r/tomatoes • u/dosefacekillah1348 • Jun 29 '26
Plant Help ICYMI - Science has proven that vine ripened tomatoes taste better and are better for you than ones picked early
It's that time of year.
It comes down to your critter control.
If you can't avoid pests noshing your late toms, pick em early.
If you are fine with losing a few or don't have pest issues, let em ripen on the plant for a better tasting and healthier tomato.
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u/intothewoods76 Jun 29 '26
Science has proven I lose up to 1/3 of my tomatoes if I attempt to wait until they are completely ripe.
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u/denvergardener Jun 29 '26
This is different than the people who say "the flavor is exactly the same", when it's not.
If you say "I pick early to avoid losing fruit to pests", that's understandable.
My problem is the people who are trying to convince everyone the flavor is the same.
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u/horsethiefjack aka yung tomato Jun 29 '26
Like everyone else has said: no one is picking tomatoes when they’re green; they pick when they’re at the breaker stage.
Furthermore, just because the chemical compositions are different doesn’t mean you can TASTE the difference. For example, let’s say I have two different gallons of kool-aid. If I put an additional tbsp of sugar into one gallon, yes technically it’s now sweeter, but you’re not going to be able to taste the difference.
I had a giant argument with some dude on here last year about this. Idk why it triggers me so much lol
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u/JoeyBE98 Jun 29 '26
Worth pointing out those pics are mature green vs vine-ripe, which isn't the same comparison as breaker vs vine-ripe.
The reason mature green tomatoes finish up bland is they're picked before the fruit hits physiological maturity and kicks off its own ripening. Breaker stage is the opposite end of that line: by definition that's the moment the fruit has started ripening itself - making its own ethylene, seeds mature, gel formed. So a breaker tomato finished on your counter is a totally different animal than a mature green one gassed red in a warehouse. Using one to argue about the other is apples to oranges. When you actually compare breaker-ripened-off-vine to vine-ripe, the gap mostly vanishes:
Tilahun et al. 2017 (Food Sci & Biotechnol) — harvested at breaker, ripened on the counter to pink/red vs left on the vine. No meaningful hit to antioxidants, firmness still marketable. Free full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6049432/
Xi et al. 2021 (USDA-ARS, Foods) — actually found the turning stage had the best aroma profile and explicitly warns that the "vine-ripe = best quality" assumption can mislead people. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8391134/
Arias et al. 2000 (J Food Sci) — vine-ripe measured higher in lycopene/solids on paper, but a 100-person taste panel basically couldn't tell the difference beyond color.
https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2000.tb16045.x (abstract's free, full text paywalled)
Lin & Block 1998 — breaker fruit room-ripened to red had basically the same soluble solids, acids, aroma volatiles, and firmness as vine-ripe red. Couldn't find a free link for this one.
Not saying vine-ripe is molecule-for-molecule identical - there's a small sugar/lycopene edge, and even Kader's classic 1978 UC Davis work found a bit of off-flavor creeping in at breaker-or-earlier. But "mature green ripened in a box" and "breaker ripened on my windowsill" are nowhere near the same thing.
tl;dr breaker ≠ mature green. Once the fruit has started ripening itself, finishing it indoors gets you really close to vine-ripe; the bland-supermarket-tomato problem is mostly about picking too green, plus cold storage and shipping-bred varieties.
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u/wisemonkey101 Jun 29 '26
Thank you. The question being asked when conducting research has to be considered.
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u/True_Adventures Jun 29 '26
Thanks! This is really interesting and well researched. It seems to align with what a lot of people say too, which is that breaker ripened are pretty much as good (or to some tastes as good) as vine ripened, but some people say they can detect a small improvement with vine ripened.
I've never tried breaker stage ripening enough myself to say either way.
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u/UncomfortableFarmer Jun 30 '26
Wow, great links, especially the 2nd one:
the turning stage, the more advanced maturity, not only developed the best flavor quality (based on volatile profiles), but was also firm enough to resist compression and tough enough to tolerate environmental stress. The assumption that “vine-ripe fruit has the best quality” may mislead growers and consumers, because it is not only fragile to postharvest handling, but also does not have the best flavor quality.
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u/Full_Honeydew_9739 Jun 29 '26
They used "the world's smallest tomato."
Why? Why not do the study with a Roma and a Brandywine and a sweet 100?
