I have not picked any ripe tomatoes yet, but I sure have a bunch of green ones. I am counting the days until I get a nice, juicy, plump, red tomato. With a little luck, I’ll have some that will be ripe by July 4th. It would be nice if it was just before the 4th, the fresh tomatoes would be great for the holiday!
I figured it would be a great time to talk about knowing when a tomato is ripe for the picking. It may seem that knowing whether a tomato is ripe or not is a silly question. Everyone knows that a tomato is ripe when it turns a bright red hue, right?
Not necessarily.
With so many different heirloom varieties available today it can be confusing on when a certain tomato is ripe or unripe. There are varieties that are green when ripe, some that are dark red, some bright red, and some that are black. For someone that is growing their first heirloom tomatoes that are Green Zebra
- Always check the plant tag or seed packet – I always keep any plant tags or seed packets of vegetables I have planted. These come in handy for future reference during the growing season. There should be information there on what hue or color the tomato will be when it’s ready to pick. This is very important to know – if you pick a tomato when it is bright red, but it is supposed to be a pinkish hue when ripe, the tomato might not be as flavorful. You don’t want the tomato to become over-ripe either.
- Check the weight of the tomato – Check the weight of the tomato to see if it seems heavier than it should. No, I’m not saying your tomato should go on a diet. A ripe tomato always feels like it’s heavier than an unripe one. If you are unsure about this, try holding a ripe tomato in one hand and an unripe in the other (with both being about the same size). The ripe one should feel heavier.
- Check with your nose, because your nose will know – Get as close as possible to the tomato in question, and give it a good sniff. A ripe tomato will have a garden fresh aroma that is quite different than an unripe tomato. Go ahead – give it a try. I’m not making this stuff up, I promise!
- Give the tomato a squeeze – Give the tomato a gentle, light squeeze. A ripe tomato should feel fairly soft (but not mushy) when squeezed. An unripe tomato will most likely be hard as a baseball.
I hope this helps clear up some confusion on whether your fast-approaching tomatoes are ready or not. I would love to hear some of your tomato checking methods, or any pictures you may have of tomatoes that you have picked so far this year. Please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
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