Vine ripe tomatoes

To me, it means ripened all the way while still on the plant. But, this
would make for too much spoilage during shipment. The next step past
ripeness is mushiness, which means the tomato will be all but useless to
slice for sandwiches or salads. In my local store, they just call them "vine
tomatoes", or "tomatoes on the vine", because they display them in bunches
with vine attached. No mention of the word "ripe". Maybe somebody called
them on it. Not that it matters, although it could conceivably upset the
yahoos who wonder why there's no sauce in a box of spaghetti, hence the
phrase "Serving Suggestion".

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What exactly does "vine ripe tomatoes" mean? Clearly the words are not
used in the common dictionary sense which would suggest that the
tomatoes are red and ripe at the time of picking.

Recently my tenants (who work in the tomato mines) gifted me two boxes
of tomatoes, which were picked green and took about two weeks to ripen
indoors. When they were ready to eat they were absolutely
excellent--deep red, beefy, sweet etc., but they came to me in boxes
labeled "vine ripe" which they could never have been, not in the
literal sense of the words, since they were picked green.

I also bought "vine ripe" tomatoes recently from a roadside stand, but
they were also definitely three or four days short of ripeness.

It is not that I really care if the tomatoes are ripe or not. I prefer
to ripen them in the sun on the kitchen window sill anyway, but I would
appreciate it if anyone can explain what "vine ripe" means to a tomato
grower.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

What exactly does "vine ripe tomatoes" mean?

Very little. I worked in a produce warehouse for two summers, and the
tomatoes all came in green and rock hard. They also all had stickers that
said "vine ripened". At least they were allowed to ripen naturally. The
bananas also came in green, and we used ethylene gas to ripen them.

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS
[email hidden]

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What exactly does "vine ripe tomatoes" mean? Clearly the words are not
used in the common dictionary sense which would suggest that the
tomatoes are red and ripe at the time of picking.

Recently my tenants (who work in the tomato mines) gifted me two boxes
of tomatoes, which were picked green and took about two weeks to ripen
indoors. When they were ready to eat they were absolutely
excellent--deep red, beefy, sweet etc., but they came to me in boxes
labeled "vine ripe" which they could never have been, not in the
literal sense of the words, since they were picked green.

I also bought "vine ripe" tomatoes recently from a roadside stand, but
they were also definitely three or four days short of ripeness.

It is not that I really care if the tomatoes are ripe or not. I prefer
to ripen them in the sun on the kitchen window sill anyway, but I would
appreciate it if anyone can explain what "vine ripe" means to a tomato
grower.

Sounds like marketing hype. By the way, in the sun is not the best way to
ripen tomatoes. Sun has nothing to do with it. Sealed in a brown paper bag
is probably best.

--
Peter Aitken

jm_1951 said:

What exactly does "vine ripe tomatoes" mean? Clearly the words are not
used in the common dictionary sense which would suggest that the
tomatoes are red and ripe at the time of picking.

My friend farms tomatoes along with quite a few other crops. They pick
tomatoes them when the first color change occurs. Currently only about
half the tomatoes even get out of the patch in condition to sell as #1's
(zero flaws.) If they were picked when they were actually ready to eat,
they would be mush before getting to market.

True vine ripe (very red in color)is something a very small producer may
provide to a local farmers market, but not likely a larger producer who
typically supplies the grocery store.

Yes you would think vine ripe would mean vine ripe, but it is sorta like
Fat Free labels (not true).

"Cluster" tomatoes in the grocery store are probably grown in a
greenhouse with 90+% #1s. And are probably varieties that are selected
for such treatment but not harvested bright red.

Quoted message said:

What exactly does "vine ripe tomatoes" mean? Clearly the words are not
used in the common dictionary sense which would suggest that the
tomatoes are red and ripe at the time of picking.

Recently my tenants (who work in the tomato mines) gifted me two boxes
of tomatoes, which were picked green and took about two weeks to ripen
indoors. When they were ready to eat they were absolutely
excellent--deep red, beefy, sweet etc., but they came to me in boxes
labeled "vine ripe" which they could never have been, not in the
literal sense of the words, since they were picked green.

I also bought "vine ripe" tomatoes recently from a roadside stand, but
they were also definitely three or four days short of ripeness.

It is not that I really care if the tomatoes are ripe or not. I prefer
to ripen them in the sun on the kitchen window sill anyway, but I would
appreciate it if anyone can explain what "vine ripe" means to a tomato
grower.