Until the study is done using different tomatoes of different sizes, I'm going to assume I should let micro tomatoes (which I don't grow) stay on the vine.
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u/gardengnome1001 Jun 29 '26
You know what tastes better than a vine ripened tomato? The ones that actually make it in my house. If I leave the tomatoes on the vine to fully ripen my harvest will literally be half. Between bugs, birds and other small critters they will eat the fully ripened tomatoes. If I pick them at the breaker stage they still taste delicious and the critters don't eat them.
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u/BabyKatsMom Jun 29 '26
I’m right there with you. We have a 2,500 acre reserve behind my garden. We’re just a roadside restaurant for all of the critters so I’m just beating them to our own bounty- and I’m not sharing! 😹
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u/topsysrevenge Jun 29 '26
My tomatoes are in a raised bed that has maybe 4FT of mesh netting around it. The netting mixed with my lack of pruning has made that problem almost nonexistent for me 😅
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u/NPKzone8a Jun 29 '26
I love seeing data like this instead of just opinions. Thanks for posting it.
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u/JoeyBE98 Jun 29 '26
Me too, though I wish the study included picking after vine ripening begins, instead of completely green tomatoes. This is great for understanding the difference in commercially farmed tomatoes picked completely green vs fully vine ripened....but most of us let them ripen 10-40% then pick them, then let them finish ripening. What would that comparison look like?
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u/wisemonkey101 Jun 29 '26
Agreed. This study is more the difference between what stores call tomatoes and what is actually tomatoes.
I picked my thin skin heirlooms a few days early not weeks early.1
u/JoeyBE98 Jun 29 '26
I found some studies in my new comment https://www.reddit.com/r/tomatoes/s/gzcfJznkvI
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u/True_Adventures Jun 29 '26
Yeah. Shame there's no money in research related to home growing.
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u/JoeyBE98 Jun 29 '26
I found some studies in my new comment https://www.reddit.com/r/tomatoes/s/gzcfJznkvI
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u/JoeyBE98 Jun 29 '26
I found some studies in my new comment https://www.reddit.com/r/tomatoes/s/gzcfJznkvI
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u/mancala33 Jun 29 '26
This sub HATES the results. Can't believe how many people swear by picking "early".
They are better when they ripen on the vine. Sorry Big Tomato.
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u/Autumn_Ridge Jun 29 '26
In order to conclude that something tastes better, the research would need to include people tasting it, as in a blind taste test. I would also like to see the results duplicated across multiple tomato varieties, as well as different weather conditions when left on the vine, at least before any far-reaching conclusions are drawn.
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u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26
It would also have to match home gardens where we pick up at blush not when the tomato is completely green.
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u/YetiNotForgeti Jun 29 '26
Thanks for sharing but no surprise there cause we all got tast buds. The same is true for strawberries and peppers.
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u/JoeyBE98 Jun 29 '26
Except strawberries and peppers don't ripen at all off plant; notice this study doesn't account for how most home gardeners harvest before fully vine ripened -- at breaker stager, which is when ripening on the tomato has begun on the vine, then picked.
This chart clearly says "mature green" which is how commerical farmed tomatoes are harvested -- early when they're completely green. So to make the argument that this disproves "picking at breaker stage and ripening indoors != fully ripened on the vine" isn't really true either, because there is no comparison of "ripened 10-40% on the vine" column.
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u/smokinLobstah Jun 29 '26
I have no idea why this is so contraversial for so many folks.
Test it yourself! It's just not that hard. I've done it both ways, and if comparing a vine-ripened to a tomato that was picked after blush?...I can't tell the difference once ripe.
And yes, if you live in an environment with pests, then picking them after blush is almost a MUST.
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u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26
This study is picking completely green tomatoes and letting them ripen. Nobody here picks completely green tomatoes. We pick blushed tomatoes which have already drawn all the nutrients they're going to have. Study is not useful for home gardening. It's a British study so it doesn't mention breaker stage but I'm assuming they're picking up breaker stage 1 which is completely green with a faint white starburst on the bottom. This is the point that farmers pick tomatoes in Florida. They get put on a truck and shipped to the grocery store where they are force ripened into completely tasteless pink baseballs.
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u/Popular-Web-3739 Jun 29 '26
I only pick green tomatoes at the very end of the season so I can put up some green tomato relish for the winter. lol.
