Every green bell pepper I've planted would eventually turn red if I left it on the plant long enough. Same with the yellow and orange varieties. They all start off green and then turn to their sweeter colors.

Hot peppers do the same. They will all turn a color once they reach a mature stage. When you pick them is a personal choice. With jalapenos, I personally could not tell that much difference in heat between the green and red stages. I always go with green for the contrast in my salsas. I don't believe jalapenos dry very well so I never leave them long enough to turn. Cayennes, on the other hand, I use in both stages.

we eat the jalepeno's green or red, but red has a much sweeter flavor. In my yard atleast, the early green ones don't have as much heat as the later ones do, but that is very subjective and everyone's yard are a little different. Chipotle is dried/smoked red jalepeno and is delicious, and I don't think I've met a chile that didn't dry well so we always go for the ripe and wait for the color change.

kendra

I should check some past notes but I remember picking most of my blushing beauty peppers with a "Blush" of orange color on the cream, sometimes with a early purple haze, fruit. I thought the final color was more like a rust orange than red if allowed to go the distance.

The problems you experience in allowing a pepper to fully ripen are not abnormal. Many things can go wrong in the final weeks leading to a ripe fruit. But ripe peppers are almost always sweeter (even the hot ones) and nutrients like vitamin C are much higher if ripened.

I think that the end use mostly determines when you would pick the peppers. Even sweet and hot banana peppers will turn orangey-red when fully ripe but most people prefer the banana yellow color. Cherry peppers picked green just aren't cherry peppers. Just like Bulgarian carrot peppers are best picked when orange (like a carrot).

I've sold all types of peppers at all stages. Ohiojay mentioned picking cayennes at both stages but in my market people of Middle East heritage prefer all green cayennes. Otherwise I would normally sell them as mixed. I used to string them and the mixed colors looked most attractive.

For a fully ripe bell, whether Yellow, Orange or Red, I charge more because of the extra risk and time. Also keep in mind that any pepper remaining on the plant continues to drain nutrients from that plant. If you pick all of the green peppers from any plant that plant will send out many more blossoms and produce another crop much sooner.

Thanks bmoser, that was a lot of good information!