Are these peppers ripe?

[sogreen]

From what I have been reading, these peppers don't appear to be ripe. Generally, on most peppers of this type (with few exceptions), the final (ripe) color is one other than green, generally red, but there are other colors as well, which probably means the seeds I saved are not viable? What do you gals/guys think? I really don't want to keep any seeds that may not be viable. Your thoughts are always appreciated.

They have been very tasty so far though.


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[Corzhens]

We call that lady finger peppers. They get red when ripe but it is preferred to eat them green. We have a dish here called bicol express where the pepper is cooked in the broth of coconut milk and pork. The pepper is sliced in small strips. The dish is eaten as a side dish to anything fried and sometimes a good match for beer.

 

[tasha]

I think they look ripe and the only way for me to tell usually is to see that there is not yellow on it if it is green and softening then it might be too ripe already

 

[Kansas Terri]

have gotten good seeds from green peppers: the germination rate was no as good but it was not bad, either.

If you want seeds, the pepper that is fourth from the right looks like it is riper than the rest: it might just be the shine from the light but the top half looks more yellow than the rest? Ann the big one to the left of it might also be a good choice.

Then again, it might just be the light that is washing out the green color.

Before they plant some people will wrap a few seeds in a damp paper towel, put it in a zip lock bag to keep it from drying out, and set the packet on the warm spot that is on top of most refrigerators. If the seeds are at all good they will then sprout. If they do not sprout then you will know that the seeds are not viable.

 

[sogreen]

have gotten good seeds from green peppers: the germination rate was no as good but it was not bad, either.

If you want seeds, the pepper that is fourth from the right looks like it is riper than the rest: it might just be the shine from the light but the top half looks more yellow than the rest? Ann the big one to the left of it might also be a good choice.

Then again, it might just be the light that is washing out the green color.

Before they plant some people will wrap a few seeds in a damp paper towel, put it in a zip lock bag to keep it from drying out, and set the packet on the warm spot that is on top of most refrigerators. If the seeds are at all good they will then sprout. If they do not sprout then you will know that the seeds are not viable.

Is there a way to determine viability by looking at the seeds? Do ripe seeds look more plump or full?

 

[Kansas Terri]

Is there a way to determine viability by looking at the seeds? Do ripe seeds look more plump or full?

A man who wrote a book about getting more tomatos from your plants said to start with strong seeds. He said that fat, large seeds had more stored food in them. So when he was planting the seeds he only planted the fat seeds and he threw away the others.

I have no idea if he was correct or if fat seeds are riper. I will say that his tomato plants were spectacular and high yielding.

 

[IcyBC]

They looked ripe to me! I buy these at the market and have a few red ones, but mostly green like yours!

 

[Chuck]

Most peppers turn into a different color when mature, usually red but not always. Ripeness and maturity are two different things. Ripeness is when a fruit is ready to eat. Maturity is when a fruit is able to reproduce. It is possible for a pepper that is not completely mature to have viable seeds but not probable. Let's take bell peppers for instance. You can have a nice big green pepper and when you cut it open the seeds are small and sparse but the fruit is still plenty ripe to eat, perfect for salads and stuffing. Those immature seeds will not be viable, some will be larger and/or different in shape. Take the same variety of pepper that is it's mature color, cut it open and there will be lots of seeds and they are all just about identical. Usually maturity comes with the fruit just starting to change colors, in peppers usually a light yellow or a faint blush of pink. The absolute best and most viable seeds come from a fruit, be it a pepper or a tomato that has reached its complete maturity and has achieved its complete color and has become what I would say is overripe. In a pepper that would be a pepper on the plant that is starting to shrivel and a tomato would be really soft, almost squishy. Virtually 100% of those seeds will be viable.

 

[sogreen]

Most peppers turn into a different color when mature, usually red but not always. Ripeness and maturity are two different things. Ripeness is when a fruit is ready to eat. Maturity is when a fruit is able to reproduce. It is possible for a pepper that is not completely mature to have viable seeds but not probable. Let's take bell peppers for instance. You can have a nice big green pepper and when you cut it open the seeds are small and sparse but the fruit is still plenty ripe to eat, perfect for salads and stuffing. Those immature seeds will not be viable, some will be larger and/or different in shape. Take the same variety of pepper that is it's mature color, cut it open and there will be lots of seeds and they are all just about identical. Usually maturity comes with the fruit just starting to change colors, in peppers usually a light yellow or a faint blush of pink. The absolute best and most viable seeds come from a fruit, be it a pepper or a tomato that has reached its complete maturity and has achieved its complete color and has become what I would say is overripe. In a pepper that would be a pepper on the plant that is starting to shrivel and a tomato would be really soft, almost squishy. Virtually 100% of those seeds will be viable.

Excellent. That is exactly the information I was looking for.