Pepper is grown on a vine and produces red, black, white, green, or pink peppercorns. Red pepper is picked when fully ripe. Black pepper is picked green and sun-dried. The White pepper is fully mature pepper, dried, and then soaked to remove the dark skin. The Green pepper comes from unripe berries soaked in brine, and the pink peppercorns are pickled ripe berries. Pepper is used in virtually every country and is such a valuable commodity that it has been previously used to pay taxes, levies, and rents.

The vine can be easily grown in Hawaii under the light shade of a tree or in a container with a trellis. It is attractive, prolific, everbearing, and one of the most useful of all spices used in cooking. The vines do not like to be over-watered and need regular fertilizing. The ripe red berries hang from the terminal ends of the vine, providing fresh spice for use as ground or as whole berries to flavor soups, stews, and numerous other dishes.