Many fruits produce the natural plant hormone ethylene themselves. If green bananas and apples are put together in a bag, they turn yellow faster because apples release a lot of ethylene. Tomatoes also use ethylene for ripening. Not paprika, however. How green peppers show their colors:
also read
- Harvesting peppers - one should pay attention to this
- Grow peppers yourself in the garden and harvest abundantly
- Peeling peppers - three ways to get rid of the peel
A touch of blush for green peppers and co.
- If the ripening process is already activated when the last green peppers are harvested, they will still take on a minimal amount of color. Put peppers and tomatoes in a cardboard box or bowl with a lid to ripen for 3 to 4 days. With a little luck and a green thumb, they will gradually redden and stay crisp. But it doesn't always work.
- Put green, harvested peppers together with apples in a bag. Sometimes they still ripen. The longer you wait, the softer they get. It is best to harvest green and process it into salsa.
The safest way to let green peppers ripen: Do not harvest yet, but let the peppers ripen on the plant. To do this, overwinter peppers inside. Depending on the temperature, peppers sprout again under a roof. Then you have flowers and fruits even over winter.
Peppers ripen slowly. The last harvest usually lasts until the first frost. If you coat paprika plants with fleece before the cold snap, you will gain more harvest time. The last fruits ripen on the plant with full aroma.
Extend harvest time before the first frost
The harvest time for peppers is long and definitely lasts until frost. However, if you cover the plants with fleece before the first cold nights, you can harvest 2 to 3 weeks longer outdoors. This allows the fruits to ripen properly and develop their full, sweet aroma. Unripe, green peppers taste a bit bitter. Depending on the variety, the ripe fruits are red, orange-red, yellow or even purple.
Tips & Tricks
Process green peppers instead of ripening them. Immediately after harvesting, cut the peppers into pieces and place in the freezer. This means that the base for salsa or paprika powder is available in sufficient quantities in winter.
