You harvest peppercorns by plucking them from the vine once the fruit turns red.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
-
Ripeness is Key: Peppercorns are ready for harvest when they transition from green to red in color. This indicates they have reached maturity.
-
Selective Plucking: Carefully pluck the entire spike (cluster) of peppercorns from the vine once a majority of the peppercorns on that spike have reddened.
-
Timing Matters: Harvesting green peppercorns before they ripen results in green pepper. Allowing the peppercorns to fully ripen to red will allow you to process them into black, white, or red pepper.
In essence, the harvesting process involves visually assessing the peppercorns for redness and then carefully removing the entire spike from the vine.
