Do vine ripened tomatoes taste better than others?

The question of whether a home grown tomato tastes better when it is vine ripened is a bone we could chew on for a long time without having everyone agree on the answer.

My guess is that the saying got started when super market no-taste-tomatoes came on the scene.They are bred for shipping and color, not for taste.They have no taste because they are not vine ripened.The saying caught on because it is still said and believed.It wouldn't matter how long they were on the vine, tomatoes bred for the commercial market have no taste.

I think a lot of people are the same way I was before I started gardening.It is the most popular belief promoted in online information.

People used to live within a mile of us.We went to each other's garden a lot.I would see a lot of bright red tomatoes when I visited my friends in tomato season.They didn't pick tomatoes unless they were going to eat them.In order to have good taste, the tomato had to be vine ripened.

I usually have tomatoes in December and January because I pick all of them before the hard freeze.I had a bumper crop of tomatoes before a hard frost last year.I asked our friends if they would like to have some tomatoes.I was aware that their tomatoes had stopped producing.One of the reasons their plants stopped producing was because they didn't pick them.

I asked if they would like to taste one of the tomatoes that had been ripened off the vine.They were amazed at the taste and flavor.Our friend said, "I guess we fell for the old saying that there is nothing like a vine ripened tomato."Boy!Were we wrong?

Every day I visit and harvest in my garden.The first blush of color on tomatoes is when I pick them.Sometimes if bugs are getting them, or if rain is expected, I will harvest them when they are green or yellow.A tomato stays on the vine for a long time in my garden.I am not giving up any flavor.

The window box romas and larger tomatoes were harvest yesterday.They were starting to turn color.

I keep them in my office because it's a warmer place than where I store ripe tomatoes.It's just warmer than cold.

I put them in a cooler location after they were red.I have a basket with 100 tomatoes in it.I keep tomatoes this way for a month because they are fully ripe and still the right amount of firmness.Some varieties last longer than others.

If you are new to raising tomatoes and want to do a little reading and video watching online, don't fall for the old idea that tomatoes need to be vine ripened to become good.

This is one of the best tips I have had this year from Theresa.The taste is the same.I have been able to use many tomatoes that I would otherwise have lost this year by harvesting early.The power of marketing is amazing.

Wow!That is good to know.I was kicking myself for not starting my tomatoes early enough so that they would be ripe before it got too cold.I will no longer feel bad about the trays of tomatoes I have to keep in my kitchen.Many thanks!

The power of marketing is very strong, not only with information on tomatoes, but so many other garden things as well.

Many people feel bad when they have to pick tomatoes before they are ripe.I hope they see this post and discover that you are not missing anything.

A very timely post!The branch snapped due to the weight of the tomatoes.Some of the tomatoes on that branch have notripened.I am happy to know I can still enjoy tomatoes.

I am sure you will be able to enjoy many from that broken branch.They will do great if they are too small and too far away from maturity.Theresa.

I like tomatoes.Birds and bugs wouldn't get them if I picked them before they turned red.We buy tomatoes in the farmer's market sometimes, but they don't have the same taste as garden tomatoes.

The vine-ripened tomatoes are superior to the ones that have been ripened off the vine.I have tried to ripen green tomatoes using the brown paper bag method, but they have always wrinkled and gone soft, so I usually throw them away.Maybe there will be a difference if I try this with blushing tomatoes.Are you covering your tomato basket?

I appreciate the tomato post.I am happy to hear that there isn't much difference and that it's not noticeable.When I left them on the vine, more bugs and birds could eat them making the harvest less fruitful.The creatures can't get to them as bad if I pick them when they start to turn.Thank you so much!!

I think I have seen the paper bag method online, but I wonder where they get all this stuff.It is from someone who has not gardened and doesn't deal with a lot of fresh produce, so I can understand why you have not had luck with it.Fruits and vegetables need air circulation when they are ripening and in storage.They start to rot if you don't cover the tomatoes in the paper bag.That is a sure way to get them to rot.

During the peak season, I keep tomatoes in a single layer flat basket with constant air circulation away from direct sunlight, according to my post How to Keep Tomatoes Through December for Eating Fresh.If the basket fills with ripe tomatoes, I know it's time to start preparing and freezing for winter use.

Sometimes green tomatoes have not had enough time on the vine.When I have to pick all the tomatoes in December or January because of a freeze, some just weren't long enough to keep up the ripening process.Tomatoes should be fine if you pick them when they are green or yellow.blushing tomatoes will be fine to eat.

As far as heirlooms are concerned, they don't hold as long as hybrid tomatoes.The heirlooms that I will never grow again are the ones that have been ripe for 4 weeks and are in perfect condition.

Ideally I would like to keep tomatoes on the vine until ripe for saving seed, but I am always afraid that something will happen to it to prevent it from maturing, so I pick it and let it grow inside.I've never had a problem.I can tell you that the result of the seeds is good and that it doesn't matter.You can leave the tomato on the vine if you want to.The blush stage is where you can pick it.

I hope this has helped Kiskin.Let me know how you do after this.You should not have a problem.I will do my best to answer your questions.Theresa.

Bearfoot Mama, I know that growing and selling heirloom tomatoes will make your life easier and your customers even happier.When they get their tomatoes that you have picked a bit ahead and allowed to mature inside, they will be absolutely delicious.Thank you for taking the time to comment!Theresa.

The way you communicate with your readers is wonderful.You give a lot of gardening information.I'm learning so many new things here, I am happy to have found your website.

Kiskin, you are very welcome.I am so happy that I have been a part of your learning experience.Keep me up to date.Theresa.

