Need CLEAR answer: Will earlier-than-ripe picking hurt flavor ?

[Noreaster]

Okay, after several years of heirloom-growing, I still don't know:

Will picking semi-ripe heirlooms remove full taste ??????

Reason I'm seeking true answer from tomatovillians is that whatever has happened here in South Jersey....squirrels have now DRAMATICALLY increased their consumption in my garden over past few years.

The first ripe one......a good-sized Cherokee Purple, was attacked. And then others began yesterday. Last year lost an estimated 30% of crop.

If we picked at say 5-6 days early and keep in house at about 73 degrees.....will they in general taste the same once fully ripe ???????

Please answer truthfully !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Claudia]

I can't answer your question, but I had one along similar lines .......I have 2 Black Krim that are not ripe but they are starting to crack. I wondered if I could go ahead and pick them and if they would ripen inside????

[Labradors2]

I'd like to hear a truthful answer as well. People say that it doesn't make a bit of difference so, this year, I have picked everything at first blush so far. At least it saves my tomatoes from racoons, squirrels, etc. Then somebody mentions that you shouldn't pick Sun Gold early - huh? If that is the case, what other varieties should not be picked early? Is it an heirloom vs hybrid thing?

Linda

[b54red]

I find no real difference in taste when picking either fully ripe or at the blush stage. Actually some of the black tomatoes do a little better when picked a bit earlier because some of them tend to go from ripe to overripe too fast when outside in the sun during the hottest summer months. I like to pick the black tomatoes when they are about half way ripe and let them sit in the shade on my porch to finish ripening. I too have squirrels and lately birds messing up too many tomatoes so everything is getting picked a good bit early right now.

Bill

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

I'd like to hear a truthful answer as well. People say that it doesn't make a bit of difference so, this year, I have picked everything at first blush so far. At least it saves my tomatoes from racoons, squirrels, etc. Then somebody mentions that you shouldn't pick Sun Gold early - huh? If that is the case, what other varieties should not be picked early? Is it an heirloom vs hybrid thing?

Linda

Just a thought - did they mean you shouldn't pick and eat Sungold's early, or that you shouldn't pick Sungold's early and let them ripen off the vine? I think a lot of cherries get pulled off the plant and popped right into the mouth, so maybe that's why the comment was made?? I've never grown Sungold's, so I can't speak from experience.

I think the only to know for sure, since taste is so subjective, is to find a plant with two tomatoes at about the same stage. Pick one at first blush and leave the other on the plant to ripen, and once they are ripe, do a taste comparison. Personally, I'm very pleased with the flavor of my tomatoes ripened off the vine, and so far it has eliminated the loss of fruit to critters.

[KarenO]

I pick at blush stage except for cherries. I find no appreciable difference in flavour and avoids lots of problems from critters and cracking from rain in particular. Also very easy to miss the perfect stage and have overripe fruit when they are on the plant and can become overripe mush in one day.I don't bother with cherries because there are too many of them although when I go out to pick a bowlful I pick all the ones with color.

[Tania]

Originally Posted by KarenO

I pick at blush stage except for cherries. I find no appreciable difference in flavour and avoids lots of problems from critters and cracking from rain in particular. Also very easy to miss the perfect stage and have overripe fruit when they are on the plant and can become overripe mush in one day.I don't bother with cherries because there are too many of them although when I go out to pick a bowlful I pick all the ones with color.

I fully agree with Karen.

Squirrels were horrible last year, picking ripe cherry tomatoes and biting into many larger fruits, green or ripe.

This year we have a family of crows taking over our compost area, and so far they chased all squirrels away (but they ate our cherries (not tomatoes)). We'll see what happens later this summer.

Rats found our ripening peppers, and biting into many fruits, probably looking for seeds. Rat traps do not help too much, they still do lots of damage in pepper beds.

[Kazfam]

I have picked all of mine at first blush because of rapid EB and hornworm problems. They have been delicious - best tasting tomatoes I have grown thus far.

Manalucie, Arkansas Traveler, San Marzano, Large Red Cherry.

I set them on my south facing window sills and within a few days they are ripe.

[brokenbar]

I'm with Salix...I have had 400 pounds of green tomatoes ripening at the end of the season (which in Wyoming was always a crap shoot...) I use those Rubbermaid "under the bed" clear trays as my growing trays and that is what I put all the green tomatoes in. Sort through each day and move blushing to a tray and riper to a tray, etc. Honestly,,,if there is any difference in taste, I have never found it. I dry most of mine anyway and never noticed one lick of difference between vine ripened and ripened off the vine. Squirrels...dirty little thieves!

[Noreaster]

Thanks very much to all who posted .

Am glad that the general advice overall is that there will be little if any difference in taste when you pick 'em once they begin to blush and mature off the vine.

THANK GOD.

Just came back in with a dinner plate full of blushed tomatoes. Unfortunately, also found four of my largest fruit (one pound plus) today with big squirrel bites.

So beginning tomorrow I will be picking anything that has begun to blush. Oh, and will also be laying them down in one of those plastic under-the-bed plastic boxes with paper towels lining the bottom. Will be on back deck in the sun, covered by netting that people use to protect grapes from the birds.

If in broad daylight the squirrel rats try to break into the boxes, and I happen to be home and see them........well.......anybody know what you can make out of
squirrel fur ????????????

[KarenO]

Important note though: never refrigerate them. That absolutely does affect the flavour negatively.
KarenO

[RayR]

This thread was on the same subject
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...g+unripe+fruit

The link that Dice put up on the end of that thread tells you everything you need to know.
At First Blush, Harvest Tomatoes

I don't think Cherry tomatoes are any different. I don't usually pick cherries unripe, but sometimes you'll get some that fall off the vine themselves. As long as they were blushing I never noticed any loss of flavor when they ripened up on the counter, including Sungold.

[Labradors2]

RayR,

Many thanks for posting the links. This really spells it out for us.

Linda

To Father's Daughter. I looked everywhere on the forum for that comment about SunGold, but was unable to find it. Maybe SunGold is different - hehehehe!

Linda

[habitat_gardener]

Me too: I pick at first blush both to avoid critter damage (and human predation at community gardens) and because they're easier to transport when they're not soft and ripe. I pick cherries when they're about half ripe because I don't always get to every garden in time to catch them at fully ripe. I do end up giving away many of the cherry tomatoes, but this way, I don't have to compost overripe ones -- or attract critter damage from fallen fruit.

[salix]

And those of us in short season areas often need to pick early before a forecasted big freeze. They ripen and taste just fine - and sure beat out store bought. I have often had several hundred pounds of tomatoes ripening indoors. I find it very convenient (after the initial washing and sorting) to go through them and pick out the ones that need processing on a daily basis.DSC00864.jpg