Following up to "Phil L" :

.the plants are now 2 feet tall and heavy with fruit,
each one having 20 or more long green (and hopefully juicy and hot) peppers,
my question is this: how do I know when they are ready? - I don't think they
turn red,

The do turn red, but are generally picked and eaten green. They will start
going a shade darker green (as the red pigments start to build up, but are
not yet red to the eye) - then they're just about ready. As others have
said they need stressing a bit. I always let then dry out and just start to
wilt then water well a couple of times (this happens normally throughout
the summer anyway).

*Long* peppers? Jalapeno are pretty stout looking - fleshy and roughly
triangular. Are you sure you don't have cayennes? Either way, treat them
the same.
--
Tim C.