Last Updated on October 15, 2021 by Cristina
Do you love to grow bell peppers, or are you learning how to do it as a beginner gardener and wondering when are bell peppers in season?
Peppers are loved| by many people, and they are available in both hot and sweet varieties. They thrive in warm climates throughout the world. Peppers have been in existence since 1493 when the pepper seeds were taken to Spain, and bell peppers started gaining popularity all over Asia and Europe.
Bell peppers are also called capsicums and are a member of the nightshade family. They are available in various colors – yellow, red, green, orange, and even chocolate brown.
In general, when growing your bell peppers, they all start by being green, which is a sign of youth. As they age on the vine, the peppers change color and settle to their final one. The red bell peppers are the most mature and so the sweetest and most loved. The red ones also stay the longest on the vine and are more expensive. Once harvested, bell peppers will continue to ripen, but they don’t change color.
Capsicums are botanically fruits because they grow from a blossom, but they are called vegetables when cooking.
Who Leads In Bell Pepper Production?
Many farmers enjoy growing these peppers because the demand is as high as the supply. California and Florida are the leaders in bell pepper production in the United States and New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, and Ohio.
Types And Varieties Of Peppers Always In Season
Besides the popular bell peppers, let’s look at the many classes of peppers available. There are 5 significant pepper species.
Capsicum Annuum
Capsicum annuum is an annual shrub that belongs to the nightshade family. It is the most cultivated variety and includes the popular cayenne, Anaheim, jalapeño, serrano, poblano, Thai, and the popular bell peppers or capsicum.
Bell peppers have a sugar content that rises with their ripeness hence getting the name sweet peppers. They come in a range of colors – the common green, red, orange, yellow, purple, and brown.
Most of these bell peppers begin as green peppers; however, if harvested, they will have a more bitter flavor than the original green capsicum. When left to ripen longer, they turn to various colors from orange, red, yellow, brown, and rise in sweetness. Don’t leave it for too long on the vine as they can get damaged by disease if they take too long.
Today, newer bell cultivars can produce multiple colors right from the outset and only gets lighter or darker as they mature. Some of these popular varieties include Sweet chocolate, Alladin, Yolo wonder, Alliance, Summersweet, Bell-Boy, rainbow, Big Bell, stiletto, Brigadier, Polaris, California Wonder, Orange blaze, Camelot, Murango, Crusader, Lady bell, Gatorbelle, Islander, and Golden Bell.
Seed Needs, Serrano Chile Pepper (Capsicum annuum) Twin Pack of 100 Seeds Each Non-GMO
Capsicum Baccatum
This type is commonly used as a seasoning in salsa and dried powders. It is a type of chile pepper called aji commonly grown in South America.
Capsicum Chinense
Also known as the yellow lantern chile, it includes the habañero and Scotch bonnet varieties.
Capsicum Frutescens
This variety is considered a part of the Capsicum annuum family and includes only a few types like the Birdseye chile pepper and Tabasco.
Capsicum Pubescens
Also known as the rocoto in South America, it is used in salsas. It mainly grows in tropical, mountainous regions and can be difficult to cultivate in the rest of the United States.
Read more about Vegetable Identification By Leaf
When Are Bell Peppers In Season?
It seems like the bell pepper season is consistent throughout the year because you will find them in the grocery stores all year round. But, they have an exact season when they thrive in plenty.
Bell pepper is harvested 2 times a year – summer (June 9th to July 30th) and Fall (September 18th to November 8th). As a new gardener, if you were asking yourself when are peppers in season, now you have the precise dates.
Bell peppers are available all year round, but they are at their best in production in the fall. Eaten raw, bell peppers are bright and crisp with a crunchy snap to their firm and juicy flesh. When cooked, they soften to a rich and silky combination of sweet and sour, making them a great accompaniment to other flavors.
You cannot compare freshly homegrown bell peppers with others – they have an extra-crisp, juicy flavor due to all the love they have received at home.
Nutritious Facts For The Bell Peppers
Fresh and colorful bell peppers are nutritious packed snacks that are loved by many. Eaten fresh from the farm or served in outstanding combinations like appetizers, garnishes, salads, sauces, and entrees. They provide you with beneficial minerals like Vitamin A and C, Calcium, iron, and potassium.
Before you grow your own, you can still get some from the farmer’s market or the grocery stores. Ensure you get quality ones when buying – choose peppers that have smooth, taut skin and avoid those with wrinkles, dark spots, or cuts. Get brightly colored peppers that appear fresh and sturdy.
Healthy bell peppers are usually heavy for their size and can refrigerate for up to one week. When freezing, freeze them whole and unwashed. Wash them only when ready to use them, gently carve out the inner seeds and white core away from the flesh, and discard it.
Bell peppers are always a great addition to most foods. Do enjoy them the best way your know-how! Eat only the colored part of the pepper, either chopped and added to pasta, salad, salsa, or fried. Take advantage of the bell peppers in season to enjoy them the most.
Conclusion
Vegetables are a whole lot of goodness to every person if only we learned how to eat them. Even those who don’t like other vegetables love bell peppers. Maybe it’s the ability to blend in almost all types of food easily. Whether it’s a barbeque afternoon, these peppers will be a great accompaniment to the yummy meat. Whether it’s salads, they will add their sweet taste to the salad and make it outstanding.
Only one vegetable can be this versatile – bell pepper. Go ahead and grow your own and enjoy all the goodness you need in life with bell peppers in season or out of season!
Caroline is a gardener who loves to get down to the nitty–gritty of gardening. She proudly proclaims herself as a ‘dirt worshipper‘ and can often be found deep in the garden, covered in soil and singing to her plants. As a self–proclaimed ‘plant whisperer‘, Caroline believes that plants need love and attention just like any other living thing, and she loves to give them both. When she‘s not tending to her garden, you can often find her researching the latest gardening trends, or teaching others how to make their gardens thrive