To me it means tomatoes that were allowed to ripen on the vine not on a
window sill or in a greenhouse. I have about 20 tomato plants in the
garden right now. Until we get threatened with a frost all tomatoes
will ripen on the vine and be picked fully ripened. If a frost
threatens, we remove the green tomatoes and allow them to ripen on
window sills or in the greenhouse. The tomatoes, while good, do not
taste as good as vine ripened. I have 6 or 7 tomato plants started in
the greenhouse as well. These are quite a bit larger than the plants
outdoors. We just moved them outdoors as it is too much work trying to
keep the greenhouse cool.

Quoted message said:

What exactly does "vine ripe tomatoes" mean? Clearly the words are not
used in the common dictionary sense which would suggest that the
tomatoes are red and ripe at the time of picking.

Quoted message said:

From this USDA web site:

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Amberwaves/April05/Features/GreenhouseTomatoes.htm

" There are two types of round field tomatoes-mature green and vine
ripe. Mature green tomatoes are the backbone of the U.S. fresh field
tomato industry and are the major type of tomato grown in Florida and
California, with minimal production in Mexico. They are harvested at an
early stage; while still green, they are sufficiently mature to ripen
after harvest when treated with ethylene gas, the plant's natural
ripening agent. Mature green tomatoes are firm, have a long shelf-life,
and slice well. They are also one of the lower cost tomatoes. Mature
green tomatoes are the dominant tomato in food service, particularly in
the fast food industry.

Vine ripe tomatoes are harvested at a slightly riper stage and ripen
fully without ethylene treatments. During the winter, most of the vine
ripe tomatoes consumed in the United States come from Mexico, with
Florida as a minor supplier. During the summer, southern California and
Baja California are the main suppliers. Mexican round tomato exports
are almost entirely vine ripe. While the vine ripe tomato may appeal to
some high-end foodservice firms, most sales have traditionally been to
the retail market, in part due to a generally higher cost than mature
greens. However, with short supplies of mature green tomatoes in fall
2004, foodservice buyers were more willing to try other types of
tomatoes as substitutes. This may lead to shifting foodservice
preferences over time."

On Wed 13 Jul 2005 11:28:06a, wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

What exactly does "vine ripe tomatoes" mean? Clearly the words are not
used in the common dictionary sense which would suggest that the
tomatoes are red and ripe at the time of picking.

In the truest sense, that's precisely what it means. Granted, many tomatoes
are sold as such, but in reality have been picked before full ripeness has
been reached.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

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~patches~ said:

Quoted message said:

What exactly does "vine ripe tomatoes" mean? Clearly the words are not
used in the common dictionary sense which would suggest that the
tomatoes are red and ripe at the time of picking.

Recently my tenants (who work in the tomato mines) gifted me two boxes
of tomatoes, which were picked green and took about two weeks to ripen
indoors. When they were ready to eat they were absolutely
excellent--deep red, beefy, sweet etc., but they came to me in boxes
labeled "vine ripe" which they could never have been, not in the
literal sense of the words, since they were picked green.

I also bought "vine ripe" tomatoes recently from a roadside stand, but
they were also definitely three or four days short of ripeness.

It is not that I really care if the tomatoes are ripe or not. I prefer
to ripen them in the sun on the kitchen window sill anyway, but I would
appreciate it if anyone can explain what "vine ripe" means to a tomato
grower.

To me it means tomatoes that were allowed to ripen on the vine not on a
window sill or in a greenhouse. I have about 20 tomato plants in the
garden right now. Until we get threatened with a frost all tomatoes
will ripen on the vine and be picked fully ripened. If a frost
threatens, we remove the green tomatoes and allow them to ripen on
window sills or in the greenhouse. The tomatoes, while good, do not
taste as good as vine ripened. I have 6 or 7 tomato plants started in
the greenhouse as well. These are quite a bit larger than the plants
outdoors. We just moved them outdoors as it is too much work trying to
keep the greenhouse cool.

'Zactly what I do... immaturely picked tomatoes left to ripen off the
vine will not taste nearly as good as true vine ripened. Also
immaturely harvested tomatoes while ripening will lose substantial
moisture, will become seedier (more seeds will mature), the skin will
become substantially thicker and the texture will change to one that is
more congealed... all Mother Mature's way of ensuring reproduction
under less than ideal conditions. I've also got about 20 tomato plants
in the ground, all doing very well, most alrady have small green
tomatoes. Yesterday I picked my first four yellow crookneck squash,
very nice with roast pork and basmati with black beans. I can hardly
wait for the tomatoes to ripen, perhaps another 2-3 weeks.