I am pulling my tomatoes out of the ground this week so I can get my garden ready for the fall and winter.There are a lot of green tomatoes on the vines.Is it possible to pick them green and store them?Is it possible to store them in flat cardboard boxes?

My pumpkins are taking off like gang-busters.I am praying for pumpkins for my kids.I need to keep the squash bugs away.

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge, especially to those first time gardeners like my family and me!!

Sorry to hear that you have late disease.The tomato post will address the Early and Late Blights on tomatoes.I will eventually get it done.If it is possible for you to do so, sow oats and field peas in your beds after you remove the plants from your garden.In the future, I will explain my reasoning behind this.You will have a nice cover if you sow thickly.

You can store your tomatoes if you pick them green.Tomatoes can be kept through December for fresh eating.

The flat cardboard boxes will be perfect.It is normal to loose some to rot and will allow the tomatoes to have air circulation.You will do well.

Your pumpkins are exciting!Keep an eye on those squash bugs.They should not have one of your garden's most exciting offerings of the season.

It's a pleasure to help you.Let me know if you have more questions.Theresa.

I don't have access to seed for oats right now, at least not without paying an arm and a leg for shipping, so any other cover crop I could sow with similar results as the oats/ field peas?

Let me know what you have access to.They can be used.It is possible to use wheat, but it is harder to deal with in the spring.I know you have a lot on your plate and wanted to make it easy for you.You have time for buckwheat, sown thickly.When it blooms, cut it.Place the beds on top of the straw.We will go from there if you tell me what you have access to.Theresa.

That's right, PS.If you have some on hand, you can sow snap beans.Allow to grow and sow more thickly.They will winter kill.Nitrogen and good stuff will be added to your beds when the roots decay.

I have red clover, wheat, and rye on hand.The site I order seed from has buckwheat in stock and I was intending on buying some anyway for my other beds as a cover crop, they're just sold out of oats right now.

I will have to look at what beans I have, I got a friend a large amount of beans when she decided she wasn't going to garden.

How would I cut it?My beds are raised.Is it possible to turn the buckwheat under with a shovel?

Sounds like you have a lot of options.It's an excellent cover to have wheat or rye.Next spring, you have to be on top of them.If you cut it early, you would have to dig them under since it would keep growing.If you wait until the pollen is hanging, you can cut it with a small sickle.Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and squash can be planted right into the stubble after it stops growing since the roots will decay and add great stuff to your soil.You can lay the green biomass on top as more mulch if you cut it early or late.You could compost it or use it for mulch.

Cut it with a knife.Sometimes I just pull it up and put it on top of the bed and cover it with straw.Sorta is like a compost pile with the greens and browns.straw or leaves would be your carbon if you were green.

If you want, you can turn the buckwheat under with your shovel.It would be great.The straw would still be thrown on top.

Ah, I found it!Theresa, I knew that you could save the seeds from the tomatoes that were ripened inside.I want to save seeds for next year because I have one ripening on my counter top.I think that any tomatoes that are still going strong are worth a lot to me.Thanks for the information.

I went to the garden to harvest today and it was cold, wet and dreary.I had a lot of vegetables.Most of the tomatoes on the vine are green or yellow.The tomatoes are cracking.I was glad I checked your previous post when I came inside.I am going back to the garden to pick the tomatoes that I left outside.I will let you know how it goes.

I will probably use my last tomato next week here in Virginia.No one else has any, but me.It is all about knowing what to do.You should be able to have tomatoes in the winter in Florida.

I don't know what the weather has been like, but it's always best to pick your tomatoes before a freeze.They keep improving that way.

At the end of this one, be sure to read the first two posts.There is more information in them.

I am not sure what your question has to do with picking tomatoes.You never know what you will get when you save seed from hybrid.The open pollinated ones are true to the parents.

This is the first year that the early and late blights did not destroy our plants.We have very healthy and productive tomatoe plants thanks to your tip about planting tomatoes in the rubble of the winter cover crop.Everyone in Europe has a misconception about ripening tomatoes in paper bags andvine-ripened tomatoes.Thanks so much for your wisdom.

July was the warmest month in the history of our region, so we will have bumper crops until first frost.The growing period is likely to last through December.

I am happy to hear that your tomato plants escaped the early and late disease this year.The gardeners in the area are thrilled.I would like to think that the tomatoes escaped late disease because of the stubble, but that may not be the case.It can be carried on the wind.It's still an excellent practice to plant your tomatoes in the stubble.

The myth of vine-ripened tomatoes will live on.It makes life a lot easier to know that you can grow them inside without losing their flavor.

I am happy to hear of your bumper crops.Take all the gusto that nature has to offer.Thanks for sharing.Theresa.

I have picked my tomatoes before a storm or at the end of the season.There is a good reason not to under normal circumstances.Tomatoes don't have the same amount of vitamins as a tomato left on the plant to mature.When a tomato is picked green, it will only contain half the amount of vitamins C and E, and they will loose even more nutrition sitting around waiting to turn red.They have lost a lot of their nutrition.It is best to leave them on the vine until they are ripe.

The paper bag ripening trick requires six small holes in the bag for air circulation.I put an apple or banana in with them to speed things up.It works for me.

The post has hit home.I moved a long time ago because I didn't want to leave my tomatoes behind.I wrapped them individually.They were put in a closet after I put them in boxes.I enjoyed fully ripe tomatoes for months and kept some on the window sill.I forgot the whole thing because I didn't have time to garden for several years, but we picked our tomatoes at the end of the season and froze them.I want to know what is wrong with you.Enjoy your garden, thanks again for your thoughts.

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