You can definitely harvest your hot peppers while they’re still green! However, the final flavor really depends on the specific variety you’re growing. One thing to keep in mind: picking them early does limit your storage options a bit, as unripe peppers don’t stay fresh as long as fully matured ones.
Choosing the Right Varieties
Not every pepper is a winner in its green stage. Some varieties just taste “off” or unpleasantly grassy if picked too soon, and the seeds can even have a bitter aftertaste. If you’re growing your own peppers from scratch, check the seed packet for tips on the best time to harvest.
Here are a few varieties that taste great green:
- Milder Spiral
- Dolce di Bergamo
- Lombardo
The “Lombardo” variety is a fun one because it changes colors as it matures. You can harvest these at any stage, which adds a nice pop of visual variety to your dishes.
Pickling Your Green Peppers
If you harvest your peppers green, skip the air-drying method. Unripe fruit has a high moisture content and tends to rot before it dries out. If you really want to dry green peppers, it’s better to use a faster method like a food dehydrator or a low-temp oven.
That said, green peppers are absolutely perfect for pickling! Just whip up a brine using vinegar, water, and sugar. Feel free to get creative and add your favorite spices to the mix. Pack your harvested peppers into a jar and pour the boiling brine right over them.
Let the peppers sit in the jar for a few weeks to soak up all that flavor and soften up. Depending on how much vinegar and sugar you use, they’ll last for several months. If you prefer a milder, low-vinegar brine, the shelf life will be shorter—in that case, you should process the jars in a water bath canner to sterilize them for longer storage.
A Quick Note on Ripening
Harvesting green is a fantastic way to make use of peppers that haven’t turned color yet, especially toward the end of the season. Just remember: peppers don’t actually “after-ripen” once they’re off the vine. Even if they change color slightly while sitting on your counter, the flavor profile is locked in the moment you pick them. Luckily, since many varieties taste delicious while green, you can still turn those late-bloomers into a flavorful treat!