Sheldon said:

~patches~ said:

Quoted message said:

What exactly does "vine ripe tomatoes" mean? Clearly the words are not
used in the common dictionary sense which would suggest that the
tomatoes are red and ripe at the time of picking.

Recently my tenants (who work in the tomato mines) gifted me two boxes
of tomatoes, which were picked green and took about two weeks to ripen
indoors. When they were ready to eat they were absolutely
excellent--deep red, beefy, sweet etc., but they came to me in boxes
labeled "vine ripe" which they could never have been, not in the
literal sense of the words, since they were picked green.

I also bought "vine ripe" tomatoes recently from a roadside stand, but
they were also definitely three or four days short of ripeness.

It is not that I really care if the tomatoes are ripe or not. I prefer
to ripen them in the sun on the kitchen window sill anyway, but I would
appreciate it if anyone can explain what "vine ripe" means to a tomato
grower.

To me it means tomatoes that were allowed to ripen on the vine not on a
window sill or in a greenhouse. I have about 20 tomato plants in the
garden right now. Until we get threatened with a frost all tomatoes
will ripen on the vine and be picked fully ripened. If a frost
threatens, we remove the green tomatoes and allow them to ripen on
window sills or in the greenhouse. The tomatoes, while good, do not
taste as good as vine ripened. I have 6 or 7 tomato plants started in
the greenhouse as well. These are quite a bit larger than the plants
outdoors. We just moved them outdoors as it is too much work trying to
keep the greenhouse cool.

'Zactly what I do... immaturely picked tomatoes left to ripen off the
vine will not taste nearly as good as true vine ripened. Also
immaturely harvested tomatoes while ripening will lose substantial
moisture, will become seedier (more seeds will mature), the skin will
become substantially thicker and the texture will change to one that is
more congealed... all Mother Mature's way of ensuring reproduction
under less than ideal conditions. I've also got about 20 tomato plants
in the ground, all doing very well, most alrady have small green
tomatoes. Yesterday I picked my first four yellow crookneck squash,
very nice with roast pork and basmati with black beans. I can hardly
wait for the tomatoes to ripen, perhaps another 2-3 weeks.

Our tomatoes are coming along. We should be picking ripe ones within a
day or two. Zucchini, OTOH, is producing quite nicely 🙂

"Vine Ripe" tomatoes are very similar to mature green tomatoes. They
usually pick them at the "breaker" stage, which means the green tomato
has a spot of orange color on it. Most of the tomato is still green,
and they are finished the same way as a mature green tomato, with
ethylene gas. Either way, the tomato can develop flavor, it just needs
to ripen a bit more even after you buy them. The flavor will never get
to the quality of a fully ripe tomato picked right of the vine, but
more tomatoes can be produced and they last longer on the shelf at the
store.

Where I'm at now, the roadside vendors are better than most stores, but
a month or so from now, the roadside vendor will be far better than any
store.

If you're going to sauce the tomato, you are better off buying canned
tomatoes. They don't have to worry about shelf life for those, so they
can be picked when they are ripe.

Dean G.

Quoted message said:

What exactly does "vine ripe tomatoes" mean?

Interesting question. See:

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Amberwaves/April05/Features/GreenhouseTomatoes.htm

and look for the large green section toward the bottom of the page. It
seems that "vine ripe" means "picked green, but mature enough to ripen
without ethylene treatment."

Still a long way from pulling off the plant, bright red (or whatever
color they're supposed to be), and putting in tonight's salad. :-)

Dean G. said:

"Vine Ripe" tomatoes are very similar to mature green tomatoes. They
usually pick them at the "breaker" stage, which means the green tomato
has a spot of orange color on it.

I'm looking forward to the day when, instead of a little sticker that
says "vine ripened," the bar code will indicate the date the fruit was
picked. That still wouldn't tell the whole story since refrigeration
and handling have a lot to do with the quality of the produce too, but
it would be useful information.

--Lia

In article <[email hidden]>, Julia Altshuler

Quoted message said:

I'm looking forward to the day when, instead of a little sticker that
says "vine ripened," the bar code will indicate the date the fruit was
picked. That still wouldn't tell the whole story since refrigeration
and handling have a lot to do with the quality of the produce too, but
it would be useful information.

I don't think they want you to know. When I worked in a produce
warehouse, we had rolls of stickers that said "FRESH MONDAY", etc. I
thought they were hilarious. Very little of the produce we handled spent
less than a week in our warehouse, plus it often had been stored at a
warehouse at the grower. Then it goes to the store, where it sits in a
cold room for some time. When I saw "FRESH MONDAY", I immediately
wondered *which* Monday?

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS
[email hidden]