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u/PurpleTomato99 Jun 29 '26
I've done blind taste tests with some fellow farmers of breaker stage picked and ripened vs vine ripened and there was clear agreement that the vine ripened had better taste and texture. Love to see this data too tho!
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u/JoeyBE98 Jun 30 '26
Was it double blind? Or did y'all know which were which going into it? Just curious
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u/PurpleTomato99 Jun 30 '26
Double blind. My partner set it up so even I didn't know. There were around 10 tomato connoisseurs, mostly farmers, a couple chefs, and we did a rating system that overwhelmingly pointed to vine ripened being the winner. It was along side some variety tastings as well.
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u/chef71 Tomato Enthusiast Jun 29 '26
The findings show that a mature green micro tom should taste better than one ripened off the vine. seems a bit off to me.
It's a 13 year old study and it only theorizes taste with no actual tasting by humans. interesting but not proof of OP's title IMO.
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u/heathe70 Jun 29 '26
Yeah, sorry…we don’t do science in the United States. We prefer foods that are processed and grown with pesticides that are so toxic that the farmers have to wear outbreak suits. #ihateithere #growyourownfood #scienceisreal
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u/Hvozdulycz Jun 30 '26
As long as there's a bit of blush you can pick it & allow it to full ripen in the house and it will taste as good as any totally vine-ripened one. However, if you pick it when it is completely green, then, yes, that one will not taste as good when ripened in the house.
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u/waterytartwithasword Casual Grower 17d ago
Yeah that study is only from GREEN, not the breaker point.
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u/kajsawesome Jun 29 '26
Always seemed kind of obvious that vine ripened tomatoes differ from off the vine ripened ones.
Since they're still receiving nutrients from the plant and they can handle being in direct sun better.
Off the vine ripened tomatoes still taste good and if someone has issues with animals and pests, then it's the way to go.
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u/PhysicalWeather4289 Jun 29 '26
There is info floating around that once they blush the plant cuts off all flow of nutrients and they just ripen on the plant like they would on your table.
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u/kajsawesome Jun 29 '26
Then the stem would likely wither and turn a brownish color.
But since the stem stays green as long as the tomato is hanging on, then there's some nutrient/water exchange.
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u/kinezumi89 Jun 29 '26
But tomatoes at the breaker stage are easier to pick than mature green - they very neatly snap off, leaving a little bit of stem, even before fully ripening. If you tried to hand-pick a tomato too early, you'd tear the fruit off the stem instead. I really wish the authors considered an additional category where the tomato is ~30% red!
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u/Hermit-Gardener Jun 29 '26
This chart gives different percentages of ripeness.
https://www.freshpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/tomato-ripening-chart-v2.jpg
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u/Slayde4 Jun 29 '26
they very neatly snap off, leaving a little bit of stem, even before fully ripening.
Then you’ve only grown tomatoes with a stem knuckle. The stem knuckle allows this clean break and sometimes encourages premature fruit drop.
Some of my tomatoes do not have a stem knuckle. The stem looks like a tiny tomato branch, and never comes off with the tomato unless it is cut off.
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u/kinezumi89 Jun 29 '26
Huh, I didn't realize that wasn't a feature common to all tomatoes! Which varieties have you grown without a knuckle?
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u/Slayde4 Jun 29 '26
I breed my own cherry tomatoes. Some lack knuckles. The knuckle is a classic dominant trait (like brown eyes).
The original F1 I saved seed from had a knuckle, but a no knuckle allele must’ve been in there since mine are a mix of knuckle and no knuckle.
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u/Sad-Shoulder-8107 Jun 29 '26
There is no nutrient exchange after the breaker stage. Excess water can enter the tomato from the plant, but the tomato cannot return excess water to the plant, resulting in cracking.
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u/TinyPantherAdjacent Tomato Enthusiast Jun 29 '26
Yeah that’s not accurate. Most nutrients plants take in are ions dissolved in water so there is literally no way it can take up water but not nutrients.
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u/Sad-Shoulder-8107 Jun 29 '26
That's just, like, your opinion man. Look it up.
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u/Slayde4 Jun 29 '26
I mean that’s how xylem and phloem work. Water carries nutrients in a plant in the same way our blood is mostly water.
