The Color of Gazpacho

In yet another desperate attempt to conjure up summer in this cursed place (I'm wearing a sweatshirt and thick socks as we speak), I decided the other day to make gazpacho. I glanced at a recipe in Joy of Cooking beforehand, but felt pretty confident about winging it - I mean, how hard is it to throw some vegetables in the blender and press "blend"? And it's pretty obvious what's in gazpacho, from the taste: some cucumber, tomato, and bell pepper - all peeled and seeded of course - along with a little water, salt and pepper, and chive or onion. What could be easier? I noticed the recipe called for a red bell pepper, but I used a green one, thinking, what's the big diff'?

Well, the "big diff'" of course was the color - I was expecting bright red, and instead got a sort of terra cotta pinky-brown, not terribly appetizing (unless you like drinking clay juice). What went wrong? Why was my gazpacho not the color I wanted? I looked at the vegetable skins on the counter and in a flash it all became clear to me: Red and green make brown, hello! No wonder the recipe specifically called for a red bell pepper. Duh! You would think that, of all people, somehow who paints (!!) and mixes color all the time would know these things. But behold, even making gazpacho can be a humbling experience. Pride goeth before a blend.