Hot peppers..harvesting? come on gardeners

these are 4 hungarian hot peppers I just cut off..they seem to be getting pretty huge and were weighing the plants down..are they going to be fine to eat? when's the best time to cut peppers? is it based upon preference or what? my cayenne peppers..some are turning red..I'd imagine that means they're about ready..? no habanero pepper production yet though..jalepenos are growing..I understand those can be cut nearly at any time if you desire?

do I need to let them sit in the sun or some crap to dry? how should I store them? thanks to anyone who answers any of my questions..:thumbsup:

One of the GREAT things about peppers in general is that they can be harvested whenever you are hungry. As soon as they look the right size, go right on ahead. You can let them go longer if they are a 'red' variety (I almost ALWAYS let jalapenos go red, yum!) but green is fine.
I dry mine the same way I dry buds- either hanging (if you do this, don't pierce the skin! Clip the stem to a line) or on a rack in a climate-controlled room, like RIGHT by the a/c unit where the air is super dry. If the weather is nice and dry anyway, I just put them in a wooden bowl and leave them out in the kitchen and they dry just fine.
I have never dried green peppers of any variety though. I don't know if you can do that.
On the up side, they freeze BEAUTIFULLY. Just toss them in 2 layers of ziplocs and throw them in the freezer. To use, they are easy to slice up even when they are still frozen, and don't need to be thawed before grilling or sauteeing.

lol you KNEW I would answer this thread, right? :D mmmmm hotness.... gimme sum dat!

glad you have experience with them ... I am growing some 'Golden Greek Pepperoncini' peppers ... I took one large green one off, seemed pretty raw to the taste ... any idea when they are done?...catalog where I bought the seeds didn't provide any details, I'm assuming they will 'yellow' a bit when done ??? ... :smokin:

thats good info stinky. cuz I have some of thouse little peppers that R very spice. I forget what ther called.
but I don't know when to harvest them. mine R long thin and R a good green color.

I have 3 lil prpper bushes and I was gunna make my own pepper HOT salsa.:D

wait until they turn red to harvest them -
are they kung pao or cayenne?

there about 1 an 1/2 inch long.

REaper- those peperoncini take well to oil-curing/pickling with herbs. I'm sorry I have no recipes but YUM!

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

REaper- those peperoncini take well to oil-curing/pickling with herbs. I'm sorry I have no recipes but YUM!

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all last year, I saved up my empty store-bought pepperoncini jars, so I have seven jars in the fridge all 1/2 full of the pickling juice ... I'm just wondering when to pick 'em ... the seeds come with few details ... it said '60 days', but I have no idea when I started them, I mighta been stoned, and missed it :jointsmile:

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Originally Posted by the image reaper

I have no idea when I started them, I mighta been stoned, and missed it :jointsmile:

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Lol, say not so.....:D

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Originally Posted by the image reaper

but I have no idea when I started them, I mighta been stoned, and missed it

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noway. I don't believe you. hahaha
Hey that pepper juice shit is SO good drizzled on a grinder... OMG...
I dunno about picking time, I just pick them by eye... if they look about ready, then they must be.
(Don't tell anyone, but that's how I determine when to harvest my buds too... I RARELY bother checking with a magnifyer... when the sparkle of clear trichs goes away, they're done, lol)...

couple cayenne peppers..few hungarian hot and lotsa jalepenos :thumbsup: jalepenos taste good..hungarian ones are almost too hot for me though..habaneros going to kick my ass..

Nice peppers. Are you still getting new flowers on the plants?

we have dried peppers in an oven on really low heat before, still have them in a tupperware bowl 2 yrs old and fine to eat i guess. i love preserving them in oil better, everything tase better cooked in a little pepper oil.

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

Nice peppers. Are you still getting new flowers on the plants?

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indeed...still lots of flowers on the jalapenos..still some on the yellow peppers too..not many though