Love Your Veggies
Bell Peppers
Sweet, crunchy and full of vitamin C, bell peppers make great after-school snacks and dinnertime treats.
Nice, no spice
Think bell peppers are too spicy for kids? Think again. Whether you serve them raw or in one of your favorite bell pepper recipes, these tasty treats are sweet and kid-friendly because they don't contain capsaicin, the ingredient that makes hot peppers hot.
Bell peppers get their name from their plump, bell-like shape and are known for their wide variety of colors. You may have seen green, red, orange and yellow peppers in your supermarket, but did you know that there are also purple. brown, black and ivory peppers? All sweet bell peppers start out green and then change color ang get sweeter as they ripen. Since the green ones are less ripe, they tend to stay fresh a little longer.
Over the last decade, bell peppers have shot up in popularity and are now considered a staple of the American diet. So, go ahead - make a bell pepper recipe the whole family can enjoy.
Growing Bell Peppers: A sweet job for junior gardeners
Colorful bells are popular in home gardens because they’re easy to grow and produce crops fairly quickly. Though they’re delicious when green, it’s fun to let them stay on the vine and turn red, yellow, orange or purple — amazing to watch and sweeter to eat.
- Start bell peppers from seedlings indoors before it turns warm.
- Space them 18 to 24 inches apart when transplanting them outdoors.
- Water constantly: peppers love moist soil and will become bitter without it. So give your kids a pail or a gardening hose and put them to work!
- Peppers take about 70 to 90 days to mature.
- Wait until they turn red, yellow or orange for a sweeter flavor your kids will love.
- Be sure to clip them off the plant when harvesting, instead of pulling them.
- They’ll continue to produce peppers all summer long, if tended to regularly.
Pick, Store and Prep Bell Peppers
With their rainbow of colors — red, green, yellow, orange, even purple! — these sweet veggies are sure to delight even the pickiest eater. Follow these tips for perfect peppers.
Pick
- Choose peppers that have bright, vivid colors and tight skin.
- Avoid those with soft spots, blemishes and darkened areas.
- Stems should be green and fresh looking.
- Peppers should be heavy for their size and firm.
Store
- Don’t wash bell peppers until you’re ready to use them.
- They’ll last about a week in the veggie drawer of your refrigerator.
- Green bells can pass odors to pineapples, so be sure to store them separately.
- Freeze them whole to help retain their nutrients and flavor.
Prep
- Rinse peppers under running water. Scrub well, if peppers have been waxed.
- Remove the stem with a paring knife.
- Cut the pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds, ribs and core. Chop or slice with the skin side down. Now they’re ready to sauté, grill or stir-fry — or just dip in Ranch and enjoy right away!
- Create rings by slicing around the middle for salads or pickling. They’re also pretty laid on top of casseroles.
- For whole stuffed peppers, slice off the top and remove the seeds and ribs from the inside of the pepper before filling.
Bell pepper recipes
The end of summer is pepper season — here are a few tasty ways to put the bumper crop to good use.
-
Pizza Blanco
Roasted red peppers add a touch of sweetness to this cheese-and-Ranch pizza.
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Pick-a-Peck-of-Peppers Fiesta Ranch Dip
A slightly spicy appetizer with a rainbow of peppers.
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Ranch Stir-Fried Carrots and Garden Vegetables
A delicious veggie entrée with an Asian twist.
Test Your Bell Pepper Knowledge
- 1. When roasting Bell Peppers, what’s the key to easily removing the peel?
- A) Patience
- B) Cold water
- C) Steaming in a bag
- D) A sharp knife
The Answer is C
After roasting in an oven or charred on an open grill, transferring the peppers to a plastic or paper bag loosens the peel, making peeling (with your hands and/or a knife) a breeze once they cool.
- 2. Which popular TV show features the host biting into a whole yellow bell pepper?
- A) 30 Minute Meals
- B) Iron Chef
- C) Hell’s Kitchen
- D) Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis
The Answer is B
In the American version of the Japanese original, the host (an actor playing the “nephew” of the Japanese host) holds up a yellow bell pepper, but switches to an apple before biting into it.
- 3. Who is credited with naming and bringing peppers from the New World to the Old World?
- A) Marco Polo
- B) Hernando De Soto
- C) Christopher Columbus
- D) Sir Francis Drake
The Answer is C
- 4. Bell Peppers belong to the “Nightshade” family. Which other vegetables are included in this family?
- A) Eggplant
- B) White Potatoes
- C) Tomatoes
- D) All of the Above
The Answer is D
- 5. Which of the following is NOT a variety of bell pepper?
- A) Chocolate
- B) White
- C) Rainbow
- D) None of the above
The Answer is D
In addition to the more common green, red and yellow, there are many colorful varieties, but not all of them hold their color upon cooking.
- 6. What ISN’T another name for Bell Peppers?
- A) Paprika
- B) Aubergine
- C) Capsicum
- D) Morrón
The Answer is B
They’re called Paprika in much of Europe, Capsicum in Australia, New Zealand, India and Malaysia, and Morrón in Argentina. Aubergine is the British name for eggplant.
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