Green Grape and Black Cherry - color when ripe?

[Fert1]

My Green Grape and Black Cherry plants are finally ripening up some fruit for me. I just wondered what color they should be when ripe, as in do they still have green shoulders?

I know some say go by feel more than color, but with cherries, some stay firmer than others. I'd like to at least know when I'm in the ballpark colorwise. At least with cherries if you mess up, there are lots more to practice with, but I still hate to waste any. I've heard Green Grape needs to be fully ripe to have the best flavor.

[nctomatoman]

Green Grape is deer amber yellow on the outside, green inside when ripe. Black Cherry is a uniform purplish pink color. I don't have a pic of Green Grape, but below is Black Cherry from my garden.

[KCMO_Don]

My black cherries have really great flavor when the shoulders are still green.
Mine never make it past that stage before my wife nails em!!

[Fert1]

So do both varieties still have green shoulders when ripe, or do I wait for the green to go away?

[Earl]

Here's a cherry comparison.

[Fert1]

Thanks for the photo, Earl! That definitely helps. I still can't tell if the shoulders are still green though. Do those varieties keep green shoulders even when ripe?

[nctomatoman]

Fert, green shoulders would be hard to tell on Green Grape - and for black varieties like Black Cherry, the shoulders often stay a bit darker. One of the good things about cherry tomatoes is their productivity - and that flavors can vary as to how ripe you pick them....and to make things more complicated, we each will have our own preference for how sweet or tart we like them! My view is to sample some at different stages to see what you favor.

[Fert1]

Thanks for all the feedback, folks! I couldn't hold out any longer and just had to try one of each today. Black Cherry was okay, not bad, but nothing to write home about either. However, Green Grape was marvelous! It could rival SunGold for flavor, although it's a different flavor, less sweet than SunGold. I think it's definitely a keeper for me!