Viewing post #3000462 by farmerdill

sallyg said: I buy grocery store winter tomatoes now and then. But I don't expect the taste and texture of homegrown. I just enjoy a winter sandwich with tomato more than without. The winter tomato is more like a lettuce substitute, for moisture and color.

But, the picture starting the thread shows a truck full of red tomatoes. So Im not sure what we're buying, red ones or green ones artificially ripened? And some are greenhouse grown.

Machine harvested tomatoes are normally for processing. These need a degree of ripening before processing where nicks and bruises are not important. They are usually hauled directlyt to the cannery/ processor. Market tomatoes require more care in harvesting and for long shelf life are carefully harvested as greens or breakers, then gassed in a controlled environment.