Peppers in Their Prime

August fields are a painter’s palette: bright red, sunny yellow, deep green, and fiery orange peppers hang heavy on the plants. Few vegetables capture summer’s abundance as vividly as peppers. Whether you favor the sweetness of a bell pepper or the fiery kick of a chili, picking your own brings not just flavor, but the joy of being close to the soil where they grow.

Walking between rows of pepper plants, you catch the earthy scent of warm leaves, the glossy skins gleaming in the sun. For families, this harvest is an adventure — children love searching for the brightest peppers, and everyone gets to taste the freshness that only field-picked vegetables deliver.

How to Pick the Best Peppers

When harvesting peppers:

  • Bell peppers: Pick when they are firm, glossy, and fully colored. A green pepper that turns red, yellow, or orange is at its sweetest.
  • Chili peppers: Harvest once they reach their mature color — often red, though some varieties stay green or yellow.
  • Always use scissors or gently twist the stem; pulling can damage the plant.
  • Choose peppers with unblemished skins for best storage.

Keeping Peppers Fresh

Peppers should be stored unwashed in the refrigerator’s vegetable drawer. Sweet bell peppers last about 1 week, while chili peppers can keep up to 2 weeks. To extend their use:

  • Freeze sliced peppers raw for cooking later.
  • Roast and peel bell peppers, then store them in olive oil in the fridge.
  • Dry chili peppers by stringing them in a warm, airy place.

Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

  • 4 red bell peppers
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • Olive oil, salt, and pepper

Instructions:

  1. Roast peppers until skins blister, then peel and deseed.
  2. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil.
  3. Add peppers and stock, simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Blend until smooth, season to taste.

A bowl of this soup captures pure summer sweetness.

Other Uses for Peppers

  • Stuffed peppers with rice, herbs, or ground meat.
  • Chili flakes for seasoning year-round.
  • Fresh salads with crunchy strips of red, green, and yellow peppers.

Whether mild or fiery, peppers are the true taste of August fields — bright, bold, and full of possibility.

Looking to pick your own peppers? Visit these farms that currently offer them: