When to pick tomatoes depends on the tomato type or variety under cultivation. Green, purple and yellow tomatoes, for example, provide different cues for picking so do heirloom varieties. Nonetheless, regular red tomatoes are generally ready to pick for indoor ripening when they start developing a blush red color on the blossom end or sides of the fruit. These tomatoes can also be picked when deep red and fully ripened although vine ripening exposes them to pests and risk of other physiological problems such as splitting.
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The Great Tomato Picking Debate
One of the most debated matters in the home gardening world is when is the right time to pick tomatoes. This debate mostly pertains to regular tomatoes which turn red when ripe. Some growers see an advantage in picking tomatoes off the vine before they fully ripen while others advocate for vine ripening of tomato fruit before harvesting. This remains an open debate and the jury is arguably still out. Nonetheless, the following are the two main approaches to harvesting tomatoes as practiced by each side.
Handy Tomato Kitchen Utensils
Once you pick your tomatoes, what remains is to use them in a variety of recipe preparations. Here are some handy kitchen utensils that help expand horizons when working with your picked tomatoes.
- Tomato strainer
- Tomato/Salsa Blender
- Food Processor for Tomatoes
- Tomato press
- Tomato mandoline for slicing
- Tomato slicer holder
- Heavy duty tomato slicer
- Tomato dicer
- Tomato corer
- Tomato jars for canning
- Tomato knife
- Tomato saver
- Countertop storage basket
- Tomato growing pots
Picking Tomatoes for Indoor Ripening
Tomato growers who support early picking of tomatoes from the vine prefer to let the tomatoes ripen indoors. Typically, when left on the vine, regular tomatoes shift from green, to greenish-yellow then to yellowish-orange, to orange then to orangish-red before finally turning to a deep vibrant reddish color at the peak of ripening.
All in all there are roughly some six stages regular tomato fruit goes through before fully ripening. Early tomato picking advocates typically harvest tomatoes just as they start blushing (as pictured) well before they fully turn color. This is within a few hours after the first blush of color is noticed.
A blushing tomato experiences a color change from green to light green sometimes with some streaks of red starting to show though faintly. This often occurs on the blossom end of the tomato whilst the rest of the fruit, including the shoulders, remains green or largely green.
The harvested blushing tomatoes are brought indoors where they ripen in storage. Early harvested tomatoes at the blushing stage are not placed in the refrigerator as this halts all chemical activity that promotes off the vine ripening. Instead, they are stored at ideal storage conditions ranging from 65°F to 70°F or 18°C to 21°C. Depending on the season, this can be the kitchen counter or a dark cupboard.
Furthermore, some growers who practice early tomato picking believe that this approach produces equally flavorful tomatoes – if not better – than those left to ripen on the vine. In addition, early picked tomatoes carry the same nutritional value as vine ripened tomatoes.
Apart from optimal flavor, one of the compelling reasons for early tomato harvesting once they start color shifting towards ripening is to prevent pest attack.
Depending on location, ripened tomatoes may attract birds and other creatures which eat the red tomato fruit. In particular, juicy tomato varieties, according to this report, are at even greater risk of bird damage. Birds pick them for the juice especially on hot days. Picking tomatoes early is thus viewed as an important way of increasing crop retention.
Furthermore, harvesting tomatoes early before they are fully ripe is also an effective way of reducing loss due to splitting. The longer a good tomato remains on the vine the higher the risk of natural physiological damage which includes cracking and also damage caused by approaching frost.
Over and above that, rain is one of the main causes of tomatoes splitting on the vine. In this regard, Oregon State University Extension notes that early picking of tomatoes is a viable method of preserving tomato quality in the face of approaching rain or frost.
Picking Vine Ripened Tomatoes
The second group of tomato growers which hold a different opinion on when to pick tomatoes is the group which prefers to let the tomatoes fully ripen on the vine. According to this view, tomatoes are ready to pick when fully red as nature intended. This group appears most interested in the natural uninterrupted flavor that vine ripened tomatoes develop. It is argued that this superior flavor can only be attained and enjoyed by letting the tomato fully ripen on the vine.
To increase sweetness, some growers who prefer to pick only vine ripened tomatoes go to the extent of dehydrating the live tomato plant when the fruit color is at orange-red stage. Watering of the plant is suspended in order to manipulate fruit flavor. This method is said to increase the sweetness of the tomato fruit.
What actually happens is that when tomatoes are dehydrated in this manner, sugar is concentrated in the fruit increasing its sweetness. The tomatoes are then picked at the peak of their flavor and ripening. The increased tomato sweetness by way of reducing irrigation in this way seems to have been supported by experiences of some Mediterranean tomato farming projects as started in this report.
