Tomatoes
Sun-ripened tomatoes bursting with flavor, harvested at peak ripeness for the best taste
Storage
Store ripe tomatoes in a shallow bowl at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Once they're fully ripe and you won't eat them that day, refrigerate—a slightly softer-textured tomato beats a rotten one. The old 'never refrigerate' rule was written for commercial tomatoes picked green and shipped far; farm-fresh ripe tomatoes tolerate the fridge fine for a few days.
Keeps For
7-10 days at room temperature. Sometimes up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Flavor Profile
Sweet and acidic with a juicy, tender texture. Heirloom varieties offer complex flavors ranging from smoky to wine-like, while cherry tomatoes provide concentrated sweetness.
How to Prep
No need to peel for most uses. To easily peel for sauces, score an X on the bottom and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove seeds for less watery sauces by cutting in half and gently squeezing. When processing large quantities of tomatoes, we like to freeze them halved. Rinse the frozen tomato briefly, and the peel will rub right off.
Ways to Cook
- 1 Fresh in salads and sandwiches
- 2 Roasted with olive oil and herbs
- 3 Slow-cooked into rich sauces
- 4 Grilled for smoky flavor
- 5 Raw with just salt and pepper
Pairs Well With
Good to Know
Green shoulders on heirloom varieties are normal and edible. Late season tomatoes may have thicker skins due to cooler nights. Never store in plastic bags - they need to breathe!
Did You Know?
Tomatoes were thought to be poisonous in Europe for over 200 years because wealthy people ate them off lead plates, which leached lead into the acidic fruit.
Recipe Inspiration
Common Questions About Tomatoes
Should I refrigerate tomatoes?
It depends on ripeness. Underripe tomatoes should stay at room temperature—cold stops the ripening process cold. But once a tomato is fully ripe and you're not eating it today? Refrigerate it. I'd rather have a slightly less perfect texture than a rotten tomato. A lot of the 'never refrigerate' advice comes from commercial tomatoes that are picked green and shipped long distances—those will never ripen properly. Farm-fresh tomatoes picked ripe are a different story.
Can you freeze tomatoes?
Yes, and it's the easiest preservation method. Frozen tomatoes don't retain the texture of fresh tomatoes, but most of the flavor is preserved. Freeze them whole, halved, diced, sauced, cooked, or turning into salsa. If freezing whole or halved, the skins rub right off when you run them under warm water while still frozen. As always, vacuum sealing can help preserve them longer.
Do tomatoes ripen off the vine?
They do, but with a catch. Tomatoes that are already showing color will continue to ripen at room temperature—sometimes better than on the vine since there's no risk of cracking or pest damage. But tomatoes picked too early won't develop good flavor (this is why your grocery store tomato sucks). A tomato that's picked when half red will ripen to nearly the full flavor of a vine-ripened cousin if left to ripen at room temperature.
Why are my tomatoes mealy?
Variety makes a big difference. A lot of people say it's about refrigeration, but in our experience the difference is pretty marginal. I'd rather have a slightly mealy tomato that I can still eat than a smooth-textured rotten tomato that's rotten because I didn't refrigerate it when I knew it was starting to go. Commercial varieties bred for shipping often have mealier textures too—another reason to buy local.
What tomatoes are best for salsa?
Roma or paste tomatoes are the classic choice—they have thick walls, fewer seeds, and less juice so your salsa doesn't get watery. But honestly, any ripe tomato works if you drain off some liquid. Cherry tomatoes make surprisingly good salsa when halved. Green tomatoes are great for salsa verde, and there's even a soft spot in our hearts for mediocre grocery store tomatoes in Pico De Gallo (because they aren't fully ripe, they have a sort of hybrid flavor between green and true ripe).
What tomatoes are best for sauce?
Paste tomatoes like Roma or San Marzano have less water and more flesh, so your sauce cooks down faster. But any tomato will make good sauce—you'll just need to simmer longer to reduce the liquid. Heirloom slicers make incredible sauce with complex flavor, they just take more time. Cherry tomatoes roasted and blended make a fast, sweet sauce. If you have watery tomatoes and want to make sauce, you can also boil the paste directly in the tomatoes to suck up the extra liquid. Keep a kettle of hot water close by, and add a little at a time if you need more liquid to finish the pasta.
Should I peel tomatoes for sauce?
It depends on what you want. For smooth sauces, yes—score an X on the bottom, blanch 30 seconds, and the skins slip right off. For rustic chunky sauces? Don't bother. The skins break down with long cooking, adding body. If you really want to process a lot and have time, freeze them in halves and then rub the peels under running water.
Can you eat tomatoes with blossom end rot?
Yes. Just cut off the black leathery part on the bottom—the rest of the tomato is fine. Blossom end rot isn't a disease or mold, it's a calcium uptake issue caused by inconsistent watering. The unaffected part tastes normal and is perfectly safe.
Why do my tomatoes crack or split?
Usually heavy rain or inconsistent watering after a dry spell. The tomato absorbs water faster than the skin can expand. It doesn't affect safety or flavor—just eat cracked tomatoes first since they won't store as long. Some heirloom varieties are more prone to cracking than others.
