Bell Pepper Facts

It's that time of year when the harvest of bell peppers from the kitchen garden begins to get interesting and fun. In from the garden come baskets heaped with gleaming globes of red, green, yellow and orange. While all bell peppers are fruits of the same plant, Capsicum annum, and start out green, as they mature they acquire their vibrant colors and varying flavors. This change in color is caused by the breakdown in chlorophyll as the seeds mature. From red, yellow, orange, purple, brown and even ivory, the bell pepper is a delicious garden vegetable/fruit that packs a wallop in the nutritional content.

A bell pepper's sugar content increases as the fruit ripens on the plant, so the green varieties which are picked earlier are the least sweet sometimes even have a sharp, almost bitter taste to them. Next in the sweetness index for bell peppers is the purple, ivory, and chocolate brown peppers which are also harvested before they reach complete maturity. But if you wait for the red, orange and yellow ones, you're going to end up with a sweet sweet bell pepper.

Although all bell peppers are rich in vitamins A and C, the warm tone yellow, orange and red bell peppers have the most nutrients. They're also the most expensive due to the long wait for full maturity. Green ones are cheaper and quicker to harvest and get to market.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a half cup of chopped red pepper contains twice as much vitamin C as half cup of green bell pepper. In addition to vitamin C, red peppers supply beta-carotene and lycopene which have been shown to be cancer fighting against specific types of cancer. But orange bell peppers have some great nutrient value as well, with lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration.

In addition to its nutritional value, bell peppers are a great diet food. You can eat an entire cup of bell pepper for only 40 calories! They're crunchy and sweet and make a great between meal treat or saute in 1 T. olive oil for a good vegetable to serve with low fat chicken or turkey. They add a lot of flavor to meats, especially if combined with onion and garlic.

Whatever color of bell pepper you prefer, it's a good idea to buy or grow organic bell peppers. According to a 2006 report by the Environmental Working Group, bell peppers are among the 12 fruit and vegetables most likely to retain pesticide residue. There is a great article at Mother Earth News on how to grow organic bell peppers. While it is too late this year to plant bell peppers, you can research and be ready next spring to produce a bumper crop of one of the garden's most delicious and nutritious foods, bell peppers of every color!

Sources

http://www.mothernature.com/library/ency/index.cfm/id/1962007

http://www.ewg.org

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=50

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2006-04-01/Growing-Colorful-Bell-Peppers.aspx