I never knew that -- thanks!

Try it and see, Mary.
Truth from an expert bell pepper eater!

What an interesting fact! I will put this to the test!

Taste test.

An interesting idea -- but I have to say it sounds like an old garden myth or something... right up there with my former MIL's belief that cutting the end off a cucumber and then rubbing the cut ends together would "draw out the bitterness." But, heaven knows I always have plenty of peppers to try it out on and I'm always open for garden experiments!

Actually I was basing it on my own experience, but could be that I'm wrong. I don't know any myths about vegetables.
Sometimes I cook with the 4 lobed peppers, but I only use the 3 lobed ones when eating them fresh in a salad.
Seems to make a difference to me.

Well, Sharon, it could also be that you are right! (or, that you have just come up with a new veggie myth...)
I actually thought the 4-lobed or 3-lobed was more an attribute of the particular variety, but perhaps the varieties with 3 lobes are sweeter - ? Just because I've never heard this before certainly doesn't make it untrue, and now I can't wait to check it out myself!

You made me think and so I did a search. Some say it's the difference in variety, but I found this and if you scroll down to Food Tips on the lower right side, there is a similar statement:

http://www.t-a-d-a.com/Diet.ht...

So I don't know, it's just something I've always done. Four bumps get frozen and used for cooking later and 3 bumps are eaten fresh. I'm not sure where on earth I gathered that little bit of info.

Have fun!! And let me know what you think.

Hey, Sharon -- you probably know by now that I never hesitate to say what I think...

Again, there seem to be a lot of good ideas on the site you linked, but I believe there is also some misinformation... such as table salt being "highly acidic" (salt is neither acidic not alkaline) and the advice to substitute sea salt -- which is kind of funny, because, the current fad for using various types of sea salt notwithstanding, all salt (NaCl) originally came from the "sea". And the healthiest of foods can be contaminated in one way or another and be "bad" for us.

All I really "know" for sure about the bell peppers is that the 4-lobed ones lend themselves much more easily to cutting in half (lengthwise) for stuffing and sitting level in the pan!

I didn't read much on that page, but I have no doubt you are right. I only searched for the specific words and the statement popped up.

At any rate, now that the idea is in your mind, you'll do the taste test every time you find yourself with green bell peppers. Right??

So will I and so will most who read this!

And we'll all come right back here with many different opinions.
Happens every time, and that's a good thing.

Sharon, I have never heard of this before, but now I sure will be paying attention to 3 or 4 lobed peppers.

Y'all will just have to try the old taste test and let me know what you think.

Sharon said:Y'all will just have to try the old taste test and let me know what you think.

If only it wasn't so long until we have peppers in the garden here!!

I have one, only one that is nearly ready to eat. I'll check it out tomorrow, nothing to compare it with, though.

I didn't know that either, and I am wondering if the same plant makes both types or if the three lobe and four four lobe come from different plants?
I will have to try that and see, but I will have to buy them, I don't have any peppers planted although I love them.

With all the Texas native plants I am growing I don't have room for vegetables which is kind of a shame, maybe I need to make another bed just for vegetables.

It's going to be interesting to see if the 3 bumps all come from the same plant or if they come from different ones, isn't it? I really don't know. It's one of those things that I have believed for so many years I never really thought much about it, until now.

Josephine, this year I planted my few veggies in pots on my deck, so far it's working.

Great idea!! the thought of making another bed while taking care of everything else is rather scary.
What size pots did you use?

14" and 16" pots and they could have been larger, each holds a tomato or a pepper plant plus one herb, usually the squirrels leave the basil alone, so to keep them away I added a little basil plant to each pot. I keep it cut back and so far it's working.

I felt the same way about making another bed.

For the first month or so I thought I wasn't going to have to stake the tomatoes, but then we had a massive wind/hard rain storm for about an hour the other day, and though I didn't lose either one of the plants, they were really beaten down. So now they are staked and are looking fine. I do have to keep them watered in this heat.

This is fascinating. Of course I'm going to try it. And I really am curious if the 3 bumped & 4 bumped both grow on the same plant. And even more curious to see what everyone says. I just love experiments!

I just picked my first pepper this morning and you can see it's a 3 bumper. Gonna be a good salad tonight!

The others on the same plant are tiny and I can't tell yet if they'll be the same, but I'll let you know!