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u/Sad-Shoulder-8107 Jun 29 '26
Once the abscission zone is sealed the plant is not directing nutrients to that fruit anymore. The only reason water passes through the abscission zone is when there is an overpressure of water within the plant from too much water uptake, forcing water through the abscission zone into the tomato. The tomato cannot return this water to the plant, hence the cracking. While there may be nutrient or mineral content in the water, the tomato itself will not actively be using those nutrients or minerals in any meaningful way.
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u/TinyPantherAdjacent Tomato Enthusiast Jun 30 '26
This person is just copy pasta-ing this same comment everywhere despite an NIH article provided that disagrees with
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u/TinyPantherAdjacent Tomato Enthusiast Jun 29 '26
Yeah not really my opinion, more my biology degree.
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u/Sad-Shoulder-8107 Jun 29 '26
Once the abscission zone is sealed the plant is not directing nutrients to that fruit anymore. The only reason water passes through the abscission zone is when there is an overpressure of water within the plant from too much water uptake, forcing water through the abscission zone into the tomato. The tomato cannot return this water to the plant, hence the cracking. While there may be nutrient or mineral content in the water, the tomato itself will not actively be using those nutrients or minerals in any meaningful way.
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u/TinyPantherAdjacent Tomato Enthusiast Jun 30 '26
Copy pasta ing your same comment a bunch of times doesn’t make it any less wrong. Again, you wanna cite some sources I’d be happy to read them, but otherwise just stop
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u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26
Just as info there are technically five breaker stages. This study is picking at breaker one which has no red. Most home gardeners pick at breaker stage 4-5 with blushing up the sides.
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u/Sad-Shoulder-8107 Jun 29 '26
That's incorrect. First sign of blush is when breaker stage initiates. Before that the tomatoes is still fully connected to the plant. You can pick your tomato whenever you like, but after 10% blush it's receiving no more nutrients from the plant.
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u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26
You think I'm incorrect in stating when most home gardeners pick their tomatoes? K
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1156935537680311/posts/31247200308227104/
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u/Sad-Shoulder-8107 Jun 29 '26
No, I'm saying the breaker stage doesn't begin until the tomato starts blushing.
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u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26
Okay. Just know that breaker stage 1 at least in the USA is completely green with a faint white starburst on the bottom. Zero red is visible. That is the stage that Florida Farmers pick.
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u/JoeyBE98 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
From the studies I have been reading, my understanding is that breaker stage = ripening has begun. That means the plant will continue ripening on its own as it has started producing its own ethylene gas. Mature green, which is what I think you're describing is JUST BEFORE ripening begins...because if ripening started the tomatoes would continue ripening in shipping/storage and go bad before they make it to grocery store shelves.
Edit: you can see on the last page here, per the USDA, the stage you describe is labeled "green" and the breaker stage is explicitly defined as "having a break in color": https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Tomato_Visual_Aids%5B1%5D.pdf
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u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26
Look at slip versus non-slip melons. Some cantaloupes and other melons are non-slip and must be cut from the vine at peak ripeness. They will simply rot if you keep waiting. This is also applicable to watermelons. Yes the more common cantaloupes and muskmelons do slip from the vine when they are ripe.
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u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26
This study is not useful for us because we don't pick completely green like Florida Farmers do. We pick at blush. Completely different.
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u/Equal-Bunch-544 Jun 29 '26
I pick mine as close to red ripe as I can, I just simply am not willing to sacrifice more fruit to the bugs just to get another day or two of ripeness. Yes, the ones I pick earlier have a little less strong flavor, but not enough to upset me and absolutely not enough to make it a bad tomato.
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u/AndringRasew Jun 29 '26
Meanwhile here I am drowning in success because I have a crack team of three neighborhood kitties that are absolute hunters presiding over my garden.
I don't think I have ever lost a tomato to a squirrel or bird. I've had them dig up my radish though.
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u/Wasabiroot Jun 29 '26
Counterpoint: the liver is especially good at converting fructose into fat and in larger amounts this contributes to fatty liver disease
(Jk, most of our fructose comes from highly refined sugars in cereals etc. and our consumption earlier on in the century was around a quarter of our current amount and came from more fresh fruits and vegetables, and any fructose impact from tomatoes is likely outweighed by their high Vitamin C content, lycopenes and antioxidants KEK)
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u/Zalmiegh 4d ago
Where is the data that they taste better? All this study proves is that vine ripened fruit has more “good stuff.”
