# Questions about Bell Peppers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931 "2011-06-18T13:25:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/1 "2011-06-18T13:25:18Z")
I put these questions in GQ because I believe there are factual answers to them: - Why do red & orange Bell Peppers cost so much more than the green ones? Aren’t they growing right next to each other? Or is the answer releated to my next question: - Why don’t green peppers “sit right” in my stomach? Green Bell Peppers make me burp all night after eating some. Red and orange one don’t do this. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/2 "2011-06-18T13:41:57Z")
According to [this source](http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Bell_pepper): “The color of bell peppers can be green, red, yellow, orange, and, more rarely, white, purple, blue, brown, and black, depending on when they are harvested and the specific cultivar. Green peppers are unripe bell peppers, while the others are all ripe, with the color variation based on cultivar selection.” So I think the fact that the green bell peppers are brought to market faster makes them cheaper, and presumably there’s something chemically different about them when not fully ripe that upsets your stomach. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/3 "2011-06-18T14:42:15Z")
Keeping the fruits on the vine long enough to develop color creates all of sorts of chances of things going wrong. Insect damage, rot, etc. And each fruit might not turn color uniformly and would thus not be worth as much. So less yield per plant (and therefore per acre), etc. Then when they are shipped, since they are ripe, there’s higher risk of bruising. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/4 "2011-06-18T15:03:57Z")
Another question: why the heck does my local plant nursery sell green and red bell peppers? Don’t all green peppers become red? Is it just a different type of bell pepper that is meant to be harvested green? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/5 "2011-06-18T15:10:17Z")
All green peppers _won’t_ become red. They could become yellow or orange, depending on the cultivar. The reason your nursery sells “green” pepper plants is that most people are stupid. If you told them to plant any pepper and just pick it when it was green, they wouldn’t think that was correct, and go to another nursery which would sell them the “proper” green cultivar. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/6 "2011-06-18T15:19:16Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > All green peppers _won’t_ become red. They could become yellow or orange, depending on the cultivar. The reason your nursery sells “green” pepper plants is that most people are stupid. If you told them to plant any pepper and just pick it when it was green, they wouldn’t think that was correct, and go to another nursery which would sell them the “proper” green cultivar. This also went through my mind. I heard a couple arguing, having trouble finding the green bell peppers and wanted to go up to them and say “hey, all those red peppers here _are_ green when picked early.” Then I turned a corner and saw one single “green pepper” plant, and was wondering if there was something else I was missing. Sorry, you’re right. I was thinking only in terms of red and green peppers. I meant something more like aren’t all green peppers basically unripe peppers (which then change to whatever color they are when ripe.) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/7 "2011-06-18T15:30:30Z")
It’s true that many (most?) bell peppers will turn red when ripe, or overripe depending on how you define it, it isn’t quite true to say all green bell peppers are unripe red ones. Or, it might be more correct to say all peppers are unripe red peppers. Pepper varieties are selected to be large and flavorful and a particular color at around the same time they’re good for harvesting. Bell peppers sold specifically to be harvested when green have been selected to stay green longer and still be green at optimum harvest time. A red variety, or for that matter yellow, orange, purple, etc are selected to be the desired color at the right time, and will just as likely turn to an eventual red color when fully ripe, or “overripe” depending on your definition of ripe, as I said. Jalapenos are generally considered green, and yellow banana or wax peppers are generally yellow, but I can tell you they all turn red if left on the plant long enough. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/8 "2011-06-18T15:40:39Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Jalapenos are generally considered green, and yellow banana or wax peppers are generally yellow, but I can tell you they all turn red if left on the plant long enough. Sure, that’s my experience, too. I let most my hot peppers turn red, anyway. The only one that doesn’t turn red are the habaneros, which stay orange (from what I’ve seen). But I will sometimes pick those green, too, depending on my mood. Jalapenos and serranos are pretty good as red peppers, too. The local grocery often sells red jalapenos, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/9 "2011-06-18T18:46:50Z")
There’s probably also a higher demand for the colored peppers (they taste a little sweeter, and if nothing else they look prettier in a salad), so they can get away with charging a higher price for them. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/10 "2011-06-18T19:27:36Z")
**ftg** , I’ve grown many a pepper, and none of them were on vines. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/11 "2011-06-18T19:32:49Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > It’s true that many (most?) bell peppers will turn red when ripe, or overripe depending on how you define it, it isn’t quite true to say all green bell peppers are unripe red ones. Or, it might be more correct to say all peppers are unripe red peppers. > > A red variety, or for that matter yellow, orange, purple, etc are selected to be the desired color at the right time, and will just as likely turn to an eventual red color when fully ripe, or “overripe” depending on your definition of ripe, as I said. If I’ve understood you, that’s not right. Yellow and orange varieties don’t ripen further to red. They ripen from green to their ripe colour (yellow or orange, depending on the variety). If left to over-ripen, they will a darker, translucent shade of yellow or orange, then rot. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-bell-peppers/585931/12 "2011-06-20T01:55:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There’s probably also a higher demand for the colored peppers (they taste a little sweeter, and if nothing else they look prettier in a salad), so they can get away with charging a higher price for them. Once you go colored, you never go back. mmm