Choose bell peppers that are firm and shiny with smooth skins. Avoid any that are soft or wrinkled. All sweet peppers are green at the immature stage. As the peppers mature, they change colors. The most predominant color for a mature sweet pepper is red. Because the sugar content increases as a sweet pepper matures, colored peppers tend to be sweeter than green peppers.

Check for ripeness
Orange, red, gold, purple
Choose peppers that are firm and shiny with smooth skins. Avoid any that are soft and wrinkled. Refrigerate up to 5 days.

Preparation
Use as a shell for dips, roast and peel, grill with meat, sauté>= with other vegetables or stir-fry.

Nutrition
Red bell peppers contain nine times more vitamin A than green peppers. They also have twice as much vitamin C as their green cousins. Low calorie, saturated fat free, sodium free, cholesterol free, high in the antioxidant vitamin C, fat free



More exotic produce ideas:

Feijoas
Golden solo sunrise papaya
Kumquats
Lychee
Tamarillo
Mangos
Eggplant
Sugar snap peas
Asparagus
Tomatoes
Brussel sprouts
Cantaloupe

---

More from Phil Lempert:

• Healthy ideas for after-school snacks
• Bring the kids grocery shopping!
• Exotic Produce 101