You can eat them when they are green. A red bell pepper is just a green bell pepper that is left on the plant longer. All green bell peppers change color eventually.

They have to ripen to change colors and they have to do it on the vine and yes, it takes quite awhile. Depending on the variety - 2-3 weeks. The length of times to ripen is why they are so much more expensive than green ones. ;)

Pick some of them green so the plant will keep producing. If you leave all of them on to ripen the plants tend to stop blooming.

Dave

That's interesting... I have been looking at mine for a week or so now wondering the same thing.

I've found that the yellow bell or orange bell peppers ripen faster than the red bell peppers.

Just don't make stuffed peppers with ripe peppers, too sweet to the taste. The ripe are great in salads, stir-fry, etc.

My understanding is bell peppers go from green to yellow to orange to red and eventually all the way to purple if you wait long enough. Their nutrition and sweetness increases as they age as well.

There are NO ripe green peppers. It can take a while. Be patient they taste a LOT better ripe! Once they are fully grown at least 2 weeks for most. It is worth the wait.

Color development (e.g. ripening) slows down with cool temperatures, and stops entirely when temps go below 50F. Of course, like tomatoes, you can ripen them indoors on a warm windowsill, or in a bag with ethylene producing fruit.

Not sure if people have always been confused about peppers, that people don't understand that greenish (can be yellow green to dark green) are unripe, then they ripen to red (or yellow, orange). Many people think green bells and red bells are different types of plants. Purple color will ripen to red. Some types go from greenish to purple to red.

Not sure why thick walled blocky bell peppers are so common in the US, but they are what people buy. Bell peppers are lousy at ripening in the humid hot Midwest Summer. The bells sit there and then when they start to ripen they rot ruining the pepper. Longer or less thick peppers can ripen easier. I find peppers ripen better in mild weather, sunny warm days with cooler nights.

Once upon a time there were green when ripe bell peppers just like there are green when ripe tomatoes. Staysgreen was one such variety "Staysgreen – Breeder and vendor: Stokes Seeds. Parentage: hybrid. Characteristics: F1 hybrid sweet bell pepper that stays green, 90 · 95 mm sized fruit, thick flesh; matures in 75 days; medium sized ‘‘perma green’’ pepper has a higher sugar content than most mature red peppers; dark green fruit remains unchanged in color during the early Aug./late Sept. picking season. 1998." Perma Green was another developed by the U of New Hampshire back in the 60's. All others ripen to Red, Yellow or Orange.