On Sun, 18 Jul 2004 17:41:21 GMT,
(Craig Watts) wrote:

I've been growing a numerous variety of peppers for years. The most
versitial is my cayanee that I either dry or can in vinigar. My
question is about the habanero. I know that if I let a cayanee on the
vine long enough it will turn red yet I haverst most of them green and
then process.

When do you harvest your habaneros? Do you pick them green or wait
till they turn orange? I've grown habaneros for years and always
waited untill they turned color. The hottest of course was the Red
Savinia. Over wintered that guy for three years

Anyways, just curious if you folks pick 'em commonly in their green
state.

Thanks,

Craig

My perception is that habaneros do not develop their "fruity" flavor
overtones until they are ripe (orange, red, or chocolate brown). So I
leave them on the plants until ripe.

I pick serranos both red and green, depending on what I will be using
them for. I do not grow jalapenos as I don't care for the grassy,
vegetal taste. I grow two Thai peppers, fogo and dragon. The fogo I
leave until fully ripe (a very bright yellow/orange), the dragon I use
either green or red depending on the recipe. The red ones are the
pepper that I most often dry. We have an antique gas stove, meaning
it still has a pilot light, where I can leave Thai dragons for about 4
days at the end of which they are dry and can be frozen. The local,
wild, chile piquins are mostly harvested red, when I can get to them
before the damned mocking birds. They are dried or frozen for later
use.