Rainbow of Bells : Peppers of gold, purple, cream, red and yellow grow in popularity. They’re very sweet and they originated in Holland.

Adding chunks to a kebab poker or slivers to a salad has long been the traditional use for red or green bell peppers, providing a touch of color and flavor to a favorite dish.

But now a veritable rainbow of options is available to add a more vibrant twist to salads, kebabs, stir-fry and relishes.

Brilliant hues of gold, yellow, orange and purple, as well as creamy whites, are becoming the standard for today’s bell peppers.

The attraction: unlike ordinary green bells, these new versions retain their bright color even when cooked.

It all began in Holland. Dutch farmers started supplying the U.S. market with these Technicolor peppers in the early 1980s, and their new hybrids soon began to attract attention with produce lovers and cooks.

A market niche was born and some U.S. growers took notice.

Sunworld International, a grower and shipper with corporate offices in Bakersfield, jumped on the bandwagon.

“We started a mission several years ago with the red pepper,” said Mike Aiton, director of marketing for Sunworld. “Holland had done a great job developing these colored varieties,” he explained, adding that Sunworld saw in the red pepper an opportunity missed by the Dutch.

An ordinary red bell pepper is a green bell that has matured and transformed in color.

“When they turn red,” Aiton said, “it means they’re nearing the end,” when the taste and the flesh begin to deteriorate.

But Sunworld “wanted the pepper to be at its peak when it is red,” Aiton said. With genetic blenders humming, they began cross-breeding different varieties and were the first to develop the new, improved red pepper. Sunworld calls it “Le Rouge.”

The impressively bright hybrid is the result of crossing four pepper varieties, Aiton said.

“It is an elongated pepper with three lobes at the bottom and can weigh as much as a pound,” he said. “It’s very thick-walled and meaty. But more important, it is a real sweet, mild pepper. It’s our own unique variety.”

Sunworld International has since created “Le Juane,” a yellow variety, and “Le Orange.” Both have the characteristics of cousin Le Rouge. All are available to Ventura County shoppers at most chains and specialty stores.

“This (vegetable) category is exploding,” Aiton said. “That’s evident by the larger displays you now see at grocery stores.”

Prices are premium, though. A quick check at a few large markets found the specialty bells--which were imports from Holland--to be about $2.99 a pound.

“They can be considerably higher than the regular green peppers,” Aiton said, “but the price will fluctuate. Vons recently had ours on (an) ad for 99 cents a pound.” (These specialty peppers are each marked with a small identification sticker reading “Holland” or “Sunworld.”)

On the local growing scene, small acreage is devoted to the colorful peppers.

Now maturing in Ventura County soil, these vegetables will be harvest-ready in the next few weeks.

You will soon find these and other pepper types at Ventura County farmers’ markets.

“The reason the colored peppers are so expensive is because the seed costs a bundle,” Ojai grower Russ DiLando said.

Because the plant is a hybrid, the fruit does not produce seed that is viable for growing.

It must be specially produced in the lab.

A farmer is left to purchase a new batch each growing season.

DiLando is raising a few different types, including the Oriole (tangerine color), Black Bird, Oribel (orange-gold) and a Sweet Italian that turns white to red.

“It costs $5 for 50 seeds for the Oriole variety,” DiLando said. “That may not sound like a lot, but if you plant a field you’re talking thousands of dollars.”

He will soon be offering his peppers at Ventura’s Saturday market. The going rate: $1.50 a pound.

DiLando said it’s not just the bright colors that attract customers.

“People buy for the taste,” he said. “They’re real sweet.”

Besides the farmers’ markets, the Underwood Ranches produce stand in Somis will, in about four weeks, offer variety bell peppers to include a chocolate-hued version, according to stand manager James Barker.

SERVING SUGGESTION / ITALIAN STYLE PEPPERS

1 pound green or sweet red peppers

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 clove garlic, peeled

Broil peppers until blistered and charred on all sides. Turn stem side up so tops blister also. Place in paper in bag, close tightly and set aside to steam for 15 minutes. Peel peppers. Cut in half and remove seeds and membranes. Cut lengthwise into one-inch-wide strips.

Beat oil and lemon juice together in wide shallow container. Cut garlic in half, crush each half and add. Mix in pepper strips. Cover tightly and chill three to six hours or overnight.

Before serving, remove garlic and let peppers stand at room temperature so congealed oil will melt. Place in serving dish. Makes four to six servings.