The bell peppers I'm growing don't look exactly like the ones in the grocery store?

Question

This spring I planted two bell pepper plants for the first time, and although the fruits are growing healthily and taste delicious, they are not shaped exactly like those that you would buy in a store, the bottoms are more tapered than I am used to seeing. Is this because of how the commercial plants have been bred, or am I not leaving them on the vine long enough? Maybe because it's early in the season still?

I'm just curious; I don't really care how they look as long as they keep tasting this good.

Answer 1

the ones are made for the market are grown for astetically pleasing attributes- not flavor.

If it taste good, and its not moldy, Its fine.

Answer 2

Maybe it's just a genetic difference between the individual plants.  As long as they taste good, I wouldn't be concerned.

Answer 3

Be glad they don’t look like what we see in the grocery store. Almost all (if not all) of our food is genetically engineered – color enhances – chemically fertilized and sprayed with all kings of unnatural stuff to keep them bug free and to make them look natural. Go figure.

Enjoy your peppers. You have a good thing going.

Answer 4

That is from a little drought stress most likely. Most peppers today are grown on plastic with drip irragation below. They will be ok. If you water them they will rapidly make a more traditional shape or at least the new ones comming.

Also if you have any jalapinos around corss pollenation will cause them to 'point out' on the ends, and sometime make them hot too. Oh yeah, we have peppers 'point out' too but they get graded out and end up as #2 or process peppers. What you see in the grocery is #1 peppers.

Answer 5

Sounds to me like you have all female peppers, Yes peppers come in the two genders female peppers are smaller and usually only have two bottom bumps. Male peppers are bigger, have more bottom bumps and are considered to be more sweet.

Answer 6

There are many varieties of bell peppers and some are shaped slightly different than those you see at the supermarket.  Get yourself a good seed catalog and you'll see all the wonderfully varied varieties of vegetables that you can grow at home but will never see in the supermarket.

Here are some catalogs to try:

johnnyseeds.com

cooksgarden.com

vermontbean.com

There are peppers that grow with 3 lobes and peppers that grow as 4-lobed.  The typical supermarket peppers are 4-lobed and block shaped.  

There's nothing wrong with your plants or how you're caring for them.  They're just a variety you're not used to seeing.

Answer 7

The companies that grow and sell peppers only sell the very best  to the stores.  The rest are sold as peppers for use in foods and as animal feed.

Answer 8

Commercial food products will always look different. They get covered with pesticides, waxes, color enhancing chemicals, and sometimes human fluids. If you can, go to an all organic food store, or maybe a veggie stand at a farm. You'll definately see a difference.

Answer 9

Probably they are a slightly different variety.

Commercial green peppers are picked very green too.

I have seen green peppers that looked almost like banana peppers for shape and some that looked like big scotch bonnet peppers.

As you say.

So long as they have the flavour it is all good.