Good quality sweet peppers should be firm, fresh looking, and brightly colored. Avoid peppers that appear shriveled, dull-looking, or pitted.
Storing and Handling
Temperature/humidity recommendations for short-term
storage of seven days or less:
45-50 degrees F/7-10 degrees C
85-95% relative humidity
Copyright & Disclaimer
PMA Fresh Produce Manual
Troubleshooting
Pitting; decay; darkening of seeds:
These are indications of chill injury. To prevent chill injury, do not store sweet peppers below 42 degrees F/6 degrees C.
Bruising:
Mechanical damage caused by rough handling can result in bruised product. For best quality, handle sweet peppers with care; do not drop shipping containers on the floor.
Variety/Type Descriptions
Sweet peppers, also called bell peppers, are generally sold by color. All peppers are green at the immature state. As the peppers mature, they turn color. The most predominant color for a mature sweet pepper is red, although other colors available include gold, purple, orange, and brown. All sweet peppers are characterized by their bright skin color and fairly sweet flavor. Because the sugar content increases as a sweet pepper matures, colored peppers tend to be sweeter than green peppers.
Common Packaging
15- to 35-lb. bushel cartons or crates
Grades
U.S. Fancy
U.S. No. 1
U.S. No. 2
NOTE: Not all sweet peppers are graded. Ungraded peppers are called “unclassified.” Differences between grades are based primarily on external appearance.
Sizes
Small
Medium
Large
Extra Large/Jumbo
Shippers
DAVID K. DEBERRY, INC.
P.O. Box 721050, McAllen, TX 78504
PHONE# - 956-380-3383
FAX# - 956-380-3382
CONTACT - David DeBerry, President
E-MAIL - deberry61@aol.com
I. KUNIK CO., INC.
2000 Industrial Drive, McAllen, TX 78504
PHONE # - 956-686-4324
FAX # - 956-686-2855
CONTACT - Leonard Kroman, Owner
WEB SITE - www.ikunik.com
E-MAIL - buyKunik@ikunik.com
J & D PRODUCE, INC.
P.O. Box 1548, Edinburg, TX 78540
7310 N. Expressway 281, Edinburg, TX 78541
PHONE # - 956-380-0353
FAX # - 956-380-0325
CONTACT - James V. Bassetti, President & Sales
WEB SITE - www.littlebearproduce.com
E-MAIL - lrchandler@littlebearproduce.com
WINTER GARDEN PRODUCE
P. O. Box 1418, Uvalde, TX 78802
PHONE # - 830-278-3323
FAX # - 830-278-7241
CONTACT - Eddy Carnes, President & Gen. Mgr.
WEB SITE - www.wintergardenproduce.com
E-MAIL - jcarnes@wintergardenproduce.com
