On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 09:15:40 -0500, Andrew McMichael
wrote:

troikette wrote:

Can anyone tell me how big they should be when I take them off?


The indicator that I go by is to gently hold one of the peppers and lift it
slightly, angling toward the curve of the stem. If it breaks easily, it is
ready, if it doesn't, it's not. However, some peppers I leave longer [some
jalapenos to let them turn red, bell peppers same thing].

I hate to disagree with someone's personal experience, but I've found
that peppers don't have a natural 'fault line' like tomatoes, and are
better sliced or clipped from the plant. Trying to snap or twist off a
pepper by hand is quite likely to rip off a whole branch. There also,
in *my* experience, is virtually no difference in stem sturdiness from
unripe to rotting fruit. Canteloupes, on the other hand...