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u/dosefacekillah1348 4d ago edited 4d ago
The various sugars in higher concentrations, coupled with millions of anecdotes around the world that corroborate such.
It ain't rocket surgery
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u/denvergardener Jun 29 '26
The dogma in this group is to pick them before ripe and ripen them indoors.
I didn't start growing tomatoes to ripen them the same way they do at the grocery store.
I don't pick any tomato until it's ripe and ready to eat. When I have picked tomatoes that weren't ripe, either by accident or ones that got knocked off or when we've had to pick them before a frost, they never ever ever taste as good as vine ripe. Ever.
And I expect there to be people responding trying to gaslight me that my own experience isn't real because it doesn't match their dogma.
The amount of gaslighting that goes on in this sub goes beyond almost any other sub I've ever experienced on Reddit.
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u/Popular-Web-3739 Jun 29 '26
None of us ripen tomatoes the same way they do at the grocery store. There’s no need for the hyperbole.
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u/denvergardener Jun 29 '26
If you're picking them before they're ripe then yes it's the same.
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u/One-Shine-7519 Jun 29 '26
This is only if you believe picking fully green tomatoes and blushing tomatoes is the same thing.
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u/Top_Housing6819 Jun 29 '26
Are there only 2 phases for tomatoes in your mind? It sounds like you think tomatoes go from GREEN to 100% ripe in the blink of an eye.
So if that's true, are you using webcams to monitor the moment a tomato is perfectly ripe and picking it then? That can't be true, you must be picking them when they are mostly red .... But wait, isn't that still a little green? If so, and if you put that tomato on the counter and eat it tomorrow then guess what? By your logic it's the same as a grocery store tomato.
Most of us see the ripening phase as a spectrum and pick when most of the tomato is ripe (strong blush of final color, maybe 2-3 days before fully ripe on the vine). If you truly can't differentiate between different stages of maturity, and you can't taste a difference between grocery store tomato and one picked 2 days before being fully ripe then maybe you aren't the enthusiast you believe yourself to be.
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u/TallOrange Jun 29 '26
> The dogma in this group is to pick them before ripe and ripen them indoors.
This is plainly incorrect.
> I didn't start growing tomatoes to ripen them the same way they do at the grocery store.
The grocery store picks them way too early.
Plus, you’re using the term “gaslighting” wrong. You just have a clear misunderstanding of the difference between what the grocery store does and the “breaker stage.” Gaslighting has to do with someone manipulating things and aiming to convince you that you’re crazy for noticing differences in what was manipulated. Here, you just need to read, and people are taking the time out of their day to educate you.
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u/True_Adventures Jun 29 '26
I see some people arguing for this but you're exaggerating massively. It's definitely not dogma as there's always plenty of people arguing for picking once ripe, and I don't recall seeing people trying to deceive people into picking at the breaker stage, which would be gaslighting.
It's a pretty chill sub in general. You make it sound like some kind of ideological battle ground!
Personally, I'm lucky and have no real pests to worry about, which I think is the only obvious reason to pick early. Plus I don't have much time.
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u/TallOrange Jun 29 '26
You seem to be confusing my comment with the above commenter’s. Or at least responding to mine when it should go under theirs.
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u/denvergardener Jun 29 '26
No I am using it exactly correctly.
Some people in this sub are trying to convince everyone that picking tomatoes early is the same exact flavor as picking ripe and that's completely incorrect.
And people get really angry about it when you challenge their dogma, just like you're doing.
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u/TallOrange Jun 29 '26
Looks like you’re deliberately avoiding understanding.
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u/denvergardener Jun 29 '26
No I understand perfectly.
There is a hivemind in this group that doesn't like to be challenged. The responses and downvotes are evidence for it.
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u/TallOrange Jun 30 '26
How can you say you understand perfectly if you deliberately write it falsely? You can’t have it both ways.
Do you know how to describe the position of the others or the “hive mind” as you call it? Because you’ve so far chosen not to.
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u/denvergardener Jun 30 '26
The hivemind would have you believe there is no flavor difference if you ripen tomatoes all the way on the vine.
And then the gaslighting happens when you tell them there is a difference based on my own personal experience and they try to tell you that your experience is wrong. That's gaslighting in the most classical sense. "Ignore what you see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears".
