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Post by daylilydude on May 21, 2018 4:47:42 GMT -5
Some like to eat green bell peppers, but if i'm correct the green ones are just not fully ripe yet...right? Why would you eat an unripe bell pepper, surely it's going to taste bitter?? As for the wife and I we don't care much for the taste of bell peppers...ripe or otherwise.
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Post by pepperhead212 on May 21, 2018 8:58:01 GMT -5
Green bell peppers, or green any peppers, for that matter, taste totally different, and some foods. Many cuisines use only green fresh, and dried red. Cajun is one in which green bells are usually used (though I used red in that jambalaya the other night, and it was very good). Ripe can be used, but the flavor is milder, and not quite the same. And Mexican, Indian, and Chinese cuisines use almost all green chilis, and dried reds. And then there are the green "Hatch" chiles - again, these are green, and probably dried, if any turn red.
I think that the reason that greens are unpopular with many people, with that bitter flavor, is that they are normally used in simple dishes. But when combined with many ingredients, the bitter is just one component of many, and the stronger pepper flavor works better. Bitter isn't always bad - if so, why would chocolate be so popular?
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Post by paulf on May 21, 2018 9:09:31 GMT -5
For many years all I could grow were green (unripe) peppers until I finally learned to start seeds two to three weeks earlier and plant out a week or two later than tomatoes. Combine this with purchasing early and mid-season peppers and they began to ripen in our shorter growing season (for peppers anyway).
Only sweet peppers are grown and eaten at our house and that includes bells and long peppers. For some reason the green ones have not been bitter and the ripe ones...reds, yellows and oranges...are very sweet. As for the greens, my favorites are Frank's Sweet, Buran and Aconcagua. None of these are bitter, but then they are not bells.
Never considered green peppers as unripe, only green, like green when ripe tomatoes. Store bought colorful peppers taste the same to me as green ones. Home grown ripe peppers are so much better, just like tomatoes taste better home grown.
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Post by octave1 on May 21, 2018 9:09:47 GMT -5
I never thought green peppers were bitter. Their taste is astringent rather than bitter. I like them just as much as ripe peppers. The ripe ones actually taste almost sweet to me.
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Post by brownrexx on May 21, 2018 12:37:41 GMT -5
I agree that the green ones do not taste bitter. I grow varieties that are labeled as green, red and orange. I really like bell peppers but they are not interchangeable in recipes because the colored ones can be too sweet. For example I only use green ones in quesadillas but I like the color and flavor of all three in chicken stir fry.
I like any of the fresh peppers in salads but I only like the green ones for stuffed peppers.
They all taste different to me but I don't usually find any of them bitter. I did try the purple bells two years ago and I thought that hey seemed tough and possibly bitter. In any case I ripped out the plant and never grew them again.
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Post by september on May 21, 2018 13:27:59 GMT -5
Full sized green peppers don't taste bitter to me either. If I pick one too early, it may have a "thin" flat taste that is closer to bitter. I would think that modern varieties keep being bred and improved for fresh salad use, especially the new hybrids. I wonder if some people have taste buds that perceive green peppers differently. The only time I couldn't eat green peppers was when I was pregnant, something about the taste just became unappealing. But after the baby I went back to liking them like always.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 21, 2018 13:50:06 GMT -5
This is probably one of those cases where people perceive things differently. Green bell peppers have a strong taste; I don't know that I would quite call it bitter, but I don't know a better word to describe it. I can tolerate that flavor, but I don't like it. Like Dave said, there are some dishes where it works, because it's balanced out with other strong flavors.
But for nearly all uses, I would rather have the ripe peppers. That "bitter" (for lack of a better word) flavor is gone. Depending on the variety, ripe peppers can be quite sweet, and even fruity tasting. Some of the really good red bells taste almost like an apple. I love to have them cooked and to just snack on them raw.
However, two of kids must have an even more sensitive bitter detector than me, because they can taste that unpleasant bitter taste even in many ripe peppers in which I find it undetectable. The other two seem to enjoy ripe peppers.
OTOH, my in-laws seem to not taste much difference between green and ripe peppers, and seem equally happy when I bring them green peppers as the ripe ones. They usually buy green ones at the store because they are so much cheaper.
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Post by spike on May 21, 2018 16:50:21 GMT -5
For some reason the green ones have not been bitter and the ripe ones...reds, yellows and oranges...are very sweet. What Paul said!
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Post by bestofour on May 21, 2018 19:42:31 GMT -5
I didn't realize the green bell peppers weren't ripe. I don't grow any but I buy the colored because I think they look pretty in salads.
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dirtguy50
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Post by dirtguy50 on May 21, 2018 20:24:53 GMT -5
We have never had green peppers that were bitter. They are perfect for stuffing and freezing for all winter.
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Post by september on May 21, 2018 23:30:30 GMT -5
One time I gave a lady at work a nice bunch of ripe red bell peppers. When I asked her later about how she fixed them, she said she used them sparingly because they were hot! I know for certain they were NOT hot, I think she just had it in her mind that red pepper = hot and spicy, so any red peppers must be hot as well. She had some other odd ideas too. I never gave her anything else.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 5:34:48 GMT -5
This is probably one of those cases where people perceive things differently. Green bell peppers have a strong taste; I don't know that I would quite call it bitter, but I don't know a better word to describe it. I can tolerate that flavor, but I don't like it. Like Dave said, there are some dishes where it works, because it's balanced out with other strong flavors. But for nearly all uses, I would rather have the ripe peppers. That "bitter" (for lack of a better word) flavor is gone. Depending on the variety, ripe peppers can be quite sweet, and even fruity tasting. Some of the really good red bells taste almost like an apple. I love to have them cooked and to just snack on them raw. However, two of kids must have an even more sensitive bitter detector than me, because they can taste that unpleasant bitter taste even in many ripe peppers in which I find it undetectable. The other two seem to enjoy ripe peppers. OTOH, my in-laws seem to not taste much difference between green and ripe peppers, and seem equally happy when I bring them green peppers as the ripe ones. They usually buy green ones at the store because they are so much cheaper. Pretty much agree. I like mostly sweet to mild peppers, and usually only eat them after they are ripe. The green bells tate not good to me, so I rarely use them. I do use mild green Hatch chilis, but they don't have that funky taste, at least after roasting them.
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Post by paquebot on Jun 21, 2018 10:09:28 GMT -5
I'm not a fan of calling green peppers unripe. Properly, they just are not fully mature. They are called green peppers for a reason and it's strictly the color. Some seed catalogs will list so many days to "green ripe" and additional to "red ripe" If they are bitter, they are not green ripe. Want to find the sweetest red pepper? It's not a bell but Fooled You jalapeno. That's the sweetest pepper I've ever grown.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 21, 2018 11:00:09 GMT -5
I agree with paquebot, I like all of the bell peppers including green ones. Sometimes I don't want the sweet taste of the red or yellow ones, especially for stuffed peppers.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2018 12:56:34 GMT -5
The last time I grew jalapenos for Rob, we let almost all go to that deeper red color as we planned to dry most of them to store. I don't recall the particular strain, but they were very fleshy and juicy with almost a slight floral scent, almost reminded me of roses. Just beautiful peppers and a LOT of them.
But mean, omg so mean hot. WOW. way beyond normal jalapeno spicy hot. Even Rob said they were very hot, LOL, and he liked 'em so hot that your eyes would water and you'd sneeze.
1 thumb sized pepper to a pot of chili was enough with the normal chili's.
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