Washing tomatoes

TexasTycoon · July 6, 2015

http://www.bestfoodfacts.org/food-fo.../fruit-vinegar

I just read this about washing produce and thought what they had to say about tomatoes was interesting as I'd never heard it before:

"If you cool the produce from your garden correctly, then you will extend its shelf-life. For example, if you are going to cool and sanitize your tomatoes you will need to do more than simply run the fruit under cold tap water. In fact, that is the worst thing you can do. You will need to dip or soak your tomatoes in water that is the temperature of the tomatoes that you just picked. So if it is 85°F outside, the internal temperature of your fruit will be about 85°F. When preparing your cleaning solution, the water must be at the same temperature as the tomato. We realize that this seems odd, but if the water is cooler than the fruit the drastic change in temperature will cause the tomato to actually draw in or suck in through its pores water that surrounds it. It is a great way to get microorganisms into your fruit that will ultimately cause a fruit rot. After you clean and sanitize your fruit, place them in a cool area somewhere around 55°F. With tomatoes, never place them in your refrigerator! It is too cold in there! Most refrigerators are set around 35°F to 45°F, which is too cold to store tomatoes and many other vegetables such as summer squash, bell peppers and eggplants."

It got me curious - how does everyone handle their tomatoes after picking?

Carriehelene · July 6, 2015

Wash them in cold water lol. Guess I've been doing it wrong all these years.

Dangit · July 6, 2015

I don't wash them until I'm ready to use them. They go into a bowl on the counter until then. Then just rinse with cold water. Even the ones I give away go un-washed.

Dangit

ContainerTed · July 6, 2015

I've been observing this phenomena for several years and there is merit to what is said. If the temperature outside is high, then don't bring the tomatoes in and wash them with water that is 20 degrees cooler. The skins will burst on almost all of them. Cherry tomatoes are exceptionally sensitive to this rapid temperature change. Larger tomatoes seem to be able to tolerate it much more than the little guys.

Try this sometime when you have extras. On a warm day, pick a couple dozen cherry-sized ripe tomatoes. They must be ripe. This will not happen to green fruits. Now, bring them in and put them in a container of cold water. Stir them around and let stand for about 2 minutes. Now count how many split their skins. The thinner the skin, the more likely the tomato will split its skin, sometimes regardless of the size of the fruit.

I always "climatize" the harvest and let it cool down slowly before washing them to keep from ruining the goodies.

AlittleSalt · July 6, 2015

I bring them in and put them in a container that has slots on the sides - on our kitchen bar. I don't wash them unless we have had to use a poison or spray on the plants. So far, no sprays this year.

Worth1 · July 6, 2015

I simply dont wash my tomatoes.
They go in my mouth after they have cooled off in the house.
I dont use any sprays and I dont can them so I eat them as is.

Worth

Labradors2 · July 6, 2015

I don't use any sprays and I eat them unwashed in the garden, but usually run them under the cold tap when preparing them for our meals. Sometimes they cherries split, but they seem to do that just by being brought inside! I never thought about the cooler temperature being the culprit!

Linda

bower · July 6, 2015

I don't wash mine because there's nothing on em, but it's a good thing to know, for any outdoor tomatoes that might need a cleaning. My well water is icy cold all year long, so it wouldn't be a good thing! Thanks, Texas Tycoon.

Gardeneer · July 6, 2015

I have heard that unwashed ripe tomato will have a longer shelf life.
So normally I wont wash them until I want to consume them.

Gardeneer

HCWithAltitude · July 7, 2015

Wait - people wash their tomatoes?!? Dang, I hardly ever make it out of the garden...

HWA

Fred Hempel · July 7, 2015

Adding water to produce is a good way to jumpstart bacterial and fungal growth. We pack dry and dirty, and it is the way our customers like it.

No matter how many times, or how well, you wash -- a cook worth their salt will wash again anyway.

Cole_Robbie · July 7, 2015

I wish I had smarter customers. But they're going to pick up the tomato off the table at market and eat it after they buy it regardless of what I say, as well as feed it to their kids. That's my biggest reason for sticking with my 'pesticide-free' label. People are going to feed whatever I set on that table straight to their kids without washing it.

My stuff is good enough to get eaten before it rots, even if washing it shortens the shelf life. That's my attitude.

AlittleSalt · July 7, 2015

Fred, I completely agree.

I learned this when saving onions and potatoes. They keep much longer if they are dirty.

I also wash pans before using them even if I washed them the night before. To me, things begin to get dirty/contaminated the second after you wash them - even in a very clean home. Maybe - I might be a little OCD, but I feel it's better to be safe than sorry.

I know this is off-topic, but a lady who sells all kinds of plants and transplants in her shop told me a story. She was preparing a chicken dish as usual and had a bowl of cherry tomatoes on the counter beside her. She was cutting the raw chicken for a recipe and was snacking on the cherry tomatoes. She got food poisoning so bad that she honestly thought she was going to die. A 911 call, ambulance, and hours in the ER were the results.

I know that is unrelated, but your reply made me remember her story.

