Black Cherry Toms out of control.....

[harleysilo]

Originally Posted by Patapsco Mike

Just give them a quick but gentle tug. If they pop right off they are ripe. If they are still clinging tight they need more time.

okay i'll try that.

[harleysilo]

Originally Posted by feldon30

I don't let anything get ripe on the vine, even cherries. I pick Black Cherry when they're dusky pink.

Interesting, why not?

[korney19]

Originally Posted by harleysilo

So how Black do they get before they are ripe?

This was from the other year I've grown them:

[harleysilo]

Originally Posted by korney19

This was from the other year I've grown them:

Well they look like that now, and they also look like the other picture that was posted above. Thanks!

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by harleysilo

Interesting, why not?

Too many bugs, birds, and risk of splitting due to rain.

I have found there to be no difference in flavor, so I pick early:

[harleysilo]

Originally Posted by feldon30

Too many bugs, birds, and risk of splitting due to rain.

I have found there to be no difference in flavor, so I pick early:

Where do you store them until the ripen? How do you store them?

[harleysilo]

Here they are...

[feldon30]

I see lots of cherry tomatoes ready to be harvested!

I store my tomatoes in those baskets, or on the counter or dining room table. I sometimes turn the tomatoes over if they start to get too soft on the bottom before they are fully ripe. No need for special storage, paper bags, etc.


Dining Room Table from May 21-June 15th

[dice]

I had mine 1 layer deep in stacks of cardboard boxes
last year. Paper grocery bags will do in a pinch, too.

You just have to remember to check them often, because
the different kinds of tomatoes in them will ripen at different
rates.

[harleysilo]

Oh wow!
I'm not going to have enough room inside lol...

[lightt]

This might be vaguely related to picking tomatoes early...

The latest Cooks Illustrated has a blurb on storing tomatoes. They tested the theory that tomatoes stored stem side down lasted longer than those stored stem side up. A week after placing two batches of tomatoes at room temp half up and the other down they checked and said:

"nearly all the stem-down tomatoes remained in perfect condition, while the stem-up tomatoes had shriveled and started to mold. Why the difference? We surmised that the scar left on the tomato skin where the stem once grew provided both an escape for moisture and an entry point for mold and bacteria. Placing a tomato stem-end down blocks air from entering and moisture from exiting the scar. To confirm this theory, we ran another test, this time comparing tomatoes stored stem-end down with another batch stored stem-end up, but with a piece of tape sealing off the scars. The taped, stem-end up tomatoes survived just as well as the stem-end down batch."

Terry Light

[Suze]

Terry, never even heard of that theory - thanks for posting it. I have observed that tomatoes stored stem end up do occasionally rot and get soft spots faster.

I almost always store tomatoes stem side down. My rationale: I figure since a tomato ripens inside first and bottom to top, I'd rather have what is probably the least ripe side taking the weight of the rest of the tomato.

[carolyn137]

Interesting Terry.

Fact is, I always remove the stem. That's required by commercial farmers so that the stem doesn't poke holes in other tomatoes in the same container and that's what we did on our farm and so that's what I do as well.

When I was growing lots and lots of heirlooms I picked them in half bushel baskets and no way was I going to damage fruits by leaving the stems on.

And as I see it, the area where the stem attaches does scar over quite quickly and I sure have trouble seeing how such fruits shrivel, etc., b'c many times my fruits had to stay for quite a few days as I was setting up fermentations and I never saw that. And yes, sometimes my fruits were stemeless for the week indicated above.

Ah well, I'm too old to change now, and the fact is that Freda will pick them for me and I'll ask her to PLEASE take the stems off when she picks.

[WildLife]

I wanted to grow BC this year.
Sad I have not.

[harleysilo]

Some of the taste testers here at work have made the following comments regarding BC. "The skin is tough, like a big old grape." "I can't get over the purple color, did you grow any red ones" "They are kinda sourish" Personally I like them.