Well I have been watching the plants to see when the right time to pick them is and I think I found it. The outside of one of them had turned colored slightly in streaks, another had started to show little hairline cracking or sorts. I picked them both and cut them up and put them on a burger with cheddar cheese. WOW they were amazing and they were HOT. I usually load my burgers with the crappy canned ones, but these things were burning! very happy with the results.
Lets hope I get some more since the beetles really gave them hell when they got done with my basil. I think I have mostly dealt with them now (must have crushed dozens of them at night), the basil and peppers are both recovering well.