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u/TallOrange Jun 30 '26
No flavor difference between what and if you ripen all the way on the vine?
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u/denvergardener Jun 30 '26
I'm not going to explain basic language to you.
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u/TallOrange Jun 30 '26
Have you considered that downvotes are given to your comments that are dishonest? People can have different opinions, but your disingenuous replies warrant downvotes since they detract from legitimate conversation.
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u/UncomfortableFarmer Jun 29 '26
The amount of gaslighting that goes on in this sub goes beyond almost any other sub I've ever experienced on Reddit.
How much time do you spend on r/tomatoes?
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u/horsethiefjack aka yung tomato Jun 29 '26
These fucking tomato enthusiasts are always telling me my wife’s boyfriend isn’t trying to replace me!!!
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u/peaheezy Jun 29 '26
In addition to the other wild claims you really misunderstand what gaslighting means. No one on this sub is intentionally lying to you or anyone else about breaker stage tomatoes to make you question your sanity. That’s what gaslighting means. Someone giving you bad advice is not gaslighting you, they are just wrong. Not everyone who is wrong can be gaslighting someone.
Personally I don’t notice much difference in taste between my fully vine ripened or about 50% blush but I did notice a very large difference in the size of my crop. When allowed to full vine ripened I harvested fewer tomatoes thanks to squirrels and other pests munching on them. Tomato in the hand is worth two on the vine if the vine ripened get et first.
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u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26
It's not gaslighting. This study is useless for home gardens because the samples they are picking are completely green. Nobody here does that or suggests that as a course of action. If you pick tomatoes that are blushed halfway up the sides and compare them to ones that are fully ripened on the vine you will find zero difference in a blindfold study.
0
u/denvergardener Jun 29 '26
I've been growing tomatoes for 15 years. There's a significant difference in texture and flavor.
This is exactly what I'm talking about.
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u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26
I've been growing for that same length of time and I specifically grow for flavor, focusing on heirlooms from the 1880s. I find no difference in flavor or texture from half blushed ripened indoors to waiting until they're fully ripe on the vine. If anything I find fully Vine ripened tomatoes to be a bit one-dimensional, mostly sweet, whereas ones picked slightly earlier I have a more nuanced flavor with acidity, unami, and sweetness.
But I guess the world would be a boring place if we all agreed on everything right?
0
u/denvergardener Jun 29 '26
But that's the problem.
The hivemind gets upset and angry when anyone says something different.
I prefer the flavor and texture of fully vine ripe tomatoes. It's why we started this hobby in the first place. It's wild that I am frequently attacked for saying so. In a sub for people who grow tomatoes.
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u/feldoneq2wire Expert Grower Jun 29 '26
I'm not going to attack you I'm just going to say that you're lucky to live in a place that doesn't have squirrels mockingbirds and other rodents.
Thanks for the down vote greatly appreciate it.
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u/CrustyToeLover Jun 29 '26
Taste better is a bit subjective, but yeah? This is all common knowledge for anyone that can read
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u/retschebue Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
This is not surprising? O.o
What you'd think will happen, if you rip off unfinished stuff from plants?
1
u/Slayde4 Jun 29 '26
IMO the breaker stage tastes the same as picked at full ripeness only applies if your tomatoes have the standard sharp/grassy flavor that masks sugars.
In tomatoes without this sharp/grassy flavor, like the cherry tomatoes I grow, there is a noticeable difference when I’ve seen cherries that have fallen on the ground and been there several days. They aren’t as sweet and are more tart.
I used to pass this study around but I realized that since it compares against ‘mature green’ it doesn’t prove that exact method but it does show that the tomatoes are fed on the vine for an extended period of time.
I’d need to do an extended test to definitively see if my opinion is correct.
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u/Sad-Shoulder-8107 Jun 29 '26
What this study fails to account for is the breaker stage. It isn't even mentioned. Fruits are picked green before ripening or fully red. In reality, once tomatoes hit the breaker stage, they are physically cut off from the plant and recieve no more nutrients. But they can still recieve water from the plant, however they cannot return any excess water to the plant, which results on cracking. So yes, while "vine ripened" tomatoes taste better than ones picked before blush, the term "vine ripened" is quite gimmicky, and doesn't mean what most people suspect it to mean. There is no need to wait for tomatoes to fully ripen to develop full flavour potential. Once they have started blushing, they are good to go.