We don't wait for them to ripen , I grow them for stuffed peppers (this is the first successful year) . Got another batch that are all between 5" and 6" that are about ready to pick ...
I don't know ... yet . This is the first year I've had any success growing them . And much like your experiences with blackberries , I had to get nursery plants because I couldn't get them going with seeds .
for a green pepper i consider them ripe when the walls of the pepper have reached their maximum thickness. you can sometimes tell this from the heft of the pepper or by giving it a light squeeze. if it is very firm and heavy then it's probably good enough to pick.
for red peppers i wait until they are mostly red on the plant, but if there is a lot of rain or frost coming i'll pick them even fully green as they'll finish getting red after they're picked. not the same as leaving them on the plant, but good enough.
my peppers aren't doing great this year, but there's still plenty of time yet.
i've never grown any for drying so i can't speak of that at all...
Serranos dry very nicely , and are very tasty in many dishes . I use waxed nylon carpet thread (from back when we hand stitched the seams) , make a slipknot and stick the stem in it . Got 20 threaded up and hanging over in the corner right now ...
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