Wondering what to do with unripe pods? With winter approaching, many gardeners have a lot of unripe peppers. But don't despair, you can still likely salvage them! Depending on stage, many peppers will ripen off the plants if you're lucky. And, keep in mind, many peppers are harvested green ON PURPOSE such as Hatch Chile, Green Chile, Jalapenos, Shishitos, Serranos, Bell Peppers, so just because they are green it doesn't mean they aren't edible or delicious.
Jalapenos are often picked green (not fully ripe) but they still taste great and pack some heat!
Can you eat unripe peppers? Yes, eat them!
Hot peppers are typically still quite hot in their green stage, they may not have as much flavor or sweetness as fully ripened peppers, but they still make great green hot sauce, salsas, dried pepper flakes or powders, pickles, and are good in stir fries, salads, etc. You can also cut them up and fry them in oil with some garlic and put them on everything.
How to ripen peppers:
If possible the best solution is to wait for them to ripen on the plants. However, if cold weather is forcing you to do something you can:
- Put a tarp or greenhouse film over them for light frost protection depending on conditions. Hoop houses made from PVC or metal conduit work great and are easy to install.
- Harvest your green peppers and make a green sauce or dry them to make green pepper powder.
- Harvest them and put in a paper bag or cardboard box, they will likely still ripen off the vine if close to maturity.
- If you have space and they're in containers you can move your peppe plants into a frost protected space like a garage during frost danger.
- Cut branches with significant fruit load and hang them or put them in vases with water to continue to ripen them in a warm area indoors.
- If you have small peppers that are not fully grown to size, they are likely not going to get much riper if off the plant. Taste them, if they taste ok use them in salads, soups, stir fries, pickles, you name it. If they taste bitter or sour just compost them!
Use a simple Hoop house to ripen peppers in the fall – a little frost protection can squeeze a few more weeks of growth and protect plants during early frosts. Greenhouse film is durable and can be used for many years. This kind of setup is also great for hardening off your pepper seedlings in the spring.
What to do with unripe habaneros:
We find that habaneros still have great flavor when green, so don't waste them! Use them in salsas, for hot sauces, pickle them, you name it.
Do peppers ripen after picking?
Yes, they often will change color even when picked off the plant if they are close enough to being fully ripe. Partially matured peppers like the Yellow Carolina Reaper above, will almost always ripen to yellow fully after being picked. Putting the peppers in a paper bag or cardboard box will also often speed them along.
Happy growing & harvesting!