Nonetheless, for the home gardener, suspending watering for better tomato sweetness can be complex considering that a typical tomato vine or plant would have green tomatoes and ripening tomatoes at the same time. Dehydrating the plant adversely affects the still to be picked green tomatoes unless these are deliberately resigned to fate in favor of the ripening tomatoes which are the target of the dehydration.
When to Pick Green Tomatoes
When to pick green tomatoes depends on whether the tomato is a green-when-ripe tomato cultivar or a regular tomato that one wishes to pick.
Regular green tomatoes that have reached maturity according to seed packet information can be picked for ripening indoors. According to Kansas State University Extension, for green tomatoes to ripen off the vine they must have reached a certain phase of maturity called the “mature green stage”. This means not all green tomatoes that are picked will turn red once removed from the vine unless they have reached the said stage.
Unforeseen events such as an impending storm, disease and a late start to the season often result in a sudden glut in green tomatoes due to forced early picking. Green tomatoes picked under these circumstances typically feel hard to the touch. Such tomatoes can be picked as long as they have reached green mature stage and can be ripened in storage or used in recipe applications that utilize green tomatoes.
When to pick Green-When-Ripe Tomatoes
When to pick green-when-ripe tomatoes (pictured), which are distinctly tomatoes that do not turn red or any color other than green when ripe, is more challenging.
Examples are big sweet beefsteaks such as Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Green Giant and Green Zebra green tomato varieties (more on these below). These tomato cultivars may not be obvious when ripe. To illustrate this dilemma, in the picture are Zebra Green tomatoes. The far right small tomato is raw, the middle green tomato is ripe while the far left green tomato is over ripe.
The common practice before picking a green-when-ripe tomato is thus to apply the squeeze test. The logic behind this method is that an unripen green tomato is very firm and offers resistance to a squeeze. On the other hand a ripened green-when-ripe tomato has some give.
If your finger punches into the tomato as likely to happen with the far left Zebra Green tomato in the picture, it’s a reliable sign that the tomato is over ripe. Ripe green-when-ripe tomatoes that are ready to pick are soft, have some sweetness with a little tanginess and are succulent, however, these tomatoes do not turn red.
When to pick Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato
You can pick Aunt Ruby’s German Green tomato once it shows a hand of color from green to a little bit of yellow and even a hint of pink. At this stage, the tomato will also have a green shoulder. Aunt Ruby’s is a German Green heirloom tomato variety that is not easy to tell when to pick especially for first time growers.
If let to ripen on the vine, it is picked when it gets an extensive pink blushing color all over the fruit. It takes some patience waiting for this tomato variety to get to the stage of fully ripening on the vine. A fully ripened fruit has a lime-green color to the interior flesh. It has a lemony-sour tangy taste as well.
When to Pick Grape Tomatoes
Grape tomatoes can be picked from the point they start a color blush from green to a faint pinkish color. At this point the tomato has passed the all important mature green stage which means it can ripen off the vine indoors. The mature green stage for the Grape tomato occurs at between 65 and 70 days.
Some Grape tomato growers prefer to ripen the tomatoes indoors because Grape tomatoes are a cherry tomato type which is prone to mass splitting especially in the face of rain. For this reason, the right time to pick the Grape tomatoes is before the rains arrive.
In the absence of rain, if left on the vine to ripen, Grape tomatoes can be harvested when they turn an intense red. At this stage, they will become loose on the vine and are easy to pick. Beyond this point, the tomatoes will increasingly soften and also begin to lose some flavor.
When to Pick San Marzano Tomatoes
San Marzano tomatoes are ready to pick once they reach green mature stage at about 85 days after transplanting. When ripe, they turn fully red. The tomatoes can be picked green to ripen indoors. The variety can also be picked once the tomato displays a blush of color from green to yellowish.
The yellowish color will progress and shift to pinkish and finally red while indoors. San Marzano tomatoes are susceptible to concentric cracking which is tomato splitting that occurs around the shoulders.
Picking them before they fully ripen on the vine is also done to prevent this physiological damage. Nonetheless, some growers prefer to leave San Marzano tomatoes to fully ripen on the vine before harvesting.
When left on the vine, the tomatoes are picked when they attain a deep red color. Unlike other cultivars discussed, the squeeze test may not be exactly reliable for inexperienced growers when determining when to pick San Marzano tomatoes. San Marzanos remain firm even when ripe. This is because they are paste tomatoes which have thick flesh and are less juicy.
In South Italy where San Marzano tomatoes are famously grown under PDO, every 10 days fruit is picked bottom up from the base of the plant where it matures first due to proximity to the warm ground.
