Sweet Peppers (Bell & Non-Bell)

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After seeing the limited selection in most grocery stores, it’s almost overwhelming to witness the variety of bell and non-bell sweet peppers carted into the farmers market each week. While the green bell pepper is the default image for most, there’s so much more variety and flavor out there—red, orange, yellow, purple, brown; traditional bell pepper shape to horn-like, tapered, conical, or twisted. And each with their own distinct flavor.

Green peppers are essentially unripe colored peppers and are less sweet and flavorful, some say even bitter or metallic tasting. If you’ve never liked green peppers, give an orange or yellow pepper a try for a sweeter, smoother flavor without the bitterness that some green peppers have. And don’t be afraid of the non-bell shaped peppers at the market either. Ask the farmer what each tastes like and what they’d be best for.

Look for peppers that are firm but not stiff (an indicator of immaturity), deeply colored and with a shiny exterior. If they seem heavy for their size, that’s good—it means their walls have thickened and will have more pepper for your dollar.

Nutrition: As sweet peppers ripen, going from green to colored, their sweetness doubles—and so does their vitamin C (158 percent daily value) and A (30 percent daily value) content.