Is Vine Ripening Better?

[sunnychooks]

I have loads of tomatoes that are pulling my plants down (even though they're supported). I've been taking the tomatoes that are just starting to turn red and letting them ripen indoors so that there wouldn't be as much weight on the plant. I hear so much about about vine-ripened fruit and veggies that I was wondering if the ones that ripen on the plants are better. Should I let them stay on the vines to ripen or doesn't it matter?
Thanks!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

In my opinion, once they start to get colorful, I can't really tell the difference between the ones I picked early and the ones I let ripen fully on the vine. However, I do try to let them vine ripen for the most part. I suspect "vine ripened" is a big deal if you are comparing it to regular grocery store tomatoes which may be picked before they even start to get colorful (I can't remember, but I think that is typically how they are picked so that they ripen on the way to the store).

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Here is an article I found. The conclusion the author comes to is that you don't need to vine-ripen to get all the flavor. What I will argue, though, is that if you are planning to hot water bath can your tomatoes, you should pick them when they are ripe. If you pick them before they are ripe, supposedly they won't be acidic enough for water bath canning.

 

[bid]

I tend to pick slicing tomatos a bit early, not totally ripened. There is usually a supply sitting on the kitchen counter in various stages of ripening. Especially when they first few start to turn... I want to make sure I get them before something else does. I can't tell the difference personally in taste.

Depending on the variety you might get more yeild out of a plant by picking slightly early as well.

 

[sunnychooks]

Thank you both so much. This is exactly the information I was hoping to get! The article is excellent!!!

 

[patandchickens]

I think the real meaning of "vine-ripened" in produce-department advertising lingo is "not picked when still dead green and rock hard".

Things that you allow to get mostly (or even, frankly, *partly*) ripe on the plant will aways be waaaaay better than ones picked when they're like small green bowling balls.

However that is not of any real relevance to home gardeners

Personally, I like a tomato with a bit of texture and tang to it, and I find that many varieties just get a little too mushy and bland if allowed to get 100% ripe on the vine. So I often pick 'em when they are only about 98-99% ripe, and let them sit in the kitchen for a day.This is totally a matter of personal taste however.

There are some things that should NOT be allowed to ripen on the plant. Bartlett pears come to mind. Ripened on the tree, they are gritty and stony. Picked when ripeNING but still firm and a bit greenish, and ripened in a cool kitchen or pantry, they get all buttery smooth and juicy and the way a Bartlett type pear should be.

Then there are other things, like cantaloupes, that stop dead in their tracks the moment you pull them off the vine, so they'd better be dead ripe when you do it.

Pat