Are tomatoes a fruit or vegetable?
Botanically they're a fruit—the seed-bearing structure that develops from a flower. Culinarily they're treated as a vegetable. The US Supreme Court even ruled on this in 1893, declaring tomatoes vegetables for tariff purposes. Call them whatever you want; we just call them delicious.
Why do tomatoes taste like nothing from the grocery store?
Commercial tomatoes are bred for uniformity, disease resistance, and ability to survive shipping—not flavor. They're picked green and ripened with ethylene gas. A tomato allowed to ripen on the vine in good soil develops sugars and acids that can't be replicated artificially. It's one of the biggest differences you'll taste between local and shipped produce.
How long do fresh tomatoes last?
At room temperature, 5-7 days for ripe ones, longer if slightly underripe. In the fridge once ripe, another 3-5 days. Past that, you'll see wrinkles, soft spots, and mold. Use slightly-past-prime tomatoes in cooked dishes where fresh flavor isn't critical—sauces, soups, shakshuka.
How do you peel tomatoes quickly?
Score a shallow X on the bottom with a paring knife. Drop into boiling water for 30-45 seconds, just until the skin starts to split at the X. Transfer immediately to ice water. The skins slip off with almost no effort. This is how restaurants prep tomatoes for sauce in seconds. If you really want to process a lot and have time, freeze them in halves and then rub the peels under running water.
Can you eat tomato leaves?
Yes, but supposedly they're mildly toxic. This isn't medical advice. I don't eat them because I don't think they taste good, but several cuisines use them sparingly in dishes.
How do you ripen tomatoes faster?
Room temperature, out of direct sun, stem-side down. Put them in a paper bag with a banana or apple if you want to speed things along—ethylene gas from the fruit hastens ripening. Don't stack them too deep; bruised spots become rot spots. A tomato that's shown any color at all will ripen to full color; a tomato picked completely green won't.
Why are there white hard spots inside my tomatoes?
Called 'internal white tissue' or 'yellow shoulder' depending on where it shows up. Usually caused by heat stress during ripening, nutrient issues, or viral infection during the growing season. Still safe to eat—just cut around the hard part if you don't like the texture. More common in commercial field-grown tomatoes than in garden or small-farm production, where heat can be managed.
Why are my tomatoes so acidic?
Variety and ripeness. Some tomato varieties (Juliet, many paste types) are naturally more acidic; others (Sun Gold, some heirlooms) are notably sweet. Tomatoes picked underripe haven't fully developed their sugars, so the acidity hits harder. Cooking concentrates both sugar and acid; a pinch of sugar in sauce balances high-acid tomatoes without making it sweet.
What tomatoes are best for canning?
Paste tomatoes like Roma, San Marzano, or Amish Paste—thick flesh, fewer seeds, less juice means you're cooking down less water. Slicing tomatoes work fine but take much longer to reduce. The other critical requirement: tomatoes for canning must be acidic enough to be shelf-stable. Standard canning procedures assume a pH at or below 4.6, which most tomatoes meet, but overripe or low-acid heirlooms may need added lemon juice or citric acid. Follow a tested recipe from Ball or a university extension service—homemade canning for acid levels is a food safety area where improvising goes badly.
When are tomatoes in season?
Summer. In the Pacific Northwest, local tomatoes come in mid-July at the earliest, peak in August and September, and taper off in October. Greenhouse tomatoes extend the season slightly on both ends. Grocery store tomatoes are available year-round because they're grown in Mexico, California, or hothouses in winter, but those are the ones that taste like cardboard—the 'tomatoes in January' tradeoff. If you want the best tomatoes, buy them between August and early October.
What's the difference between heirloom and regular tomatoes?
Technically, heirlooms are open-pollinated varieties that have been passed down for generations. Most people think of any large, wonky-looking tomato as an heirloom, and it was seen as a badge that this tomato was grown for flavor rather than for commercial food-chain qualities. These days, there are lots of "pho-looms" -- modern tomatoes designed to look like heirlooms, but often lacking the classic flavor. Whether modern or old, your best bet is to buy tomatoes from a reputable grower if you care about flavor.
Why are cherry tomatoes so sweet?
Smaller tomatoes concentrate their sugars in a smaller volume. Cherry, grape, and currant tomatoes also tend to be bred specifically for sweetness. The small size also means they ripen more uniformly and intensely. A good Sun Gold cherry tomato in August is one of the best things you can eat straight off the vine—candy-sweet and complex.
How do you store cut tomatoes?
Minimize contact with air. Place in a small container and consider pressing some cling film or something over the surface. If you've only cut a wedge or two, press the cut surface down on a plate to seal against the air.
Can you eat green tomatoes?
Yes. Green tomatoes have a firm, tart, slightly vegetal flavor—different from ripe tomatoes but genuinely good. Fried green tomatoes are a Southern classic (sliced, breaded, pan-fried). Green tomato chutney and pickles are great ways to use end-of-season tomatoes that won't ripen before frost. Don't expect them to taste like a ripe tomato, but lean into what they are and they're excellent.