There are two thing that let me know it ’s summertime in Dallas : the smell of fresh cut grass and the taste perception of homegrown tomato . And every summer , gardeners debate the same question :
Are tomatoes ripened on the vine as good as tomatoes ripened on the countertop?
Havinggrown tomatoesfor nearly two decades , I have it away at first hand that a tomato can be picked at the first sign of ripening and pull up stakes to ripen indoors with very petty perceptible difference in quality .
In my opinion , this is the easy , most efficacious way to protect your crop from pest harm or theft .
But I wanted to hump the science behind my understanding . Could I fall apart the myth that a Lycopersicon esculentum left to mature to the full on the vine taste importantly better ?
What exactly is a vine-ripe tomato?
When gardeners talk about a vine - ripened love apple , they are typically referring to a Lycopersicon esculentum that reaches ready - to - eat due date while still attached to the vine . But tomato scientists tell a unlike taradiddle .
In 1998 , the Los Angeles Times release an article written by Russ Parsons title , “ The Ripe Time ” . The article notes that tomato scientist consider a tomato to be “ vine - ripe ” at the breakers stage and beyond .
The tomato “breakers” stage
accord to theUSDA , a tomato plant reaches “ breakers ” stage when “ there is a definite break in colour from green to tannish - yellow , pinkish or red on not more than 10 percent of the Earth’s surface . ”
what is more , scientists who contemplate tomato flavor say that “ all of the components necessary to make a great love apple are present ” at breaker stage , according to Parson ’s clause .
So, is a tomato picked at breakers stage just as good?
Marita Cantwell , a post - harvest specialist at the University of California Postharvest Center , is quoted in the article :
A vine - ripe [ tomato ] can mature into a tomato that is nearly undistinguishable from what it would have been if it had been leave on the vine [ … ] if it is kept between 55 and 65 degrees during ripening .
Cantwell blow up upon this in a 2017presentation , and widens the orbit of temperature up to 68 degrees . Otherstudiessuggest that tomatoes allowed to ripen at 68 degrees are fresh and have more “ tomato like ” flavor than those held at 54 level .
Let’s dig deeper into the science of tomato ripening
So what just happens as a tomato ripens ?
According to the bookThe Tomato Crop : A Scientific Basis for Improvementpublished in 1986 :
What gives tomato flavor
So why all the confusion?
Much of the myth surround vine - ripen garden tomatoes can be attributed to good ole selling tactics . The beautiful , bright red tomato at the foodstuff with a “ vine - ripened”label ? Yep . pick at breakers .
But confusion also stem from a oftentimes cited1978 studythat equate flavor between tomatoes harvest early and tomato picked at table - advanced stage .
Mature green versus light pink
Researchers in the1978 studyfound that ahead of time harvested fruit was rated “ lower in fruity - floral perfume and sweetness , and rated higher in sullenness and “ off - flavor ” . However , what often goes unmentioned is that the ahead of time - glean tomatoes that produced this effect were pluck atthe mature green stage .
The subject area goes on to state that sensory differences among fruits harvest at the loose pink phase were small-scale when equate to fruits harvested at mesa - ripe .
The authors wrote in their decision that tomatoes should be harvested as close to board - mature maturity for the best quality , butsubsequent studiesconducted by the scientists at UC Davis have shown that the difference in Tritable Acids ( flavor ) between tomatoes harvested at breakers and table - ripe is less than .03%.Additional studiesshow that the difference in full clams compounds between full good and intermediate ripe tomatoes is only 3.33 % versus a remainder of 28.8 % between full ripe and mature green .
The takeaways
Here are the key takeaway :
Internet “facts”
In my research , I discovered three separate articles , one inThe Winston - Salem Journal , another from aKansas State Extension , and another atGardeningKnowHow.com , that used nearly theexact same wordingto describe why a tomato is ready to cull at the surf stage :
“ When the Lycopersicon esculentum reach the surf stage of about half unripened and half pinkish - Bolshevik , a layer of cadre shape across the stem turn of the tomato seal off it off from the independent vine . When this happens , nothing can pass between the fruit and the stem turn . ”
I do n’t know who borrow from who , butnone of these articles cited references to patronage this claim , and I could ascertain no scientific evidence to brook that a bed of cell forms across the stem sealing it off from the main vine.(If someone can prove me wrong on this , touch me . )
For more information about tomato ripening
More selective information and the germ credited :
Parsons , R. ( 1997 ) . The Ripe Time . Los Angeles Times .
yield mature and Retail Handling Workshop , Postharvest Technology Center , UC Davis , April 18 - 19 , 2017
USDA , Tomatoes , Shipping Point and Market Inspection Instructions , December 2005 , , Revised , April 2008 , HU-153 - 13(a ) , Page 26
Atherton , J. G. ( 1986 ) . yield ripening and caliber . InThe tomato work a scientific cornerstone for improvement(pp . 241 - 280 ) . London : Chapman and Hall .
Kader , A. ( 1978 ) . Composition and flavor lineament of fresh mart tomatoes as influenced by some postharvest treatment operation . Journal of the American Society for Horticulture Science , January 1978 .
- The author of the 1978 study drop a line in their “ ending ” that love apple should be harvest as close to table - mature maturity for the best quality , butsubsequent studiesconducted by the scientists at UC Davis have present that the difference in Tritable Acids ( relish ) between Lycopersicon esculentum harvest at ledgeman and table - ripe is less than .03%.Additional studiesshow that the conflict in full sugar compounds between sensitive advanced tomato and full ripe tomatoes is 3.33 % versus a difference of 28.8 % between mature green and full advanced .
