prize pepper

We were given a wonderful potted pepper plant this summer to help us along with our garden. I say that only to show that we had nothing to do with its ability to survive. We watered it sporadically and basically never touched it. It gave us several green peppers, but Juan Pablo wanted to get a red pepper. Someone told us to leave a pepper on the plant for 90 days, and then it would turn red.
So we had one huge pepper left on the plant. It was hidden in the center among the leaves. That's important because the animals around here tended to eat whatever we grew. Plus, since it was potted, it was closer to the house (we never moved it from where JP plopped it down when he brought it home), and I think that deterred deer and others, also.
We've been watching this pepper for months...waiting for it to turn red. It never did. So then I was watching it to see when it would start to rot. It never did. Finally, JP picked it last week.
We put it on the counter, where it sat waiting for me to find a good recipe to cook it in.
And look what happened! The most beautiful red pepper you've ever seen. So, is that how it works? It doesn't turn red until you pick it?
Anyway, I sauteed it with some onion last night, added ground beef and monterrey jack cheese, and we had nachos. My own concoction from what little food was in the cubbards, but it was delicious.