I think cool dry place would be the best for storage. I'm not sure the best way in a fridge, though. It will pull quite a bit of moisture out unless they're tightly sealed. Maybe a couple days would be ok. As far as the orange habs, yes, the sunlight can kind of bleach them out compared to the ones in the shade.

Have you noticed any ill effects on the lighter pods? I wouldn't want to take an unsuitable product to someone to sell. Thanks.

I haven't noticed anything, but, wasn't really looking for (or expecting) anything out of the ordinary.

Dont store them in the fride. After you take them out and put them in room temp. that will not be good. Your better off letting them sit in room temp.

Hi peppernovice. Here's my thoughts:

I'm trying to leave the pods on the plant as long as possible, but I'm afraid to leave them on too long.

You can leave ripened pods on the plants for at least 2 more weeks, if not longer. Some develop more heat, but most start to lose their potency.

I have a friend that swears by putting peppers in the fridge to lengthen their shelf life. Is this the best storage method.

Once you pull a pepper from the plant, it begins to deteriorate. Storing in the fridge slows down the deterioration vs leaving them on the counter. But, they will become soft and rot eventually, unless you move them into some type of preservation.

I understand that leaving them on the plant is the best option, but a lot of peppers become ripe between Sunday and Friday. Any advice on keeping them fresh?

Should be a moot point, see above.

Also, I've had several pods on a habanero plant. The color of the pods range from a beautiful vivid orange to a washed out light orange.

Orange hab pods develop a deeper color as they age. The lower pods are older pods, therefore darker. The lighter pods will darken over time.

Good luck with the Market!

Rick

Your fridge makes a difference as well. Go by how other fruits and vegetables keep in it. My old fridge would have dried them out very quickly, but my new fridge keeps them great for a long time. Not all fridges are created equal. Best to test and find out. As rdback has said, you can leave them for a bit on the plant. I often do this, however I believe it does appear to slow down ripening of other pods when you do this. It seems when I pick ripe pods off, others left on the plant tend to ripen faster. Not sure if this is real or just an impression. Peppers in general though seem to keep pretty good compared to many other vegetables.

Wow.....so much input for my tiny brain. May I leave now, my brain is full! Thanks for all the options guys. This is the first time I've ever sent anything to a farmers market, I just don't want to send a sub-par product.
rdback.... I didn't realize I could leave them on the plant so long after they had ripened. That's good news!

Tim