When to Pick Purple Tomatoes
Depending on variety, purple tomatoes are harvested when the shaded areas on the tomato turn from green to an underlying reddish color that permeates through the overlaying purple color. This is particularly the case with the popular Indigo Rose and Midnight Roma purple tomato cultivars as developed by Oregon State University.
Another way to tell if these tomatoes are ripe, according to the University, is when the purple color shifts from a shiny, dark black purple to a more pronounced dull brownish purple.
Nonetheless, different purple varieties and cultivars may also have other indicators. When to harvest purple tomatoes thus easily becomes a vexing experience especially for inexperienced first time growers of such varieties.
For example, other purple tomato cultivars such as the heirloom Cherokee purple (pictured) start off green like a regular tomato then have a color blush to light purple before ripening with a purple or dark purple color which may even have an appearance of black. These varieties are easier to determine when to pick because they switch from green to purple on the vine instead of green to red as regular tomatoes would do.
All in all, purple tomato varieties are not easy to tell when to pick because they do not provide the obvious cue of turning from a visually apparent green to red when ripe. The red color in purple tomatoes is masked by water soluble compounds called anthocyanins which produce the more prominent purple pigment in the tomato.
Anthocyanins are also found in purple broccoli, purple lettuce and purple eggplant, for example. Nonetheless, purple tomatoes can also be picked early as they start blushing before fully ripening on the vine so they can ripen in storage to protect them from pests, disease and other problems.
When to Pick Cherry Tomatoes
When harvested at this stage they can ripen indoors. Early picking of cherry tomatoes is often done to save the crop from splitting on the vine due to rains. Cherry tomatoes are particularly susceptible to splitting on the vine following rains, excessive irrigation or watering especially following a drought. They have thin tender skin which tears easily and when they split they tend to split en masse ruining what would have been a good crop.
Barring any threats or grower preference that may trigger early harvesting, cherry tomatoes can also ripen on the vine. Although color is the biggest indicator of when to pick cherry tomatoes, the grower can also use the squeeze test to check if the tomato is ready for picking. The grower typically looks for a feeling of give on the tomato fruit through a gentle squeeze. When ripe and ready to harvest, the cherry tomato will have a slight give.
Overall, regular red cherry tomatoes are relatively easy to tell when they have ripened because they tend to follow a certain pattern. The ripening begins with the fruit in the cluster that is closest to the vine leaving the other fruit on the same cluster distinctly green. This way it is quite obvious to the grower which fruit is ready to pick by way of distinct color contrast which intensifies to red the more ripened the fruit becomes.
When to Pick Heirloom Tomatoes
Pick heirloom tomatoes when they start showing a color change at the bottom or blossom end. The shoulders and rest of the tomato may remain quite green, however once the tomato has reached mature green stage and is starting to blush color at the bottom it is ready to harvest. The whole heirloom tomato will turn color on the counter indoors. However, note that some heirloom tomatoes do not necessarily turn full color when ripe. It is thus easy to miss them over ripening whilst expecting a full turn in color.
Furthermore, heirloom tomatoes such as the Brandywine tomato and all its color types typically grow big and are thus susceptible to splitting if left to fully ripen on the vine. For this reason, many growers prefer to harvest these varieties as soon as they turn color and are ready to complete the ripening indoors.
Nonetheless, some heirloom tomato varieties will fail to ripen indoors although picked with a color blush. Such varieties would have to be left to fully ripen on the vine in the midst of all the risks involved. According to a source specializing in heirloom tomato varieties, there are over 3000 heirloom tomato cultivars and 15000 varieties around the world which are being actively cultivated.
This is a reminder that there is no one-size-fits-all when deciding on when to pick heirloom tomatoes. Each variety under cultivation will have to be considered on a case by case basis until the grower gains enough experience and confidence in harvest timing of that particular variety.
Conclusion
When to pick tomatoes has been a matter of debate between growers for a long time. The main groups are those who advocate for early picking on one hand and those who favor vine ripening of tomatoes on the other hand. Nevertheless, when to pick regular tomatoes which expectedly turn from green to red when ripe is a simple and straightforward matter. However, things can get complex and confusing, especially when dealing with certain tomato varieties that come in a wide range of colors when ripe.
Furthermore, some cultivars such as the green tomato do not change color at all when ripe and can easily be left to overripen on the vine or whilst sitting indoors. In addition, heirloom tomatoes which grow very big tend to crack when left on the vine and will require early picking at the right moment. Overall, when to harvest tomatoes boils down to personal preference guided by the physiological indicators provided by the tomato fruit itself.
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