How to choose the right bell pepper?

There are many varieties of bell peppers. Vegetables of different types differ in shape, size and color of the peel. Peppers can be elongated or nearly round, green or red, large and relatively small, but the flavor will not differ much. Ripe bell peppers are generally sweet. If bitterness is present in it, then it was either grown incorrectly, or the vegetable began to deteriorate.

By the color of the peel, bell pepper is most often:

• red;
• yellow (red or orange spots are acceptable);
• green;
• orange (yellow or red spots are acceptable).

Multicolored vegetables may be ripe, but bright spots in most cases indicate that the peppers are not ripe. Unripe bell peppers can be purchased. At home, it quickly acquires a uniform color, but its juiciness may be disturbed.

How to choose bell peppers

The process of choosing bell peppers when buying is no different from the traditional rules that apply to most types of vegetables. The fruits must be clean, firm and of good quality. You can even visually determine the freshness of a pepper, but it is better to conduct a full inspection of each vegetable.

What kind of bell pepper should you buy:

• the surface of the pepper should be smooth, with a characteristic shine, not have any damage or cracks (damage leads not only to rapid rotting of the pepper, but is also a source of multiplication of numerous bacteria harmful to the body);
• The “tail” of fresh bell peppers is always green (a dry stem indicates improper or too long storage of pepper);
• visually and to the touch, the pepper should look “juicy” (wilting vegetables will not live up to expectations and will be less juicy);
• the skin color of bell pepper is always uniform (if there are green spots, then the vegetable is not ripe, but you can buy it);
• the color of bell pepper is always bright and saturated (it becomes pale after long-term storage or violation of growing technologies);
• the peel of the bell pepper must be absolutely dry (if it seems that the pepper has been washed, then you should refuse to buy it);
• there should be no dots, blotches or spots of unknown origin on the surface of bell pepper;
• the peel of the bell pepper should be smooth, and no plaque should be present on its surface (stickiness of the peel or other factors should alert the buyer).

Which bell peppers you shouldn’t buy:

• if there are cracks or traces of mechanical damage on the surface of the peel of the bell pepper, then it is better to refuse to buy it;
• you should not buy bell pepper without a stalk (it could have been removed on purpose to hide the fact that the pepper has been stored for a long time);
• paprika with shriveled skin will not be juicy, but inside it may be spoiled;
• you should not buy peppers even with the slightest signs of rotting (such vegetables are often sold at a lower cost, but their taste will not live up to expectations);
• if the pepper is too large, and its peel is too shiny, then such vegetables are processed with chemicals (such peppers were also grown using harmful fertilizers that accelerate the growth process);
• if there is pollution on the peel of the pepper (earth, sand, clay, as well as any kind of soil), then you should not buy such vegetables;
• if there are spoiled vegetables in the box with pepper, then you should choose another point of sale (conscientious sellers always inspect vegetables before putting them on the counter);
• any bloom on bell peppers is a sign of a fungus;
• any blotches on the skin of bell peppers are signs of infection with parasites, diseases, or the beginning of the decay process.

Bell peppers can start spoiling from different areas. If rotting occurs from the inside, then the skin becomes wrinkled and darkened stains are clearly visible on its surface. If there are no such signs, and rotten areas are not observed on the fruit itself, then additional attention should be paid to the tip of the pepper and its stalk. If the tip is black, then the pepper has started to rot. Moisture in the skin around the stalk also indicates the onset of the decay process.