KarenO · July 7, 2015

I don't wash tomatoes I grew. They are clean on the plants, none ever touch the ground and I never spray with anything at all as it isn't necessary here.
I do wash store bought because God knows what has been sprayed on them at some factory farm. And worse yet the dirty hands of the grocery store shoppers who have to paw every single fruit in the display before making their choice... Eww. That's worse than sprays...
Keep them dry, Cooler side of room temp and keep the stems on them too. They keep better IMO with the stems on.
Karen

Worth1 · July 7, 2015

I just realized I left some tomatoes sitting in a chair outside.
I bet they are already gone.

Worth

July 6, 2015	#1
TexasTycoon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Round Rock, TX, Zone 8b Posts: 1,157	Washing tomatoes http://www.bestfoodfacts.org/food-fo.../fruit-vinegar I just read this about washing produce and thought what they had to say about tomatoes was interesting as I'd never heard it before: "If you cool the produce from your garden correctly, then you will extend its shelf-life. For example, if you are going to cool and sanitize your tomatoes you will need to do more than simply run the fruit under cold tap water. In fact, that is the worst thing you can do. You will need to dip or soak your tomatoes in water that is the temperature of the tomatoes that you just picked. So if it is 85°F outside, the internal temperature of your fruit will be about 85°F. When preparing your cleaning solution, the water must be at the same temperature as the tomato. We realize that this seems odd, but if the water is cooler than the fruit the drastic change in temperature will cause the tomato to actually draw in or suck in through its pores water that surrounds it. It is a great way to get microorganisms into your fruit that will ultimately cause a fruit rot. After you clean and sanitize your fruit, place them in a cool area somewhere around 55°F. With tomatoes, never place them in your refrigerator! It is too cold in there! Most refrigerators are set around 35°F to 45°F, which is too cold to store tomatoes and many other vegetables such as summer squash, bell peppers and eggplants." It got me curious - how does everyone handle their tomatoes after picking? __________________ -Kelly "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn Bloom where you are planted.

July 6, 2015	#4
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	I've been observing this phenomena for several years and there is merit to what is said. If the temperature outside is high, then don't bring the tomatoes in and wash them with water that is 20 degrees cooler. The skins will burst on almost all of them. Cherry tomatoes are exceptionally sensitive to this rapid temperature change. Larger tomatoes seem to be able to tolerate it much more than the little guys. Try this sometime when you have extras. On a warm day, pick a couple dozen cherry-sized ripe tomatoes. They must be ripe. This will not happen to green fruits. Now, bring them in and put them in a container of cold water. Stir them around and let stand for about 2 minutes. Now count how many split their skins. The thinner the skin, the more likely the tomato will split its skin, sometimes regardless of the size of the fruit. I always "climatize" the harvest and let it cool down slowly before washing them to keep from ruining the goodies. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

July 7, 2015	#14
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	I don't wash tomatoes I grew. They are clean on the plants, none ever touch the ground and I never spray with anything at all as it isn't necessary here. I do wash store bought because God knows what has been sprayed on them at some factory farm. And worse yet the dirty hands of the grocery store shoppers who have to paw every single fruit in the display before making their choice... Eww. That's worse than sprays... Keep them dry, Cooler side of room temp and keep the stems on them too. They keep better IMO with the stems on. Karen Last edited by KarenO; July 7, 2015 at 01:17 AM.

July 6, 2015	#2
Carriehelene Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 300	Wash them in cold water lol. Guess I've been doing it wrong all these years.

July 6, 2015	#3
Dangit Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Simi Valley, Ca Posts: 46	I don't wash them until I'm ready to use them. They go into a bowl on the counter until then. Then just rinse with cold water. Even the ones I give away go un-washed. Dangit

July 6, 2015	#5
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I bring them in and put them in a container that has slots on the sides - on our kitchen bar. I don't wash them unless we have had to use a poison or spray on the plants. So far, no sprays this year.

July 6, 2015	#6
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I simply dont wash my tomatoes. They go in my mouth after they have cooled off in the house. I dont use any sprays and I dont can them so I eat them as is. Worth

July 6, 2015	#7
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,895	I don't use any sprays and I eat them unwashed in the garden, but usually run them under the cold tap when preparing them for our meals. Sometimes they cherries split, but they seem to do that just by being brought inside! I never thought about the cooler temperature being the culprit! Linda

July 6, 2015	#8
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	I don't wash mine because there's nothing on em, but it's a good thing to know, for any outdoor tomatoes that might need a cleaning. My well water is icy cold all year long, so it wouldn't be a good thing! Thanks, Texas Tycoon.

July 6, 2015	#9
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,916	I have heard that unwashed ripe tomato will have a longer shelf life. So normally I wont wash them until I want to consume them. Gardeneer

July 7, 2015	#10
HCWithAltitude Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Colorado Posts: 78	Wait - people wash their tomatoes?!? Dang, I hardly ever make it out of the garden... HWA

July 7, 2015	#11
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	Adding water to produce is a good way to jumpstart bacterial and fungal growth. We pack dry and dirty, and it is the way our customers like it. No matter how many times, or how well, you wash -- a cook worth their salt will wash again anyway.

July 7, 2015	#12
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I wish I had smarter customers. But they're going to pick up the tomato off the table at market and eat it after they buy it regardless of what I say, as well as feed it to their kids. That's my biggest reason for sticking with my 'pesticide-free' label. People are going to feed whatever I set on that table straight to their kids without washing it. My stuff is good enough to get eaten before it rots, even if washing it shortens the shelf life. That's my attitude.