Pepper is a popular vegetable on the tables of Russians. Previously, it was transported from South America, and now it is widely grown in vegetable gardens. It is not difficult to get a crop to the envy of neighbors; it must be harvested within a certain period of time and properly stored.
In vegetable gardens, you can most often find beds with sweet or hot peppers. Early varieties begin to be harvested at the beginning of the third month of summer.
Collection time
The exact dates for harvesting peppers have not been established, but there are moments that are influenced by the degree of readiness of vegetables - this is the variety, type, place and weather.
The crop is harvested according to two criteria of ripeness:
- Biological - the product has matured and acquired the required color, size and shape.
- Technical - the size is appropriate, and the rest of the data does not match.
Experienced gardeners collect pepper at the moment when it switched from technical, but has not yet reached biological ripeness. At this time, the necessary vitamins, salts and sugars accumulate in the fruits. Peppers in this form are canned and eaten fresh or put in short-term storage. The first crop of peppers can be removed from the bushes already at the beginning of August, and the last one - after the onset of frost. During the season, you can make from three to five batches of fruits.
Peppers growing indoors are not afraid of the onset of cold weather. The final harvest date is regulated by the gardener. On the street, weather conditions have a great influence on the timing. To get quality raw materials, peppers should be removed before frost.
When is the best time to shoot
The ripening date is also influenced by the varietal characteristics of the culture. Bitter and Bulgarian pepper differ not only in taste and appearance, but also in nuances in the collection. If you remove them early, they will not get the desired taste:
- Sweet, or Bulgarian. They are removed after reaching technical ripeness. It can also ripen outside the bush.
- Spicy. Wait until it reaches full maturity, otherwise the fruits will not be spicy enough. Ripe fruits are visible in the garden from a distance: they are bright, the bush has begun to dry, and the juice from the pod is burning.
How to store pepper
In order to feast on peppers as long as possible, they should be properly stored. The thin-walled fruit is stored in the vegetable compartment in the refrigerator. For freezing, the protruding part of the stalk is cut off from the fruit, leaving a small "stump". In a cellar or basement, peppers are stored in boxes. Experienced gardeners advise to wrap each fruit in a layer of paper for better preservation. In the room where the pepper will lie, maintain a temperature of about + 10 ℃ and 90% humidity. Green varieties can stay fresh longer than yellow or reds.
Another storage method is on a bush. The plant with fruits is removed from the soil and hung upside down in the basement.
Pepper is a hit in all gardens. The fruits are eaten fresh, they are made from them for preparations and salads. They can be stored for more than one month. The timing of harvesting depends on the variety. Late peppers of technical ripeness will be better stored. The last harvest for storage is harvested before frost. After the cold weather, the pepper will only be suitable for processing.
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