what's growing in the garden: peppers

​Peppers are a fruit (they have seeds and are produced from a flowering plant). Originally, peppers came from Mexico and South America. Spanish and Portuguese explorers introduced peppers to other parts of the world during their travels. 

In addition to the more common green color, peppers also come in red, orange, yellow, white and purple. There are even black and brown peppers. Pictured here are unripe green peppers which will have a slightly bitter flavor if harvested too soon.

More commonly referred to as bell peppers, they are also known as capsicums in other parts of the world. Depending when they are harvested, they are also known as sweet peppers. Peppers are sometimes dried and powdered, in which case they are referred to as paprika.

Pictures from our urban agriculture exploration at Q Gardens can be found on our Facebook page.