The characteristic green bell pepper flavor is due to the compound isobutyl methoxypyrazine (the same that give sauvignon blancs their distinctive vegetal notes). In red varieties, those compounds fade as the peppers ripen and the flavor becomes dominated by fruiter and more floral compounds like capsanthin, capsorubin, and beta-carotene.
These are some gorgeous peppers. They’re similar to other pepper varieties you might see called ‘frying peppers’ or ‘Jimmy Nardello’s.’ We’re in the peak of pepper season right now. This is point in the season when red peppers are plentiful and delicious. You’ll notice some green color lingering on these. Most peppers will eventually ripen to a red color if left on the vine long enough. I find that red peppers have a more fruity flavor than the green ones. Jalapenos, for example, we typically eat green but you can occasionally find red ones at grocery stores. Red peppers will always be a little more expensive though since for industrial agriculture the extra time on the vine reduces the overall yield of the plant by weight. For smaller farms, they’ll pick green peppers early in the season as needed and the rest later as they turn red for a natural staggering of the pepper crop rather than just maximizing pounds of peppers.
There were spring onions in earlier share. These are those, all grown-up. Nichols now will take the ones that have an intact exterior papery skin and cure them so that they’re able to be stored through the fall. However, a number will have not as nice of a papery exterior and won’t be able to be stored. Those are the ones that we get to eat! With a thinner skin and pretty dirty, we peel them, and clean them up but that means they need to still be refrigerated.
