ripen. Redder peppers of any kind tend to have a more complex flavor and while they may often be hotter, there is a sweetness the greens don't have. feel free to pick a pepper wehnever you want one for the kitchen, though, that will just encourage more to form, pick all the larger ones, in fact, if you want to, and they'll put energy into the blooms and smaller peppers for the next harvest.
(Mmmmm....I like red peppers!)